
We realize we may be biased, but here at the AKC we never get tired of learning more about dogs, whether it’s a new study on canine behavior, a statistic from the AKC’s database, or even just cool facts about a dog’s impressive physical and mental abilities. You may know some of these already, and others may be more of a “wait, really?” situation, but we think you’ll find all of them entertaining. (Did we mention we’re biased?)
- The Labrador Retriever has been on the AKC’s top 10 most popular breeds list for 25 consecutive years—longer than any other breed.
- A dog’s nose print is unique, much like a person’s fingerprint.
- Forty-five percent of U.S. dogs sleep in their owner’s bed.
- Speaking of sleeping … all dogs dream, but puppies and senior dogs dream more frequently than adult dogs.
- Seventy percent of people sign their dog’s name on their holiday cards.
- A dog’s sense of smell is legendary, but did you know that his nose has as many as 300 million receptors? In comparison, a human nose has about 5 million.
- Rin Tin Tin, the famous German Shepherd, was nominated for an Academy Award.
- The shape of a dog’s face suggests its longevity: A long face means a longer life.
- Dog eyes have a part called the tapetum lucidum, allowing night vision.
- The name Collie means “black.” (Collies once tended black-faced sheep.)
- Yawning is contagious—even for dogs. Research shows that the sound of a human yawn can trigger one from your dog. And it’s four times as likely to happen when it’s the yawn of a person he knows.
- The Dandie Dinmont Terrier is the only breed named for a fictional person—a character in the novel Guy Mannering, by Sir Walter Scott.
- Dogs curl up in a ball when sleeping to protect their organs—a hold over from their days in the wild, when they were vulnerable to predator attacks.
- The Basenji is not technically “barkless,” as many people think. They can yodel.
- The Australian Shepherd is not actually from Australia—they are an American breed.
- … And the Labrador Retriever is originally from Newfoundland.
- Human blood pressure goes down when petting a dog. And so does the dog’s.
- There are over 75 million pet dogs in the U.S.—more than in any other country.
- A person who hunts with a Beagle is known as a “Beagler.”
- Dogs are not colorblind. They also see blue and yellow.
- All puppies are born deaf.
- Dalmatians are born completely white, and develop their spots as they get older.
- Dogs have about 1,700 taste buds. (We humans have between 2,000–10,000.)
- When dogs kick backward after they go to the bathroom it’s not to cover it up, but to mark their territory, using the scent glands in their feet.
- A recent study shows that dogs are among a small group of animals who show voluntary unselfish kindness towards others without any reward. This is one fact dog lovers have known all along.Yawning is contagious between people and dogs:
https://www.akc.org/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
Get Your Free AKC eBook