Ever wondered why your dog likes to lick you so much? Or how far can they hear? If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about dogs, here are some fascinating facts that everyone needs to know about these adorable animals!
Why Dogs Lick So Much
Dogs lick as a form of communication, to learn about each other and take stock of their surroundings. Pups begin licking the second they emerge from the womb and continue doing so after birth, but there’s much more going on here than a simple reflex response in the dog’s tongue. As a dog becomes comfortable with an owner or caretaker, it will begin to lick the person’s mouth, face, hands, and arms. This shows a sign of trust since it exposes areas that are usually protected by hair or clothing. Dogs also use licking as a form of greeting when meeting someone new, showing appeasement after an argument with another dog, accepting treats from his master, or just simply being affectionate!
The Dog’s Sense Of Smell
Dogs have 220 million smell receptors in their nose compared to humans that have only 5 million. They can smell scents that are 100 million times fainter than those detected by the human nose! Furthermore, dogs’ sense of smell is 10,000 – 100,000 times better than humans, depending on which breed. The reason behind this astounding smelling ability is the number of scent glands a dog has. A German shepherd has an organ at the bottom of his nose that contains more than 225 million olfactory receptors! Dogs can distinguish between odors depending on the concentration, unlike humans who are only able to differentiate based on intensity.
The Dog’s Ears
A dog’s hearing is far superior to human hearing capability. Their ears can hear sounds up to four times louder than what humans can hear, and they have approximately 18 muscles in each ear that allow them to precisely tune into specific sounds. With this incredible auditory acuity, dogs are also capable of detecting two octaves above or below their normal vocal range which explains why they always seem so eager to sing along whenever you’re listening to your favorite tune! It is estimated that dogs can hear sounds up to 67 decibels which is equivalent to a rock concert. However, they are not the best at distinguishing between words spoken by humans because their vocal range or frequency of hearing is low. Although most dog breeds have excellent smell and hearing capabilities, some are better than others in both areas. Bloodhounds, for instance, are famous for having an awesome sense of smell while beagles are more adept at hearing higher pitches.
Dog Noses Are Wet
Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not have dry noses since they are covered with minute sweat glands that release moisture in contact with air during exercise or hot weather. This moisture evaporates so the nose doesn’t feel wet to the touch. In addition, dogs have a special enzyme in their saliva that helps to break down smells which accounts for why dogs often lick their noses while sniffing around!
The Dog’s Nose Print Is As Unique As A Human Fingerprint
Although it isn’t recommended that you use your dog’s nose print as a means of identification, a good trainer will be able to find distinguishing features on the dog’s nose and take detailed notes about them. The texture of a dog’s nose is influenced by the temperature and humidity within its environment over time. If you pay close attention to your dog’s nose, you should be able to see how it changes from day to day based on the weather.
Dog’s Have Feelings Too
A dog’s heart beats faster when it sees its owner. A happy dog will turn up its tail and wag it back and forth in a loving greeting while sad dogs droop their ears or keep them down. Dogs love us in ways we cannot even comprehend and this is the reason why we say they are our best friends. So, you can use the expression of your pet to determine whether he or she is feeling okay. A Glossy smooth tongue is an indication that everything’s fine while a white mucus coating on the tip of his tongue may be caused by illness such as venomous snake bite, rabies, distemper, bacterial infection, or diabetes mellitus.
All of this information is great to know if your dog ever gets lost.
