Dog Facts For Kids That You (maybe) Didn’t Know

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Whether you’re an interested kid, a parent simply looking to educate your child or just generally curious about dogs, this article is perfect for you. We’ve compiled 50 of the most interesting, draw-dropping facts on dogs we could find.

Starting with…

  1. The most dogs owned by one person in history is 5000, that person was Kubla Khan.
  2. Dogs often roll in things they like the smell of, so they can take the smell home with them.
  3. Around half of all dogs are “left-pawed” whereas only 1 in 10 humans are left-handed.
  4. Dogs can actually taste water, this is so after they’ve had a lot of meat, they want to rehydrate.
  5. Dogs have been known to detect different illnesses in humans such as cancer, diabetes, and even predict epileptic seizures.
  6. Most dogs are about as smart as a 2-year-old.
  7. Dogs can actually have dreams and will often bark in their sleep.
  8. Dogs have 3 eyelids.
  9. The oldest fossil of a dog that was a pet is around 33,000 years old.
  10. It’s a myth that dogs can only see in black and white. They can see colour but only about 20% of the colours that we can see.

Behaviour

  1. The reason dogs lick you is to show that they are submissive and respect you.
  2. Dogs will sometimes take their treats into a separate room to eat them because they view you as the alpha male and are scared you will steal their food.
  3. If a dog wags its tail to the right then it is happy, if it wags further to it’s left then it is usually sad or scared.
  4. If a dog’s tail is straight out, it usually means it feels insecure. If it is tucked under its legs then it will be feeling scared.
  5. Dogs can understand up to 1000 different words.
  6. Dogs view their toys like a wolf views its prey. This is why dogs like toys that squeak or ones they can easily rip apart.
  7. Dogs don’t actually feel guilty when they eat your sofa. They are just responding to you telling them off.
  8. Dogs like to play fetch because that’s what they were bred to do when we first had dogs. Most dogs still have that ability inside them.
  9. Nobody really knows why dogs eat grass, some people think they do it to make themselves sick.
  10. Dogs pant to get cool air inside of them, it’s like their version of sweating.

Breeds

  1. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (the main dog organisation) recognise 340 different breeds of dog.
  2. The most popular breed of dog is the labrador. There are over 500,000 in the UK.
  3. The fastest breed of dog in the world is the greyhound. They can run at 45 mph making them the second fastest land animal in the world.
  4. The breeds “chow” and “shar-pei” are the only known dogs to have black tongues. (all other dogs have pink ones).
  5. Some dog breeds like the Great Pyrenees have 6 toes on each foot.
  6. In America the least popular dog is the Norwegian Lundehund.
  7. All dog breeds share a common ancestor.
  8. Some dogs were first bred for fighting. The daschund was originally bred to fight badgers!
  9. Most types of dogs were bred for farming, like the German shepherd and the Border Collie.
  10. During the middle ages, Mastiff dogs were used as guards and were even dressed in full armour!

Records

  1. The oldest dog ever was an Australian cattle dog called “Bluey”, he lived for 29 years.
  2. The heaviest dog ever weighed 343 pounds, it was an English Mastiff named “Aicama Zorba”.
  3. The tallest dog ever is a Great Dane called “Zeus”, he is 1.118m tall.
  4. “Milly” the Chihuahua is the smallest dog ever at only 3.8 inches tall.
  5. The most puppies in one litter is 24.
  6. Sergeant Stubby is the only dog ever to become a sergeant.
  7. A Pomeranian named “Jiff” holds the record for running 10m on his hind-legs the fastest (6.56 seconds).
  8. Bruschi the Boston Terrier has the biggest eyes out of all dogs, they are each 28mm across.
  9. A Jack Russell called “Twinkie” set the record for popping 100 balloons the quickest (39.08 seconds)
  10. Augie, a golden retriever, has the record for the most tennis balls in his mouth at once. He managed 5!

Puppies

  1. Puppies are born deaf and blind with no teeth.
  2. Puppies can only start to smell at about 3 weeks old.
  3. Every year, 5 million puppies are born in the US alone.
  4. Puppies have baby teeth. At 2-4 weeks their baby teeth will grown and will begin to fall out 10-14 weeks later. By the time they are 6 months they should have all 42 adult teeth.
  5. Puppies of golden labradors and golden retrievers have been known to be born green.
  6. Puppies can be identical twins.
  7. Looking at puppies can actually make you more productive.
  8. Puppies have a “puppy coat” which they shed after 4-6 months to make way for their new “adult coat”.
  9. An 8 week old puppy will often sleep for up to 20 hours a day!
  10. 1.2 million dogs are born every day worldwide!

 

As you can see dogs are amazing! Hopefully, you learned something and if you are desperate for a pooch, check out our guide on how to talk your parents into buying you a new dogs.

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