Are you a first-time dog parent? Or maybe you’re a dog know-it-all! Luckily, as dog lovers, we never get tired of learning more about our fascinating pets. There’s so much to discover about our furry four-legged friends, from the way they eat to the way they communicate with other dogs and humans. Here are 10 surprising facts about dogs that will only make you love your dogs even more!
Dogs have significantly fewer taste buds than humans.
Humans have 9,000 taste buds, which allow us to enjoy our favorite foods, or grimace at our least favorite ones. Even more shocking: dogs have 1,700 taste buds! (No wonder they’re always begging for treats…)
Dog yawns are very different from human yawns.
You might be tempted to assume that your pet’s yawn means that they are tired. However, dogs will also yawn to calm themselves down, and repeated yawning could even signal anxiety or stress. Think of dog yawns like cat purrs: another body language gesture that can be interpreted in several ways!
In 2012, the first dog became a mayor.
That’s right: in 2012, Max the Golden Retriever became mayor of a town in California called Idyllwild. Because Idyllwild is a non-incorporated town, they have no need for an official human mayor. For the town’s first-ever mayoral election, the town’s non-profit animal organization sponsored the event. Residents could nominate their own pets, and others could cast their votes through donations to the animal shelter. Idyllwild ended up raising over $30,000, and Max the Golden Retriever was elected as mayor!
Dogs dream at night.
Research shows that dogs have similar sleep patterns and brain activity as humans, so if your pooch is twitching at night, then they might be dreaming of familiar activities like going on walks, eating treats, or playing fetch.
Dogs only have sweat glands in their paws.
Humans sweat all over their bodies. But dogs only have sweat glands in their paws, which means they have to expel all that extra body heat some other way–most commonly, through panting!
Dogs have three eyelids.
Our furry friends actually have three eyelids. The third one, also known as the “nictitating membrane,” closes across the eye; it wipes debris off the surface of the eye, helps produce tears, and can even help fight off eye infections.
The U.S. has the highest dog population per capita in the world.
For every four people, there is one dog. In terms of the highest dog population in general, that award goes to Brazil, which is home to fifty-two million dogs, and counting!
Dogs can be trained to sniff out cancer.
It’s a well-known fact that dogs have a keen sense of smell; a dog’s nose is 10,000 to 100,000 times more sensitive than a human nose. And it turns out that cancerous tumors will release tiny amounts of a specific organic compound. Certain dog breeds can be trained to sniff out these compounds in concentrations that are as dilute as parts per trillion.
Dogs can be taught to count and solve simple math problems.
Early experimental research from Brazil and the UK demonstrate that dogs can be trained to recognize simple additional and subtraction problems. Scientists theorize that basic math would be evolutionarily beneficial for dogs, so females could easily count their pups, for example.
No two dog noses are the same.
Similar to our fingerprints, each dog nose has a unique set of ridges, creases, and wrinkles.
Which one surprised you the most? Leave a comment below!
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