Interesting Dog Facts
Facts are dogs don't sweat like we humans do. Dogs cool themselves mostly through panting. We humans have sweat glands throughout our bodies and when the sweat evaporates it cools the body.Sweaty paws are a small part of a dogs cooling down process.
So why do dog paws sweat? Your dog can feel hot but most likely it can be from stress. Think about it, when a dog is stressed flight or fight always comes into play. Therefore maybe the wet paws gives them better traction on certain surfaces.
Dogs have two sweat glands:
- Merocrine glands-similar to humans and located in your dogs paws
- Apocrine glands-Are known as sweat glands that release pheromones to help identify other dogs by scent.
Most dogs are covered in fur and if sweat glands where all over there body it wouldn't evaporate.
Here are a few websites with more details if you like to search further.
Without getting to scientific a dogs nose can smell 40 times greater than ours. A dog has up to 300 million receptors in their nose compared to our 5 million.
The easiest way for us to explain it is to imagine how humans see colors, dogs can pull out smells in the air like we see colors. Pretty amazing how well advanced a canines nose is compared to humans.
Some other cool facts on a dogs nose:
- Dogs can breathe in and out at the same time
- Science is leaning towards a dogs nose having a unique pattern like a humans finger print
- Wet noses help collect odor
Here are some links that we found very helpful if you want to search more:
Dogs use their whiskers more than humans realize so please don't cut them during grooming.Some dogs use whiskers as a means communication. Dogs might flare their whiskers forward when feeling agonistic arousal; or backwards when feeling fearful or submissive. A lumpy whisker bed usually happens after a dog displays a agonistic pucker.
Most of these examples are all about emotions now lets see how they use their whiskers to sense the environment.Dogs can sense the subtle change in air direction with their whiskers. These air changes give dogs a better understanding of the surrounding environment like the dark. Whiskers can detect size , shapes and speed of objects based on the air current.
Here are a few articles if you like to dig deeper:
Article with some data:
Many dogs are trained to assist the blind, helping them get around. Others help keep humans calm and safe as therapy dogs. Some are search and rescue dogs which are trained to find humans by scent. Some are trained to sniff out illegal drug, bombs or even humans with health issues.
More links on working dogs:
Different types of working dogs over at Spruce dot com
One Myth: When the world was created, a little piece of blue sky fell. Chows licked up these pieces hence the their blue tongue. The color blue and black is do to pigment under their tongues.
Here is a few links with more details:
Puppies generally don’t grow their trademark spots until about four weeks old.
Dogs use their tails to express various emotions. A wagging tail doesn't always mean they are happy; it can also indicate excitement, anxiety, or even submission.
Studies suggest that dogs have REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, just like humans, indicating that they do dream while asleep. You may notice them twitching, making noises, or moving their paws while dreaming.
Dogs have a wide range of vocalizations, from barking, howling, and growling to whining and whimpering. Each sound conveys different emotions and intentions.
Dogs are remarkably good at reading human emotions and can often sense when their owners are feeling happy, sad, or anxious. They are known for their empathy and can provide emotional support to their human companions.
Labrador Retrievers have consistently topped the charts as the most popular dog breed in various countries due to their friendly nature, intelligence, and versatility as family pets and working dogs.