Dogs have been parts of human lives for centuries now and have evolved to become man’s best companion. This has been true since their domestication and we have been able to know that they are capable of a lot from hunting to therapy to search and rescue and many more.
However, there are some bizarre and interesting dog facts that some of us may be aware of until now but if you are curious about these dog facts, keep on reading to learn more.
Here are the 25 bizarre facts you should know about dogs.
1. Dogs can smell like Fritos
Your dog may sometimes give off a yeasty corn chip smell such as Fritos. Ever wondered why this is the case?
This smell is actually harmless bacteria such as Pseudomonas or fungi growing on the dog’s skin, especially around the paws. These fungi and bacteria can be found in the environment.
You can reduce this smell by bathing your dog once a month using a mild dog shampoo and paying close attention to the paws.
2. Wolves can be crossed with wolves
The DNA in both dogs and wolves which means that they can be crossed and produce viable offsprings that are known as wolfdogs.
There about 300,000 wolfdogs in the US and the question of whether this should be done or not is still a topic up for debate.
3. Smaller dogs have a longer lifespan than larger ones
Unlike most animals, a dog’s size does not always colorate to his life expectancy. This is because smaller dogs and breeds live longer than their larger counterparts.
One reason for this is that larger dogs grow much faster and thus age more quickly.
Health conditions that are associated with old age onset earlier in larger dogs, lowering their quality of life and eventually reduce the life expectancy.
It is different from other animals such as mice and elephants whose lifespans colorate to their body size, where elephants live for significantly longer than mice.
4. A dog’s sense of smell is 50 times better than a human’s
Depending on the breed, a dog can have about 300 million smell receptors compared to humans that have about 6 million. This is about 50 times the number of smell receptors in the nose.
These receptors are known as olfactory receptors and enable both humans and dogs to distinguish between different smells.
5. Dogs have 3 functional eyelids
Both human beings and dogs have 3 eyelids but only dogs have 3 functional eyelids.
A dog’s third eyelid known as a nictitating membrane is usually hidden only coming out when the dog is protecting itself from injury or moisture, mucus production, and gets rid of debris.
Although humans also have this third eyelid, it is a remnant eyelid and serves no particular function.
6. Both humans and dogs evolved together
There is a reason why dogs and humans get along so well to become perfect companions for each other.
An answer for this can be found in a study carried out by the University of Chicago that suggests dogs and wolves separated about 32000 years ago.
After the separation, a dog’s brain developed and evolved together with those of human beings.
The evolution also occurred in the digestive systems and immunity to diseases.
7. Baboons can kidnap puppies but not as pets
You have probably seen Saudi Arabia Ta’if videos where baboons kidnap dogs, especially puppies and it has been suggested by some that they kidnap and keep them as pets.
However, this may not be entirely true and does not have any scientific backing.
This may happen because of the natural behaviors found in some baboons but we may see more studies in the future to know exactly why this happens.
8. Dogs can smell and mirror human emotions
Depending on the emotions or feelings that you are experiencing, you can produce different smells. For example, when you are scared, you produce fear pheromones through our sweat pores.
Because dogs have excellent senses of smell, they can detect and interpret the different emotions through these pheromones.
That is why they can know when we are feeling sad, happy, or when we are outright scared and mirror the emotions.
They are also affected by our emotions and can react differently. This is also why therapy dogs are usually so successful.
9. Dogs use their paws to sweat
Dogs have several cooling mechanisms such as puffing through their mouths and nasals and also sweating.
However, they only sweat through the parts of their skin that are exposed such as the nose and the paw pads.
But they also have sweat glands on the parts of their skins that are covered with fur that are known as apocrine glands.
Apocrine glands do not produce sweat and their exact function is unknown but is believed to produce the “doggie odor” which dogs used to communicate with each other.
10. Dogs can dream just like humans do
Just like human beings, dogs can dream too when they are asleep. They can also have both good dreams and nightmares too.
You can see this after the dog has been asleep for about 30 minutes and you will notice him moving his eyelids, gnarling, or even growling.
However, it is highly discouraged to wake your dog up if you notice him having nightmares as he may react aggressively.
11. There was a Kitchen Dog that went extinct
A dog breed that was known as the Turnspit dog could be found in most of the British kitchens in the 16th century.
This dog would run on a wheel like a hamster turning it with meat placed on it to allow it to evenly cook. The wheel is known as a Roasting spit.
Turnspit dogs were thus known as Kitchen dogs or Cooking dogs but they started going extinct in the 1850s and by 1900, they had gone completely extinct.
This dog is, however, the closest relative to the Welsh Pembroke Corgi.
12. A dog’s nose print is unique
Dogs have unique nose prints just like how humans have fingerprints that can be used to identify them.
