Though dogs are among the most popular pets of humans, there are some interesting facts about dogs that most of the dog lovers may not be aware of. It might sound ironic, but it is an amusing expression that “dogs are the best friends of men”. Man domesticates a number of animals both as pets and otherwise, but no other animal is so much intimate in its relation with man as the dog is. It is estimated that there are around 400 million dogs in the world. In spite of the intimate relation of man with canines, there are many curious facts about dogs that many of us may not know.

(1) Dogs from Wolves

Originally, the dog is the result of a genetic divergence of wolves. That is, millennia ago, the great ancestors of today’s dogs were wolves. It is estimated that approximately15000 years ago dogs genetically diverged from their wolf ancestors. Man has been keeping dog as a companion for nearly 14500 years.

(2) Dogs Identify Surroundings Chiefly by Smell

The dog’s perception of the world is mainly through the sense of smell. This is because the dog’s brain is dominated by an olfactory (smell) cortex. But in the case of humans, the brain is dominated by a large visual cortex. In consequence, humans identify objects and surroundings more by vision than by smell. In the case of dogs, they identify persons and objects more by smell than by vision.

(3) Dogs Have Amazingly High Sense of Smell

Dogs have amazing level of olfactory (smell) power. A dog can discriminate odors at concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than what humans can. That is, a dog’s sense of smell is at an amazingly high level. Hence dogs are used in identifying objects and persons, security checking and criminal investigations.

(4) Dogs Have Poor Vision

The dog’s sense of smell is at an amazingly high level. However, dogs have poor vision. Though the dog’s visual acuity is poor, its power of visual discrimination of moving objects is very high. Since dogs have poor vision, they perceive objects and surrounding through the senses of smell and hearing.

(5) The Dog Can Identify Its Master A Mile’s Distance!

Though dogs have poor vision, they can identify distant objects and individuals by movements. It would be amusing to know that a dog can identify its master at a distance as far as a mile! In identifying distant objects and individuals the acute power of smell is very much helpful to dogs.

(6) Dogs Can Hear Sounds in the Frequency Range of 40 Hz to 60,000 Hz

Dogs have acute sense of hearing. The frequency range of the dog’s hearing is around 40 Hz to 60,000 Hz. Dogs can detect sounds far beyond the human capacity. The head muscles of the dog help in detecting sounds. The dog can tilt, rotate, raise or lower its head muscles so that the ear can pinpoint the exact position of the sound.

(7) Dogs Can Be Identified With the Nose-Print

Dogs have the unique “nose-print” similar to the finger-print of humans. Dogs can be identified with the nose-print. The wet nose of the dog helps it determine the direction of the air carrying the smell and the location and origin of the smell.

(8) Dogs Have 200 Million Smell-Sensitive Receptors

Dogs have nearly 200 million smell-sensitive receptors. The olfactory (smell) bulbs in dogs are approximately 40 times larger than those in humans. It is this large body of receptors by which dogs perceive even very slight smell. This facility enables dogs to identify smells even from the distance.

(9) Dogs Lie against the Direction Of wind

Before lying to sleep dogs go round usually. The purpose is to sense the direction of the wind. As it relies on smell to perceive the background, the direction of the wind is important. Thus the dog can smell dangers while sleeping. That is why even while sleeping the dog remains alert. Hence it quickly reacts to any disturbance in the background. For night-time security requirements dogs are widely used because they can easily identify the background by sound and smell in darkness.

(10) A Dog’s Tongue is an ‘Air-Conditioner’

It would be curious to know that a dog’s tongue is similar to an ‘air-conditioner’. In hot weather the dog’s tongue helps evaporating heat from the body. Thus the dog can keep down its body temperature. Hence in hot whether dogs keep the tongue out and thus the excess heat is evaporated through the tongue and the body is kept cool. The sweat gland of the dog is located only in the paw pads.

REFERENCES:

(1) Miklosi, Adam (2007). Dog Behaviour, Evolution, and Cognition. Oxford University Press.

(2) Coppinger, Ray (2001). Dogs: a Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution. New York: Scribner. ISBN 0684855305.

(3) The Complete dog book: the photograph, history, and official standard of every breed admitted to AKC registration, and the selection, training, breeding, care, and feeding of pure-bred dogs. New York, N.Y: Howell Book House. 1992. ISBN 0-87605-464-5

(4) Mark Derr (2004). A dogs history of America. North Point Press

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