Dogs are amazing creatures and have been by our side for thousands of years. They provide us with love, companionship and are always there when we need them. But did you know there’s far more to dogs than meets the eye?
In this blog post, we’ve put together some of our favourite dog facts so you can learn a little more about your furry friend. From their incredible sense of smell to their ability to understand human speech, dogs are truly amazing animals!
1. Their sense of smell is at least 40 times superior to ours.
In fact, their sense of smell is up to 100 times more sensitive than ours! This is because dogs have around 300 million scent receptors in their noses, compared to just six million in humans. This means that dogs can track scents over long distances and even identify individual humans by their scent.
2. Some people have such good noses that they can detect medical concerns.
Dogs have an incredibly powerful sense of smell and can be trained to detect all sorts of illnesses, from cancer to malaria. There are medical detection dogs. Because of their keen sense of smell, certain dogs may be trained to detect medical issues. They are used to diagnose an ailment or to warn their owners if they require further medicine. Some are even being taught to detect Covid-19!
3. Dogs can smell and breathe at the same time.
Dogs rely too heavily on their sense of smell to locate food, potential hazards, and pals, therefore they sniff a lot. Their nostrils are built to allow odours to remain in their noses while air moves in and out of their lungs at the same time, enabling them to breathe freely while still identifying what that smell is!
4. Some dogs are fantastic swimmers.
In fact, most dogs are natural swimmers and take to water quite easily. If you’ve ever seen a dog paddle, you’ll know that their front legs do all the work while their back legs just act as stabilisers.
5. Some are quite speedy and can even outrun a cheetah!
Dogs are able to run at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, making them one of the fastest land animals on the planet. In fact, they’re so fast that they’ve been known to outrun a cheetah!
6. Dogs do not sweat as much as humans do.
Dogs sweat like we do, they just don’t have the same number of sweat glands. Dogs have three eyelids, the third lid is called a nictitating membrane or “haw.” This membranous eyelid acts as a clear shield that wipes the eye and keeps debris out. A dog can make about 100 different facial expressions.
The next time you’re looking at your dog, think about all the amazing things they can do that we can’t! They really are man’s best friend.
What’s your favourite fact about dogs? Let us know in the comments below!
