1. Bloodhounds can track scents over 300 hours old.
For those without a calculator handy, that’s 12 and a half days. Can you imagine how overwhelmed their sniffers must be on a daily basis? It’s also said their wrinkly skin helps trap scent, while their droopy ears serve as “scent sweepers,” redirecting scents off the ground and back toward the nose.
2. When dog’s defecate, they tend to align with the Earth’s magnetic field.
Who needs a compass? This sounds crazy, but it’s legit. Don’t believe us? Check out PBS’s article on this crazy dog fact. The true cause is unknown. We don’t know if it’s conscious or subconscious, but we do know one thing: it’s kind of hilarious.
3. The Beatles song “A Day in the Life” contains a whistle only audible to dogs.
On the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the song “A Day in the Life” allegedly contains a 15 kilocycle whistling noise. You’d never notice it, but watch your dog’s reaction toward the end of the song. While your dog may or may not react, Paul McCartney confirmed this dog fact in an interview.
4. Greyhounds can run up to 44 miles per hour. Usain Bolt could only hit about 27.8 mph (human world record) during the height of his career.
The average adult sprints at about 10-15 mph. Greyhounds are absolutely incredible! While they aren’t quite as fast as the cheetah, they employ a similar running style. Their long legs, skinny physique, flexible spine, slender bones, and big muscles all contribute to the speed of this incredible dog
6. The Norwegian Lundehund is the only dog with 6 toes per paw.
Grab the paw of a Norwegian Lundehund and prepare to be amazed. Each paw will almost always have 6 toes. Each one is fully jointed, muscled, and functional. Lundehund means “puffin dog” in Norwegian. This small breed was originally bred to hunt puffins and their eggs. I don’t know how 6 toes on a paw will increase puffin hunting skills, but it’s pretty cool either way.
6. One female and male dog, along with their offspring, can produce 67,000 puppies in 6 years!
Dogs are way too good at reproducing. I know, 67,000 puppies may sound like the cutest infestation ever, but left unchecked, the dog population can and will skyrocket out of control. This will leave thousands of dogs without loving homes. So, while you can dream about a world filled with way too many puppies, it isn’t very practical if we want dogs to be well cared for. Remember the words of our friend Bob Barker: “Help control the pet population, have your pets spayed or neutered! Goodbye everybody.”
7. Duke is a dog, and he’s the mayor of Cormorant, Minnesota.
Duke, a 9 year old great pyrenees, probably struggles with some of the basic aspects of mayorship such as signing papers and speaking English. But, it’s probably safe to say he’ll do a better job than the majority of politicians working today. Cormorant, a small township of around 1000, still has a human mayor, but Duke has held the dog mayor position for 3 terms now! He even has his own Facebook page.
8. Some dogs can be trained as diabetic alert dogs, detecting insulin level drops in humans.
One of our personal favorite mind-blowing facts about dogs, dogs are helping save our lives in another awesome way. When our blood sugar rises and falls, our bodies emit chemicals that have an odor undetectable to humans. Some dogs, you guessed it, can smell the change. These dogs are trained to alert the human when levels drop. For more information, check out the Diabetic Alert Dogs of America website.
9. Dogs have 3 eyelids.
This third eyelid, also called the nictitating membrane or haw, serves 4 purposes. First, it cleans the eye like a windshield wiper. Second, it produces about a third of a dog’s tears. Third, it protects the cornea from injury. And finally, it contains lymphoid tissue that produces antibodies to fight infection.
10. A guy with a dog is 3x more likely to get a girl’s phone number.
Single guys, a dog could be your ticket to meeting the one. Not only that, studies show that both men and women are more comfortable talking to a stranger when they have a dog with them. If all else fails, and you don’t find a mate, your dog will probably be a more reliable companion anyway.
11. A dog’s sense of smell is anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 times stronger than that of a human’s.
We all know dogs have a great sense of smell, but it’s mind-blowing to actually see the numbers behind it. Dogs have over 300 million olfactory receptors in their nose. We have around 5 million. The part of the brain that controls smell is 40 times bigger in a dog than a human. If you want to get really nerdy, PBS has an in-depth article breaking down even more reasons dogs have such great sniffers.
12. Mastiffs can weigh almost 200 pounds. That’s the weight of around 20 Bichon Frise dogs.
Hundreds of years ago, the Mastiff was bred as guard dog and fighting dog. In the Roman Coliseum, they were used to fight animal and human opponents. Today, Mastiffs make awesome companions that are great with children. They still protect their homes and their pack, but typically aren’t aggressive. I doubt many burglars would be willing to duel with a 200 pound dog!
Dogs are amazing creatures, and these dog facts are just a few reasons why. Certainly, dogs of all shapes and sizes will continue to enrich the lives of people for hundreds and thousands of years to come. Did we miss any facts about dogs? Let us know your favorite in the comments below!