Ever wonder how intelligent YOUR dog is? Or why his feet stink? Or why he acted like an idiot when he was about a year old? Read on…
Your dog is as smart as a 2-year-old kid:
Yep, that’s right. Dogs understand roughly the same number of words and gestures; about 250! So even when you think they don’t know what you mean, they probably do! Not sure about mine though. *See photo of my Kirby above.
Dogs and cats both drink water the same way:
Even though cats appear demur whilst drinking, and dogs create new bodies of water on your kitchen floor, they actually slurp water the same. Just like cats, dogs bend the tip of their tongue and raise liquid in a column up to their mouths.
Your dog has a sense of time:
Our dogs pick up on our routines and habits, and can also sense how much time has passed. This doesn’t really explain the “you’ve been gone five minutes and I’ve been so lonely. Thank god you’re back!” thing, but you get the drift.
Your dog’s whiskers help her “see” in the dark.
Whiskers pick up on even subtle changes in air currents, arming your dog with information about the size, shape, and speed of things nearby. This allows her to better sense approaching dangers or prey — even at night.
Dogs only have sweat glands in their paws.
More specifically, they’re found between their paw pads. That’s why it can help to wet the bottom of their feet on a hot day, and it’s also why dogs rely on panting as a means of cooling down. In my world, we call them “Free-toes,” because they smell distinctly like corn chips.
A one year-old pup is as physically mature as a 15-year-old human.
This explains a lot! Go observe any doggy daycare and you’ll be able to recognize the youngsters right away. Think teenagers on massive doses of Starbucks. Crazy town!
Your dog’s sense of smell is 1,000 to 10 million times better than yours.
Dogs have between 125 million to 300 million scent glands. Humans have 5 million. The part of your dog’s brain that controls smell is 40 times larger than yours. Try and hide the doggy bag from your favorite restaurant as you walk in the door. Go ahead. You can’t fool that nose.
Dogs can hear 4 times as far as humans…
and can also hear higher pitched sounds better. In both dogs and humans, the upper end of hearing range decreases with age. Of course, this doesn’t explain why my husband can’t hear me when I’m standing right next to him.
Your dog can smell your feelings:
Picking up on subtle changes in your scent, your dog can figure out how you are feeling. Next time you’ve got sweat rings because your investments took a header, check-out Fluffy’s reaction. I bet his feet smell like corn chips.
Courtesy of https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-behavior/innocuous-behaviors/10-facts-about-dogs and Juliana Weiss-Roessler
