Do you ever wonder what your dog is thinking? What would you say if you could speak? Being a dog owner is a wonderful thing, but it would be even better if our pet could talk. There are many reasons why dogs are man's best friend, and the connection between us is beautiful and somehow incomprehensible. If you want to get to know your dog even better and understand some of its (characteristic) features, then read on for ten interesting facts that you don't know about your dog.
1. Dogs smell and feel a storm.
Have you ever seen your dog acting strange for no reason and then flash and thunder a few hours later? This is because dogs detect weather changes before humans do. They detect thunder with their ears even before the human ear catches it. And not only do dogs hear much better than us, they also have a better sense of smell. A dog's nose is so sensitive that it detects smells significantly faster than a human nose. Dogs are by nature much more sensitive to weather changes than humans.
2. Dogs are born blind, deaf and toothless.
Puppies are really helpless when they come into the world. Blind, deaf and toothless, but so precious. During their first week of life, puppies spend 90% of the day sleeping and 20% of the day spent feeding. They can't walk yet, so the puppies start exploring by crawling. Their eyes open when they are about two weeks old. They also need ears for two to three weeks. Thus, the first weeks of a puppy's life are completely dependent on their mother. This is also the reason why we wait before we can take the puppy home, to our own.
3. A dog's nose print performs the same function as a human finger print.
Just as humans are identified by a fingerprint, so dogs are identified by the imprint of their nose, snout. The dog's nose print is also unique. If we look closely, we see that the lines that form the pattern on the dog's nose are also the same as the lines that form the pattern on our finger. The previous way of identifying a dog was a paw print, but this method has been abandoned as it is not as accurate as a smurf's print. All dog breeders and trainers require the dog to be identified by means of its nose print, in case they need to be secured or identified.
4. Male dogs raise their leg as a sign of dominance.
It's no surprise that male dogs like to show dominance. Many people know that dogs mark their territory by peeing in new places. When they raise their leg, they allow the urine to spread even higher. This will allow the smell of urine to linger longer as some dogs will not be able to handle this height. Dogs mark their territory in layers. The more dominant scent of the dog remains higher up, and the less dominant scent remains lower. The smaller the dog is, the less dominant it is on the "pee scale".
5. The smell center in a dog's brain is forty times larger than in a human.
Dogs rely on their sense of smell to interpret the world around them, just like humans do with their eyes. Although it may be difficult to understand, our dog processes the same amount of information throughout the day as we do. Dogs do this to understand and get to know their surroundings and this is also the reason why they sniff much more enthusiastically in a new environment. The part of the brain dedicated to analyzing smells is forty times larger in dogs than in humans.
READ MORE: What do our pets say about us?
6. Dogs dream.
Anyone who has a dog has surely noticed that the dog often twitches in its sleep. Dogs dream. And a dog's dreams are very similar to human dreams. The size of the dog can, among other things, determine the length of the dream. Larger breeds dream like this every hour for five to ten minutes. Small breeds, on the other hand, dream every ten minutes, and dreams only last about minutes. Puppies and older dogs tend to dream more than middle-aged dogs. Although dogs sleep more than humans, they wake up much easier. Dogs have so many different dreams, good and bad. If you are experiencing a nightmare, do not panic. When the dog wakes up, it may be uncertain, but it will soon realize that it was all just a dream.
7. Tail wagging is a language unto itself.
Humans have the wrong belief - we interpret a wagging tail as a dog's excitement and happiness. Although it can also mean this, it is far from everything: dogs wag their tails even when they are scared or insecure. We have to pay attention to when the dog wags its tail, in what way, in what position the tail is and how fast it wags. Like any other language, dog language has its own vocabulary that we need to understand.
8. Dogs don't sweat in the same places as humans.
Dogs sweat, but not in the same places as humans. Dogs secrete their sweat mainly through the pads on their paws. Their skin and armpits do not contain sweat glands. When dogs pant and pant, they try to get rid of excess heat from their bodies, but they don't sweat like that. Dogs sweat through activities, so some dogs need more recreation. Dogs like bulldogs and pugs are at risk of overheating due to the panting problem, so these require a bit more attention. It is important to include your dog in active movement so that he can sweat properly, we just have to be careful.
9. Dogs understand body language better than words.
How many of us have talked to a dog like a human? This is completely normal and not even that weird. Humans love to talk, the only problem is that our pets don't understand us. Although dogs are able to understand some key words such as "cookie", "walk" or "sit", they will have a very difficult time understanding verbal communication. Dogs notice our body language faster. If we lean towards the dog at the word "sit", there is a greater chance that our four-legged friend will understand us.
10. Dogs need structure and rules.
Dogs are like children: they need structure and rules. Dogs need to know who is the leader - if they don't, the dog will never listen to us. Sometimes it's hard to be a little louder with our lovely friend, but a dog needs discipline. Dogs do not distinguish the exception from the rule. If they are allowed to jump on us, they will not understand why they are not allowed to do so when we are dressed in nicer clothes. Dogs will know what is right and wrong only when we draw a clear line between acceptable and unacceptable.
