Dogs fascinate and inspire us with their playful behavior and extraordinary senses. Still, there’s always more to learn about our four-legged friends.
Discover how a dog could beat the world’s fastest land mammal in a race or why puppies are born prematurely. Explore their emotional responses and see why some dogs are record-breakers.
1. Some Dogs Could Outrun Cheetahs
Most dogs could easily outrun a human; they’re built for speed. The fastest dog breed is the Greyhound, which can quickly reach 45 miles per hour (mph).
That’s not as fast as a cheetah, right? No, it’s not; cheetahs can reach speeds up to 70mph. But here’s the thing; a cheetah can only sustain their speed for 30 seconds, whereas Greyhounds can maintain their speed for seven miles.
If the pair were in a race, the cheetah would sprint ahead, but the Greyhound would quickly catch up and overtake it.
2. Puppies Are Born Blind and Deaf
When a puppy is born, it is not yet fully developed. At this stage, its eyes and ear canals remain closed, so its senses are not overloaded.
This may seem detrimental to their survival in the wild, but this premature birth works to the mother dog’s advantage. If she were to remain pregnant for an extended period, her speed and agility would be severely hampered and put her puppies at risk. By birthing the puppies early, the mum can maintain her ability to protect her babies successfully.
A puppy will open its eyes and start responding to noises at around two weeks old.
3. Eating Poop Is a Normal Canine Behavior
It might be gross, but if your dog eats poop, they are not alone. In fact, many dogs engage in this behavior, scientifically known as coprophagia.
Animal experts put forward several theories why this could be the case. Some suggest it stems from evolutionary behaviors; a mother dog may eat the poop of her puppies to prevent predators from sniffing out her young. In addition, dogs held in cages or pounds may eat their own poop because they don’t want it in their living space.
Even if your dog doesn’t eat poop, they are very likely to sniff the droppings of another dog at least. This is because it teaches them things about the canine who excreted it, including their age, current health conditions, and receptiveness to mating.
4. A Dog’s Yawn Could Mean Many Things
It’s easy to assume that when your dog yawns, it’s a display of tiredness, but this is not necessarily the case. It’s similar to why a cat purrs; it could mean many things.
A common reason why dogs yawn is as a way to calm themselves. If you see your dog repetitively yawning, it may indicate that they are feeling anxious or stressed. Dogs also yawn in response to their owners, which may be a way for them to show empathy toward us.
The best way to determine what your dog’s yawn means is to assess the context in which they engage in this behavior.
5. Dogs Instinctually Sleep Curled in Balls
It’s undeniably cute when your dog curls up in a ball to sleep, but they don’t do it just to hear their humans say “aww.”
The real reason dogs sleep this way is due to instinct, and sleeping in a ball helps them protect their vital organs when they are at their most vulnerable. This behavior also stems from their evolutionary history when wild dogs would dig a hole in the ground and curl up inside it to conserve their body heat.
6. Dogs Can Experience Jealousy
A study showed that dogs can experience jealousy. During this experiment, two dogs performed tricks, but only one was rewarded with a treat. The dogs who didn’t reserve treats became agitated and actively avoided the other dog’s gaze.
Another study published in Psychological Science demonstrated the jealous traits that emerged when the dog’s perceived their owner to be interacting with a social competitor.
Dogs don’t experience jealously the same way as humans, though; they don’t worry about whose reward is better. You could reward one dog with a lump of meat and the other with a biscuit, and they’d both be satisfied – but miss one out entirely, and you’ll have a jealous dog on your hands.
7. Not All Dogs Bark
There’s a species of dog that never barks. Instead, the Basenji dog communicates by yodelling, whining, and screaming. This is because its larynx has a different shape than most other dogs.
And this isn’t the only remarkable trait of this breed. The Basenji possesses the courage, intelligence, and adaptability to make it a great hunting dog. Due to their lack of bark, African tribes often place a bell around the dog’s neck when using them for hunting.
And Basenji dogs possess a fair number of cat-like traits: they are fiercely independent, only bond with one or two humans, and lack the typical “dog smell” because they are excellent at grooming themselves.
8. African Hunting Dogs Are World’s Best Hunters
The African hunting dog holds the Guinness World Record for being the most successful hunter in the world. With a 50-85% success rate during hunts, they consistently prove themselves to be the most successful mammalian hunter.
Their success comes from several factors, including their impressive size, cunning strategies, and athletic capabilities. In addition, they form incredibly close-knit packs that work exceptionally well together to bring down their prey.
