Dog with paw up

10 facts about dogs

Surprising facts about “man’s best friend”

5/8/2023

From hunting companions to protectors – the relationship between dogs and humans goes back thousands of years. Today, one of the most domesticated animals, in many parts of the world the Canis lupus familiaris is a beloved family member and friend we share our lives with. Here are 10 fascinating facts about our furry companions.

  • Dogs can smell diseases such as diabetes and cancer, including prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and melanoma¹.
  • Dogs can smell about 10,000 times better than humans².
  • Dogs' noses are wet to help them absorb scent chemicals. Their nose secretes a special mucus, which they then lick to sample the smell, to then better understand what the smell is⁴.
  • A bloodhound's sense of smell is so accurate it can be used as evidence in a United State's court of law⁴.
  • Dogs have three eyelids. This third eyelid clears visibility in the front of the eye, acting as a "windshield-washer" of sorts, clears mucus and debris from the cornea, produces antibodies to fight infection, and protects the cornea from injury³.
  • To drink water, dogs plunge their tongue straight into the water, pull it to the rear and shovel the water into their throat.
  • The smell in a dog’s urine lets other dogs know if the one who left the message is young or old, male or female, healthy or sick, and happy or angry⁷.
  • Dogs can see colors! But behavioral tests show they can only perceive blue and yellow⁵.
  • Dogs can estimate the size of another dog by the sound of their growling⁶.
  • Sweat ducts in dogs’ paws are activated when it is too hot but there's not enough of them to cool down. This is also why dogs pant⁸.

resources

  1. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160319-dogs-diabetes-health-cancer-animals-science/
  2. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/dogs-sense-of-smell/
  3. http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/healthy-pets/why-do-dogs-have-a-third-eyelid/
  4. https://www.purina.co.uk/dogs/behaviour-and-training/understanding-dog-behaviours/amazing-dog-facts
  5. https://www.pedigree.com/dog-care/dog-facts/do-dogs-see-only-in-black-and-white#
  6. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201012/you-growl-big-dog-dogs-estimate-size-sound
  7. https://wagwalking.com/behavior/why-do-dogs-smell-other-dogs-urine
  8. https://www.livescience.com/55553-do-dogs-sweat.html

Discover our Pet Guides

Read more

Donate for Stray dogs

Hundreds of thousands of stray dogs live on the street - many of them are sick, injured or malnourished.

Help now!

Search