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Dogs make amazing pets. They’re loving, loyal, smart, and protective – everything you want from a trusted member of the family.
Dogs are also fascinating. Depending on the breed and how they were raised/trained, they have different personalities, energy levels, behaviors, and more.
If you’re like many dog lovers, you think about your dogs a lot. Here are a few interesting and fun dog facts that you may not have known that can help you appreciate your furry pal even more:
1. Dog Whiskers Pick Up Air Currents
Dogs have great eyes and fantastic night vision – far better than humans. But dogs are also aided by their whiskers. They are able to pick up even slight and subtle changes in the air current, letting them know when there is change or danger and where to look.
2. Dogs Don’t Really Age 7 Years in 1 Human Year
We like to say that 1 human year is equivalent to 7 dog years, but that is actually not true. All dogs age about 12 years for the first two human years, and then after two years they age at a pace relative to their size and breed with smaller dogs aging slower than older dogs.
3. Dogs Would Eat Your Face if You Die – Out of Love
Dogs adore humans as members of the pack. If their human dies in their home, they will lick the human’s face to try to wake them up, hoping that they are not dead. They will keep licking and licking and getting sadder and more scared. Eventually, because of that stress and fear, they may start to chew hoping it will wake you up. But because humans have different tasting meat, that chewing will eventually lead to snacking. It is gross, but it comes from a good place.
4. Dogs Unique Shape and Color May Not Just Be From Breeding
The reason dogs look and act like they do today is mostly because of hundreds of years of breeding for different traits. But the look of today’s dog is not just from breeding. Though it’s not clear why, temperament may play a role. One scientist bred foxes to create “tame” foxes that were friendly like dogs. But those domesticated foxes were not just friendly – their coats also changed colors.
It appears that the color of dogs and their fur is partially related to breeding, and partially related to domestication in some way.
5. Misplaced Dog Energy Leads to Behavioral Issues
Dogs were once wild animals that have been domesticated to become the loving creates we see today. But sometimes they behave in a way that is more like a wild animal, chewing on your items, growling, urinating, barking, and misbehaving.
One reason for that may simply be too much energy. When dogs are not getting their walks, or are not being mentally stimulated, they experience an excess of energy that their body does not know what to do with. That energy is then converted into their animal instinct, which in turn leads to the behaviors that we were specifically hoping to avoid.
If you have found that your pet has recently been acting out, perhaps it is misplaced energy. Let our tea of dog walkers and pet sitters help. Contact us today for more information.