There are numerous interesting and weird facts about dogs. We all know about their super-smelling and hearing powers and also that they are our best buddies. So let’s just put these usual facts aside and talk about some interesting and weird facts about dogs that you might not know.
Here are 14 interesting and weird facts about dogs.
1. Dogs feel envy
A 2008 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that when dogs saw other dogs getting treats for a trick they’d been performing.
The unrewarded dog feel envy, the dogs became agitated, scratching themselves and avoiding the gaze of the rewarded dogs. They also stopped doing the trick much faster than if they were alone and not getting a reward.
2. Dogs turn in circles before lying down
Many of us have observed the funny circling behavior dogs do before they rest in bed or on the sofa or carpet. Have you ever thought about why dogs turn in circles before settling down?.
There’s a very interesting reason why they do this, here’s why your buddy is constantly turning in circles before lying down.
We know that dogs are wild animals once, they are a domesticated form of wolves. Despite the fact that most of our household pets have been domesticated for many generations and have lost touch with their wild ancestors.
A few traits still remained in their behavior. This type of circling behavior, according to dog behavior specialists is a hardwired trait that the dog’s ancestors performed to build a safe nest each night to sleep in.
They did this to pat down tall grass and underbrush to create a comfortable bed for them and their pups each night.
Still today, many wild dogs use the act of turning in circles before resting. It is also called the “rounding ritual”, it not only serves as a bed-making technique but also as a safety measure.
This act of trampling down the grass and underbrush drives out any snakes or large insects hiding. This is also useful for marking their territory in the wild.
Domesticated dogs are just mimicking their ancestor’s behavior inside human homes.
3. Dogs use their butt as magnets
Ok so we have mentioned above why dogs turn in circles before lying down, but they do this circling before another thing as well. Dogs also spin in circles before taking a dump.
So if you have wondered why your dog spins in a circle before doing their business, then we might have the answer. Scientists at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague have found that dogs are sensitive to Earth’s magnetism.
Some people call this trait “butt magnet.”Dogs can sense the Earth’s magnetism and prefer to do their business in a certain direction. Generally, they like to align their bodies along the North-South axis, but sometimes with an unstable magnetic field, this just isn’t possible, hence the turns.
The scientists came to their conclusion after measuring the direction of the body axes of 70 dogs, representing 37 different breeds, as they were making deposits. The researchers observed over a two-year period when dogs defecated and urinated thousands of times.
After sorting the data according to the geomagnetic conditions, the team concluded that dogs were predictably sensitive to Earth magnetism and showed sensitivity to changes in polarity.
4. Dogs are the most diverse-looking mammals
From the tiny toy breeds to the slim hounds and fluffy malamutes, dogs show an amazing diversity in body shape. A study published in The American Naturalist in 2010 found that there is a significant difference between dog breeds skulls.
The breeds’ skulls are as pronounced as the differences between completely separate mammal species. A Collie skull, for example, is as different from a Pekingese skull as a cat’s skull is from a walrus’s.
5. Dogs can be as smart as 2-year-old
Intelligence in dogs can come down to how easily breeds can train, their ability to understand humans, how quickly they understand commands, how well they perform certain tasks, and much more.
Dogs can be as smart as 2-year-old children, according to research presented in 2009 at a meeting of the American Psychological Association.
Border collies are the top dogs in the intelligence category, with some in the breed capable of understanding up to 200 words.
Poodles, German shepherds, Golden retrievers, and Dobermans round out the top five smartest breeds.
Also, read|| Top 10 Most Intelligent Dog Breeds In The World
6. Dogs Can Detect Sadness
Being lived with humans for many years, dogs have evolved to become man’s best friend. They can now understand our emotions thanks to their pack behavior, selective breeding, and close bond to humans for a long period.
Many dog owners have experienced that their dogs will observe their owners if they’re sad. And, after a while, may join them for an affectionate cuddle.
The dog’s owner is their main focus of attention. They not only feed them but love them and give them somewhat of a pack leader figure – so, it’s understandable that they care about owners.
A study published in the journal “Animal Cognition” where researchers tested the animals caring behavior. They found that a dog was more likely to give attention to someone who was upset and crying rather than someone who was doing something generic like humming or talking.
7. Some dogs could even beat a cheetah!
You might be asking how on earth this is possible?. Well, the cheetah is for sure the fastest animal on land, the cheetah can accelerate from 0 to 96.6 km/h (60.0 mph) in under 3 seconds. They can reach up to speed to 70-80mph.
The dog can outrun a cheetah in a long run. The fastest breed of dog by far is the Greyhound. These speedy hounds can reach a top speed of 45mph within seconds.
While a cheetah can get up to almost 70mph, it can only keep this going for around 30 seconds. Greyhounds, on the other hand, could easily run at speeds in excess of 35mph for seven miles. So despite the cheetah’s head start, they’d soon overtake!
8. Dogs can be left or right-pawed
There have been a few studies and it turns out that just like us, dogs have a preferred paw to lead with. You can find out whether your dog is left or right-pawed by giving them their favorite toy or interactive game and seeing which paw they use to help them first.
9. Academy award winner dog
Rin Tin Tin was a male German Shepherd born in Flirey, France, who became an international star in motion pictures. He was rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier.
Rin Tin Tin made his debut as a wolf in The Man from Hell’s River (1922) and went on to appear in 27 Hollywood films, gaining worldwide fame.
It is believed that in 1929 when all of the votes for the Oscar were counted, the winner of Best Actor was Rin Tin Tin. But the Academy wanted their newly created awards to be taken seriously, so Rin Tin Tin was declared ineligible to receive the prize. The Oscar went to the guy who got the next most votes: Emil Jannings, for The Way of All Flesh and The Last Command.
10. Dog as a Mayor
The town of Idyllwild, California elected their first mayor in 2012, Mayor Max. But Max isn’t just any regular mayor, he’s a Golden Retriever!. When Mayor Max passed away in 2013, the town elected Maximus Mighty Dog Mueller II into office.
11. Dogs can dream
Have you’ve ever noticed your dog twitching in his sleep?, this probably means he’s dreaming. Researchers found that dogs have similar sleep patterns and brain activity as humans.
And that small breeds tend to dream more than large ones. Psychology Today suggests they’re probably imagining familiar activities like playing outside or chasing their tail.
12. Dogs tail-wagging has its own language
This is among one of the most interesting and weird facts about dogs that might surprise many people. The tail-wagging of a dog can tell you many things it always doesn’t mean that the dog is happy to see you.
According to Discovery.com, dogs wag their tails to the right when they’re happy and to the left when they’re frightened. Wagging low means they’re insecure, and rapid tail wagging accompanied by tense muscles or dilated pupils can signal aggression.
13. Dogs don’t actually hate cats
It is believed that chasing cats is hard-wired in dogs’ DNA. But it’s not specific to cats only, they chase squirrels too. The reason is their evolutionary, hunting instincts. They chase after anything small and speedy.
Whether it’s their favorite ball, stick, or squirrels. Dogs and cats can actually get along great, even in the same household, depending on how you introduce the animals to each other.
14. Dogs greet each other by sniffing butts
The butt-sniffing is a common dog greeting behavior. The butt-sniff is basically the dogs’ method of getting the first impression of other dogs.
A dog’s unique smell is secreted in its glands, and those scent glands are located in their backsides. Dogs’ butts is home to glands that produce pheromones, which contain information about 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 sniffing. The males can also know if a female is ready to mate through butt-sniffing.