Dogs have long held a special place in the hearts of humans. Their loyalty, intelligence, and endless capacity for love make them truly remarkable creatures.
I’ve been working with dogs for more than 20 years, but there are some things about dogs that still completely fascinate me.
1. Their noses
A dog’s sense of smell is absolutely incredible. Dogs have up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, compared to about 6 million in humans. This enables them to track people, detect bombs, drugs and now in some cases cancer.
Dogs can also detect when a diabetic experiences dangerous changes in blood sugar levels or when epileptic fits are about to occur.
The other thing I find truly mind-boggling is that an entire male dog can smell a bitch in season up to three miles away! And a bloodhound can hold a scent for detection for up to 12 days when tracking over a distance of 130 miles.
2. Scent glands
Dogs sweat through their paws – they also have scent glands there and you may well have seen your dog scraping their paws on a surface or after they have toileted.
This is not to hide their poo or clear up after themselves as most assume, it is in fact a way of communicating their sex and reproductive status, health, and laying claim to territory.
This action leaves behind pheromones that also helps establish their place in social hierarchy. As gross as this is, if I peed outside, not one of my dogs will mark over it. Why? Because I am the matriarch.
3. Dander is more than what you think
One of the first things that I look for when working with a dog is if I can see dander. Dander is a stress response and looks like dandruff.
It comes up quickly and will disappear just as fast once the dog is relaxed or coping. I am yet to meet an owner who knows this!
4. The same body language can mean two different things
I spend my days observing dog body language – and sometimes the same action can mean two different things. To an untrained eye these and other body language signals can often be mistaken.
Yawning, for example, can be taken to mean a dog is tired but it is also a sign of stress. Dogs yawn as a form of displacement behaviour to release the energy that they are feeling, much like sniffing. This can be a normal dog behaviour patterns but also as a way of opting out and self-soothing.
Some owners think a dog is play bowing when in fact they can be stalking. You can tell the difference as when showing stalking behaviour in a bow the tail is erect, while if your dog is trying to initiate play their tail its wagging and the body is relaxed.
5. Their ability to forgive and love unconditionally
Sadly, in my job, I see many dogs that have been badly damaged and traumatised. However, one thing that never fails to blow me away is their ability to love and trust again! And often despite the abuse they receive, they will still remain loyal to the perpetrator.
A dog’s ability to forgive and the emotional sensitivity to our feelings is nothing short of mind blowing. Your dog knows if you’re ill, sad or happy, and will respond to make you feel better accordingly, whether that is laying by your side, licking away your tears or doing zoomies round the living room at your joy when your team score a goal.
Many dogs are used as therapy pets for this very reason. Whether it is to help a person with anxiety, autism or PTSD, a dog’s emotional intelligence can help someone who is suffering.
You can also guarantee that the one person they will always be happy to see come through the door is you, their owner. And they can pine when you leave them, such is the strength of bond that they form with their owners. The most fascinating thing about dogs is their capacity for unconditional love. They love their owners without judgment or expectation, offering a pure and selfless form of affection.
6. Their intelligence
Dogs are incredibly intelligent animals. They can be trained to perform a variety of simple commands and complex tasks – for example, assistance dogs can open doors, pass money over, click on switches, guide blind people.
Their ability to understand and respond to human commands and emotions is one of the most fascinating aspects of their intelligence. Some breeds, such as Border Collies, German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois and poodles, are particularly known for being the smartest dog breeds.
7. They’re so adaptable
Dogs are highly adaptable and can thrive in various environments, from busy cities to quiet rural areas. This adaptability is partly due to their ability to form strong bonds with their human families and adjust to their lifestyles.
Whether it’s learning to navigate busy streets or cozying up in a small apartment, dogs have an incredible ability to adapt to their surroundings.
Want to learn more about dogs? Here are some more interesting dog facts
Edited by Georgia Guerin.
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