10 Fun Facts About Dogs

1. Extraordinary Smell
   
   It is well known that dogs have a strong sense of smell. But did you know that their smell center is 40 times larger than that as a human? They can sniff out scents that humans cannot and is why their abilities make them useful in fields such as in police work and search and rescue initiatives. Dogs are even used in medical fields to help detect diseases like cancer and diabetes.
   
   
2. Dalmatians
   
   Dalmatians are a beautiful dog without a doubt and are known for their spots. But did you know that dalmatians are born without any spots? They develop as the dog gets older.
   
   
3. Wolves
   
   Dogs are a descendant of wolves, that gradually adapted to life alongside humans thousands of years ago. Although domesticated and significantly evolved, they share a common ancestry with gray wolves!
   
   
4. Sweat Glands
   
   Dogs sweat out through the pads of their paws, not through their skin! Due to this, a dogs main form of cooling down is through panting and getting lots of hydration.
   
   
5. Three eyelids
   
   Just like cats, dogs have three eyelids in each eye! The third eyelid or “nictitating membrane” sweeps back and forth across the surface of the eye to provide protection, and remove dust and mucus. This third eyelid is shut when a dog sleeps so you may have seen it already before!
   
   
6. Empathy
   
   Dogs can sense and respond to human emotions. As they are incredibly intelligent and have “affective empathy” they watch for facial expressions, body language and provide emotional support through sympathy.
   
   
7. Memory
   
   Dogs have a remarkable memory although it can vary by breed. They have short-term and long-term memory but also other forms of memory such as associative, scent, and social memory.
   
   
8. Chihuahua
   
   Chihuahuas are the world’s smallest breed of dogs (out of 340 different recognized dog breeds)!
   
   
9. Newfoundlands
   
   As Canadians we cannot forget to mention Newfoundlands! They are a large, powerful working dog who have a muscular build, thick coat, love to swim and have partially webbed feet! There are actually a few dog breeds that have webbed feet which helps with swimming.
   
   
10. The Beatles ‘A Day in the Life’
    
    In the Beatles song ‘A Day in the Life’ there is a frequency within the song that only dogs can hear! Play it the next time you’re with your dog and see if they pick up on the noise!

We hope you had fun reading these 10 fun facts about dogs and learned something new!