Fun facts about dogs

Ever wonder why dogs like to twirl around before they do their business? Well, it’s one of the many dog behaviours that perplex researchers, but the prevailing theory is that it has to do with the Earth’s magnetic field. Dogs like to poop facing north or south, and spinning around helps them correctly orient their internal compasses.

This is one of the most common dog “facts” that are actually false. Despite a prevailing myth that dogs can only see in black and white, your pooch actually can see a spectrum of colour. While they do have trouble distinguishing between different shades of green and red, which will mostly just appear as greys and browns, blue and yellow tones are relatively clear to them.

When your dog lets out a big yawn, you probably just assume it means what it does when we yawn – that he’s sleepy. And it certainly can be a sign of tiredness, but dogs yawn for other reasons as well. Dogs can also yawn to calm themselves down, so repeated yawns could be a sign that your pup is feeling anxious or stressed out.

Dogs’ normal body temperature is slightly higher than that of humans (it hovers at around 38.6° C), which means that hotter temperatures can affect them more. This is why you need to take care while walking your dog on a hot day. Also, don’t forget about the bitumen if you’re taking your dog for a walk – the ground heats up fast in the sun and can be painful on dogs’ unguarded feet. Not to mention, dogs have that thick layer of fur. So a day that may not seem overwhelmingly hot to you can be a scorcher for your dog.

Nope, every dog year does not automatically equal seven human years, as many fun facts about dogs would have you believe. The fact – which does have some factual merit – came from observations that “average,” medium-sized dogs tended to live around one-seventh as long as their owners. However, dogs come in all shapes and sizes, and what’s “average” for a Great Dane is very different from what’s “average” for a Chihuahua. Paying attention to the “life stages” of dogs, and how they correspond to each breed, gives you a much better picture of how old your dog actually is than equating one year to seven years.

You might think a lick to the face is your dog’s way of giving you a kiss. But that’s another popular dog fact that’s not quite true. “Kissing” isn’t a form of showing affection that comes naturally to dogs, so your snout-smooches may not be received as lovingly as you might think. If they lick your face – or make other motions like shifting their position, yawning, or licking their own lips – this could actually be a sign they want you to give them space, since having a face so close to their own could be viewed as aggressive or threatening. But, of course, dogs have been adapting to live with humans for thousands of years, and the Happy Puppy Site says that some dogs do catch on and learn to associate the kisses with affection.

If the dog facts about dog kisses haven’t convinced you that dogs and humans use different forms of communication, the fact that butt-sniffing is a common dog greeting surely will. A dog’s unique smell is secreted in its glands, and yes, those scent glands are located in their backsides. Dogs’ rear ends are home to glands that produce pheromones, which contain information about everything from the sex of the dog to its health and diet. Thanks to dogs’ incredible senses of smell, they can learn all sorts of information about one another just from the nuances of the odour. So the butt-sniff is basically the dogs’ method of getting a first impression.

Ready for more weird anatomy-related fun facts about dogs? Dogs have three eyelids in each eye! In addition to a top and bottom lid, they have a “nictitating membrane” in the corner of their eye, primarily for removing dust and mucus from the cornea. You might see it when your pet wakes up suddenly, as the membrane is shut when your pet sleeps.

We all know from earlier in this article that dogs can hear many sounds that humans can’t, and The Beatles used that to their advantage in their hit song, “A Day in the Life.” In an interview with Paul McCartney, he claimed that at the end of the song, a frequency was added that only dogs can hear. Play the song and watch your pup towards the end. Music is just as beneficial to dogs as it is to humans and can even help with a dog’s anxiety.

Learn 7 reasons why your pet might have anxiety.

Recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest dog ever was an Australian Cattle Dog named Bluey. He lived to be 29 years and 5 months old from the years 1910 to 1939. Bluey lived in Victoria, Australia with his owner Les Hall and worked among his sheep and cattle.

Don’t miss 10 of the healthiest dog breeds with the longest lifespans. Spoiler alert: Australian Cattle Dogs appear on this list.