10  Unknown Facts About Dogs

1.  His wild side

Even if dogs have been domesticated since approximately 33,000 years ago, their primal instincts remain active to this day. Some of these instincts include howling at the moon, pack dependency and even territory marking.

2.  Dogs can read your face

Research shows that Dogs are the only animals in the animal kingdom that can read the emotions on your face much like humans. In other words dogs can tell at a glance if we are happy, angry or sad just by looking at our faces.

3.  Your mutt and cancer

Cancer isn’t just a life threatening reality for humans; dogs can get cancer as well. Fifty percent of dogs over the age of 10 develop cancer at some point in their lives such as lymphoma, which is a tumor of the lymph nodes, mast cell tumors, which is a form of skin cancer, mammary gland tumors or breast cancer, and soft tissue sarcomas just to name a few.

4.  Sit, lie down, roll over and play dead

150-250 words seem a lot for dogs to remember and respond to but studies show that their cognitive skills can be that sharp, in fact, as sharp as a 2 year old child. The smarter breeds can absorb as many as 250 words while the average mutts can understand around 150 words.

5.  The mystery of the chase-the-tail madness

Ever wonder why your pup chases his tail? There’s actually a good reason to that seemingly pointless habit. The circular motion flattens tall grass in the wild and turns it into a cozy bed for them.

6.  Guiltless

Regardless of how it appears, your dog does not feel guilt. According to Barnard College researcher Alexandra orowitz, the “guilty look” your dog gives you has more to do with your perception than his intention.

7.  Insecurity

A frightened dog will put its tail between his legs because it cuts off the scent glands in its anal region which carry personal scents that identify the individual dogs. It’s almost as if the dog is hiding his Id card.

8.  Pain inducing thunderstorms

Thunderstorms have particular sound frequencies that can hurt dogs’ ears. The fear that your dog shows at the start of a thunderstorm may actually be a reaction to pain.

9.  Dogs don’t like second hand smoke either

A number of studies have indicated that dogs face health risks when exposed to the toxins in secondhand smoke which include respiratory problems, allergies and even nasal and lung cancer.

10.  No chocolate please

It turns out that a chemical in chocolate called theobromine is toxic and can seriously, even fatally affect your dog if it ingests between 100 and 150 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.