The part of the nose where these unique patterns or prints are found is known as the rhinarium and is also the same region on the nose that secretes sweat droplets.
These prints have been used to find lost dogs and The Canadian Kennel Club has been using dog noseprints while registering dogs since 1938.
13. 3 dogs survived the Titanic tragedy
Apart from people, there were also at least 12 dogs on board the Titanic that were traveling with several passengers but only 3 survived that tragic accident.
There were 2 Pomeranians and 1 Pekingese that are believed to have survived due to their small body size.
14. Dogs can sense a coming storm
Have you ever noticed your dog acting weird and a storm following thereafter? Well, if you have there is an explanation of why it happens.
This happens because dogs can sense a shift in the static fields and barometric pressure changes that can significantly affect a dog’s behavior.
A coming dog can spook a dog, make him overexcited, or even make him extremely curious.
15. In 1860, only 2 strays were allowed to roam San Francisco
San Francisco passed an anti-stray dog law that prohibited dogs from roaming free in the streets. This was done to combat the ever-increasing problem of stray dogs in the 1860s where dogs could outnumber people in a ratio of 2 to 1.
However, 2 dogs were allowed to roam San Francisco and were known as Bummer and Lazarus.
Bummer and Lazarus were exceptional at hunting and killing rats which was another problem that San Francisco was facing.
They are also believed to have killed a least 400 rats in one month and were, therefore, exempt from the stray dog ban.
16. Stray dogs in Moscow can navigate the subway
There are about 35,000 stray dogs that roam around the Russian city, Moscow but there are several that have figured out and can navigate the subway system with ease.
The subway system in Moscow is complex and these dogs know what time to board the train, where to board the train, and where to alight.
These dogs are also known to observe traffic lights and are capable of knowing who is friendly or not where to get a treat or a full meal.
17. Dogs’ whiskers help them “see” in the dark
Dog whiskers are highly essential and assist dogs in navigating in the dark and also detect any small changes in the air currents.
These whiskers help dogs “see” in the dark and also tell when there are is potential incoming dangers. This is because they have small sensory cells that transmit information to their brains.
18. Guide dogs can eliminate by command
Guide dogs are some of the best-trained dogs as they have to assist visually impaired and blind people navigate and get around obstacles.
They are also trained to eliminate by command where trainers use different cues and commands such as “go potty.”
19. Puppies are born both deaf and blind
All puppies are born with both their ear canals and eyes tightly shut.
The eyes and ears then start developing and start opening up when they are about 2 to 3 weeks old. And although they open up at almost the same time, the ears will be more well-developed than the eyes.
20. Dogs greet each other by sniffing bums
Each dog has a chemically unique doggie odor released from the skin and the anal sacs.
However, this odor is more prominent at the anal sacs, and dogs can use it to determine if they have ever met before, determine the other dog’s gender, and can even use it to tell how the other dog is doing emotionally.
Dogs also sniff each other butts to greet and get to know each other.
21. Dogs can detect cancer and diabetes
As you can tell by now, a dog’s amazing sense of smell is highly developed and sensitive.
Thanks to this sense of smell, there have been several studies that have been carried out to determine if dogs can actively sniff and accurately detect both cancer and diabetes.
They can do this by using a human’s urine sample, skin odor, and breath. Some of the cancers that dogs can detect include colon cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, and even breast cancer.
From these samples, they are also able to tell if a person has high or low blood sugar to know if one has diabetes. These diabetes sniffing dogs are known as “Diabetic Alert Dogs.”
22. Dogs can use the earth’s magnetic field to poop
A study that was carried out by the Frontiers in Zoology on 70 dogs from 37 breeds found out that dogs have a “magnetic compass” as they are sensitive to the earth’s magnetic fields.
They use these magnetic fields for navigation in difficult terrains and it was also concluded that they love relieving themselves using these magnetic fields facing the north-south axis.
23. Navy Seals prefer Belgian Malinois to other breeds
The Belgian Malinois is a preferred breed by the military, especially the Nave Seals.
This is because of their speed, agility, work drive, sensitive smell senses, and razor-sharp focus.
But to take part in high-risk missions, Nazy seals have to put these dogs through intense training just like their human counterparts where only 1% of the dogs qualify.
These dogs are trained for at least 15 hours a week and can even jump off military aircraft and parachute with their military handlers.
24. Dogs are as intelligent as a 2-year-old kid
According to Livescience, dogs are as intelligent as a two-year-old human child based on a language development test.
A dog can learn and memorize upwards of 165 words and commands which is similar to what a 2-year-child can learn.
Smarter breeds like the Border Collie can learn up to 260 words which is pretty impressive.
-This closes our list for the most bizarre dog facts.
There we go WOOF!!!!!
