10 Canine Facts Every Dog Lover Should Know

As a dog lover, you know there is something special about your canine companion – and scientists agree with it!

1) Dogs dream just as we do. Scientists believe that dogs have comparable sleep patterns to humans, and that small dog breeds dream more than large dog breeds.

2) Your dog’s sense of smell is incomparably better than yours.

His nose has millions more scent receptors than the average human, which is why dogs are sometimes used to sniff out drugs, explosives and even dead bodies. Carefully trained dogs can even be used to detect cancer cells in humans.

James Walker, former director of the Sensory Research Institute at Florida State University, puts this into perspective: “If you make the analogy to vision, what you and I can see a third of a mile away, a dog could see just as clearly more than 3,000 miles away.”

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3) Like human fingerprints, no two dog noses are alike.

Every dog’s nose has a distinctive pattern.

4) The first sense your dog develops is touch.

The first experience for a puppy after being born is being cleaned by his mother – a process that stimulates the nerve endings and gets the puppy’s blood flowing. From this moment onwards, touch is a vital part of socialisation, which helps the dog to bond with both humans and other dogs.

5) Scientists have discovered that most dogs have the intelligence of a two-year-old child. Not only can they understand up to 200 words, they are also smart enough to take advantage of humans and other dogs to get a payoff. Out of all dog breeds, border collies have been found to be the smartest.

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6) Puppies are born deaf and blind.

If you have ever seen a puppy being born, you may have noticed that he is born with his eyes closed. Newborn dogs are still developing and most puppies open their eyes and begin responding to noise after around ten days.

"Dogs are sometimes used to sniff out drugs, explosives, and even dead bodies. Carefully trained dogs can even be used to detect cancer cells in humans."

7) Your dog may have a sixth sense.

Many dog owners have incredible stories to tell about how their dog appeared to have a sixth sense. In fact, according to a 2010 poll, a massive 67 percent of pet owners reported their pets acting strangely before a storm, while as many as 43 percent said their pup behaved oddly immediately before something bad happened. This ability has been utilised where some epileptic people can rely on their dog's sixth sense to indicate if a fit is about to occur in their owner.

Scientists don't know exactly why this is but, while it is easy to dismiss it as superstition,

8) A dog at one year old is as physically mature as a 15-year-old human.

Though all breeds of dog age differently – with, for example, large dogs maturing faster than small ones – on average, a one-year-old pup has the same physical maturity as a 15-year-old teenager!

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9) Your dog can smell your feelings.

If you're feeling down, don't be surprised to receive extra love and attention from your dog. Scientists have discovered that your pup can detect subtle changes in your scent, and can use this to determine how you're feeling. In a similar way, dogs can sense certain bodily changes – such as illness, and even pregnancy – in their owners.

10) Did you know that the only place dogs sweat is through their paws? This is why your dog’s paws might smell a bit funky. Humans have sweat glands all over our bodies, but the only sweat glands dogs have are between the pads on their feet. So, instead of sweating, dogs cool down by panting with their mouths open. A panting dog takes between 300 and 400 breaths a minute, which is much more than their usual 30 to 40 breaths per minute.

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