If you love dogs you can find many amazing facts about them, such as that we’re the very first animals that humans domesticated. This article will highlight some other interesting dog facts for kids and adults to know more of them.
Dogs belong to the Canidae family and they are actually a domesticated type of gray wolf. They are versatile animals which can provide great assistance to humans such as giving them protection, aiding in police and military searches, herding, hunting, sniffing to detect bombs and various other weapons and helping handicapped persons, especially the blind. Of all the animals, dog behavior is generally associated with loyalty to owners.
The Dog Lady says that If you have a dog and children at home, you might probably want to know how to get your kids involved in the caring process once they are old enough to learn about responsibility and building lifelong foundations of love and respect for animals. In this case, you want to keep things interesting by making learning as fun as possible to engage your kids’ minds and get them excited. When you appeal to children’s appetite, this will go a long way in helping them to learn about their furry friend. With this in mind, the information below was written with children in mind to give fun facts about dogs and help you to start with their teaching.
Funny Dog Facts
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- Dogs are among the most intelligent animals around and they can be trained to perform just about any task.
- The very first dog fossils were found in 10,000 B.C.
- A dog is the best pet for anyone, due to their lovable and obedient nature.
- There are over seven hundred types of pure breed dogs across the world. Some of the breeds include the Collie, Bulldog, St Bernard, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Greyhound, Chihuahua, Bloodhound, Labrador, Boxer, Great Dane, Cocker Spaniel, and Rottweiler.
- Throughout human history, domestic dogs have been one of the most popular companions and working animals. They were first domesticated in the Paleolithic Age by the cavemen.
- Domestic dogs feed on many different types of foods which include grains, meats, and vegetables.
- A dog has an average life span of about 10 to 14 years.
- A dog has very sharp ears so it can hear sounds of a much as 35,000 vibrations in a second.
- Puppies are born without teeth, plus they are deaf and blind. They usually develop hearing at about eighteen days old, whilst their initial set of teeth will start to develop at about six weeks old. As for their sight, puppies will start to see at 2 to 3 weeks old.
- A dog only has sweat glands between their paw pads.
- Dogs breathe only through their tongue.
- Every dog has the same anatomy, which I 42 permanent teeth and 321 bones.
- A female dog is pregnant with her young around sixty days before their puppies are born.
- Labrador is the most popular dog breed in the world, as recorded by registered ownership. Their intelligence, gentle nature, almost limitless energy and obedience make them reliable workers and excellent family pets. They are often used as a guide and police dogs.
- Breeds such as the Airedale terrier and Dalmatian born in one color at birth. The Dalmatian has a white color, while the Airedale is black. When they start to develop and grow after birth, the color of their adult coat will start to show. The Dalmatian will have black spots and the Airedale will have a mixture of tan, grey, and black.
- Small dogs are said to live the longest. The toy breeds can live for up to 16 years even or more, while the larger dogs live for 7 to 12 years on average. Bear in mind that this time is extended by around 3 years by veterinary medicine but some breeds like the Tibetan terrier can live for as long as 20 years.
- A healthy dog has an average heart rate of 120 beats per minute. This is fifty percent faster than the human’s average heart rate that beats at 72 per minute.
- Dogs do not love rain as the sound is intensified and can hurt their ears which are very sensitive.
- Whenever dogs wag their tails, this indicates that they are excited. This, however, does not mean that the dogs are trying to be friendly.
- An average dog does not have a keen vision, but they can see colors; just not as clear as humans. It is much easier for dogs to see movements than stationary objects. It is unlikely for a dog to see if someone is standing still at over 300 yards away but the person will become visible if he/she moves or waves their arms.
- Dogs have unique nose prints, similar to the fingerprints of humans. It is possible to identify dogs accurately with the help of their nose prints.
- Dogs have the most highly developed smelling sense. A dog has a sense of smell which is sensitive to people by more than 1,000 times. In addition to that, the area in the dog’s brain that is responsible for processing smell is more than four times larger than it’s in people. As of such, a dog is able to follow the smell or the scent of an individual or object as well as track it for a number of miles.
- The normal body temperature of a dog is 100.5 – 102.5 degrees F.
- A puppy is considered an adult at one year old.
- Theobromine is a substance similar to caffeine that is found in chocolates and it can make a dog seriously ill and even cause fatal harm.
- The smartest dogs in the world are said to be the Border collie, Poodle, and the Golden Retriever.
- Laika is a stray dog that became the first astronaut canine to enter space inside a space shuttle. This happened in 1967 on the Russian Sputnik II.
- The Irish Wolfhounds is the largest breed of dog in the world.
- The greyhound dogs are ranked as the fastest dogs on the planet, as they can run for 45 miles in an hour.
- Zorba, an English mastiff, is considered the heaviest and longest dog in the world. This breed of dog measures 8 feet, 3 inches long from their nose to tail and weighs about 343 pounds.
- The Bluey, which is an Australian cattle dog, is the oldest in the world. It has lived up to twenty-nine years and six months.
- The Great Dane dog breed originates in Germany and it is supposedly the tallest dog.
- The St. Bernard, among other breeds, is said to be the heaviest dog.
- The Chihuahua dog is the smallest breed. There are also other small dog breeds such as the Yorkshire terrier and the toy poodle.
- The basenji is an African wolf dog and it’s the only breed in the world that is unable to bark.
Here are some other fun facts about certain breeds:
African Wild Dog
African wild dogs are highly intelligent, social, and cooperative hunters. These dogs often live in packs of 6 to 20 with a dominant pair for breeding. They communicate using a variety of movements, vocalizations, touch. Some of these dogs can run close to the prey whilst others fall behind to take over once the front members become tired.
Pitbull Facts
The Pit Bull is relatively healthy and they don’t normally require a lot of grooming. Just like humans, every dog is a distinct individual, but the Pit Bulls are often bursting with a lot of personalities and can make anyone laugh. They are playful and fun, even when they get older. These dogs really love people and they never discriminate against human beings for any reason.
Pit Bulls not only love humans, but they are happiest around us, even when they do not like the other dogs. They are definitely not aggressive to humans and will remind us of this with a lot of kissing and happy wiggling. Overall, these dogs are very friendly and they love human company, especially kids.
Prairie Dog
Contrary to popular belief, prairie dogs are not really dogs but are a form of rodents. They belong to the same group as mice, beavers, rats, squirrels, guinea pigs, porcupines, chipmunks and so on. Some call them oversized rats. Unlike many other dogs or even animals in general, the Prairie dogs enjoy hugging, kissing, chasing, grooming and wrestling each other. They are herbivores, which mean that they only eat plants. This includes all types of roots, grasses, weeds, and blossoms. They eat insects on occasions. The average lifespan of these dogs is around eight years, but they can live longer in captivity away from the predators. Some are known to live for as long as thirteen years.
Hopefully, you will know more about your furry little friend after reading these interesting dog facts for kids and adults. Just remember that they are truly a man’s best friend as they are very loyal, adorable, friendly and protective of children.
