From the tiny teacup poodle to the massive Great Dane, dogs are unique, special, and extremely interesting animals with many impressive attributes and skills that distinguish them as man’s best friend. Our team at Caldwell Animal Hospital wants to provide some fun and fascinating facts that you may not know about your canine friend.

#1: Your dog is as smart as a 2-year-old child

According to several intelligence and behavioral measures, dogs have mental abilities close to a human child around 2 years of age. 

  • Language — The average dog is capable of learning around 165 words, including signals and gestures, and more intelligent dogs can learn around 250 words. The most intelligent dogs include border collies, poodles, and German shepherds, who can exhibit language recognition abilities close to a 2-and-a-half-year-old child.
  • Mathematics — Dogs can count up to four or five, and have a basic understanding of arithmetic, making them mathematically more advanced than a 2-year-old child.
  • Emotions — Dogs show some basic emotions, such as happiness, anger, and disgust, but they don’t seem to express more complex emotions, such as guilt.
  • Socialization — Dogs can deliberately deceive other dogs and humans to receive rewards.

#2: Your dog can sense your emotions

Have you ever wondered if your dog is clairvoyant when they give you extra attention when you’re feeling sad, or seem immediately excited when you are having a good day? While they can’t read your mind, dogs have excellent observational skills.

  • Smell — Depending on their breed, your dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 more acute than yours. Subtle changes in your scent are obvious to your dog—for example, your metabolism changes when you are ill, causing different chemicals in your breath that alert your pet that you are sick. Pets can also smell fear, likely because humans typically start to lightly perspire when they are afraid or anxious.
  • Body language — About 90% of human communication is nonverbal, and your dog can read your posture, head carriage, gait, and facial expressions and determine your mood. 
  • Sounds — Your dog’s hearing is much more sensitive than yours, and they can hear a wider range of frequencies. In addition, they can recognize your tone, and the differentiating inflections in your voice that indicate you are happy, sad, anxious, or angry.

#3: Your dog’s tail has a language

Dogs hold and wag their tail differently to convey different meanings.

  • Full body wag — When your dog wags their tail in a big circle, and shakes their entire body, they are happy and excited.
  • Slow wag — When your dog slowly wags their tail, they are at ease, and comfortable in their surroundings.
  • High and stiff — When your dog holds their tail high and stiff, they are likely displaying dominance, especially if another dog is near.
  • Right versus left — Research has shown that dogs more commonly wag their tail on the right when they are happy and on the left when they are anxious.
  • Tucked under — If your dog tucks their tail between their legs, they feel threatened or frightened.

#4: Your dog can learn to navigate the subway system

Around 35,000 stray dogs live in Moscow, and some of them have figured out how to navigate the city’s complex subway system to get from point A to point B. In addition, these strays have been observed obeying traffic lights, and deliberately startling people holding food, so they will drop their snack and provide a meal for the hungry canine.

#5: Dog breath can indicate a medical issue

If your nose wrinkles at your dog’s breath, your pet could be suffering from periodontal disease. Foul breath is a common sign of this problematic condition that can cause significant health problems for your pet, including serious systemic issues, such as damage to their heart, kidneys, and liver. Dogs need their teeth cleaned regularly to prevent bacteria from invading under their gum line, which leads to periodontal disease and bad doggy breath.

#6: Your dog’s unique nose print can be used for identification

The bumps and ridges on your dog’s nose can identify them from other dogs, similar to a human fingerprint. A dog’s nose print is established by 2 months of age, and does not change. This knowledge may one day be useful to locate and identify lost dogs, but for now, microchipping is the best way to ensure you and your dog are reunited should they go missing. 

#7: You are healthier because you own a dog

Dog ownership provides many physical and mental health benefits. Studies have shown that you can lower your blood pressure by 10% simply by petting your dog for 15 minutes. In addition, owning a dog helps lower feelings of stress and depression, and combats loneliness. An added bonus—dog ownership encourages you to build healthy habits to provide the mental and physical exercise your pet requires. 

Dogs are truly amazing creatures, but their greatest feature is their unparalleled loyalty and devotion. If your dog’s doggy breath is a problem, contact our team at Caldwell Animal Hospital to schedule an appointment, so we can ensure they remain fun and fascinating.