At Barx Parx, dogs are our best friends and truly part of our family. We’ve found a few fun facts to help learn about our four legged pals. From the tallest to the smallest to the oldest, we’ve got your dog information right here. In no particular order, here are your ten fun facts about dogs. Enjoy!
#10 Dogs use their tails to communicate
A dog’s tail is an extension of his or her body language. They come in all shapes and sizes, straight up, sickle, cork-screw, curled and even the crooked tail. Regardless of the shape, dogs use their tails to communicate their emotional state. This can be important in group settings including socialization. Docking a dog’s tail is common with many breeds but removes an important means of communication when interacting with other dogs.
#9 How old do dogs get?
The oldest dog on record was a Beagle-Dachshund-Terrier mix named max who almost made it to his 30th birthday. Max lived to be 29 years and 282 days old. Age and breed dictate the dog’s lifespan but smaller dogs typically live significantly longer than larger dogs. In the United States of America, the average sized mix breed dog lives to be 13.2 years old.
#8 Dalmation puppies are born pure white
Dalmatian puppies are are almost all born pure white and develop spots and patterns as they grow older. Their first spots appear 3-4 weeks after they are born. Within about a month, they will have the majority of the spots that they will develop throughout their lives.
#7 Dogs do not sweat by salivating
Many people think dogs sweat by salivating and panting but they actually sweat through the pads in their feet and their inner ears. Most mammals cool their bodies by releasing sweat through glands all over their skin. The evaporation of this sweat provides a cooling effect which brings their overall body temperature down.
#6 Dogs mouths are very strong
The average dog’s mouth will exert just over 270 lbs of pressure per square inch. Some breeds can apply up to 450 lbs. Humans, in comparison can only exert about 120 lbs of force with their bite. Rottweilers have the strongest bite at 328 lbs of pressure with German Shepards coming in second at 238 lbs and the American Pit Bull Terriers coming in third with 235 lbs.
Some other mammals for comparison.
- Gorillas 1300 lbs
- Jaguars 700 lbs
- Siberian Tigers 950 lbs
- Alligators 2125 lbs
- Nile Crocodile 5000 lbs
#5 Poodle Haircuts
The common pom-pom style poodle grooming style was intended to improve their swimming ability. The pom-poms were left to keep their joints warm. Unlike many breeds that have double coats, poodles have a single layer with no undercoat. This single layer is composed of dense, curly fur with minimal shedding.
#4 The smallest dog
The Chihuahua is the smallest dog breed with the smallest chihuahua on record was named Heaven Sent Brandy who measured just 6 inches from tip to tail. The shortest dog, also a Chihuahua was named Miracle Milly (pictured below) who measured just 3.8 inches tall.
#3 The largest breed
The breed that is generally considered to be the largest and heaviest is the English Mastiff. A St. Bernard named Benedictine holds the world record for being the heaviest at over 366lbs. I would hate to clean up after Benedictine!
#2 The tallest breed
The Irish Wolfhound is considered to be the tallest dog breed. A Great Dane named Zeus (pictured below) is the tallest on record, measuring in at 44 inches tall. With legs like that, can you imagine how much exercise he must need?
#1 Dogs cannot see very well
Compared to humans, the vision of dogs isn’t all that great. While perfect vision for a human is considered 20/20, perfect vision for a dog is 20/75. A dog’s vision is best at dusk and dawn and they are much better at detecting movement than we are. Dogs don’t see the same spectrum of colors that we do, instead they see in shades of blue and yellow. A rainbow to a dog would be as follows: dark blue, light blue, light gray, light yellow, dark brownish yellow and dark gray.
We hope you enjoyed these fun facts and thank you for reading!