Interesting Facts about Dogs

I've gathered nice collection of facts about dogs, here they are:

That whole one year in a dog's life is the equivalent of 7 in a human's isn't exactly true. A more accurate calculation is as follows: At one year, a dog is the equivalent of 16 human years; at two dog years they are 24 human years; at 3 dog years, 30 human years; and for every dog year after that, add 4 human years.

Canis Familiaris is the Latin name for dog.

The largest dogs among all breeds, at least in terms of height, is the Irish Wolfhound.

Nearly all but two breeds of dogs have pink tongues. The two exceptions? The Chow Chow and the Shar-pei, both with black tongues.

The Poodle haircut was originally meant to improve the dog's swimming abilities as a retriever, with the pom-poms left in place to warm their joints.

Cats can see a lot better than dogs. In fact, dogs first distinguish objects by movement, then brightness, and finally by shape.

Among dogs officially registered with kennel clubs in the U.S., Labrador Retrievers are the most popular breed followed by Rottweilers and German Shepherds.

All dogs, regardless of breed, are direct descendants of wolves and technically of the same species.

A dog's whiskers -- found on the muzzle, above the eyes and below the jaws -- are technically known as vibrissae. They are touch-sensitive hairs than actually sense minute changes in airflow.

Dogs are capable of locating the source of a sound in 6/100ths of a second by using their swiveling ears like radar dishes.

Dogs have a sense of smell that is one of the keenest in nature. Humans might smell a pot of stew cooking on the stove, but a dog can distinguish the smells of each individual ingredient, from the beef itself to the potatoes.

Dalmatian puppies are born pure white, with their spots developing as the mature.

The ancient Chinese royalty loved the Pekingese, carrying them tucked into the sleeves of their royal robes.

Dachshunds were bred to fight badgers in their dens.

The oldest breed of dog native to North America is the Chihuahua.

Survivors of the Titanic included two dogs: a Pekingese belonging to Henry Sleeper Harper and a Pomeranian belonging to Miss Margaret Hays.

Every minute, dogs take ten to thirty breaths.

The only mammals with prostates are humans and dogs.

There are 42 teeth in a dog's mouth.

Whippets can reach a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour.

The Taco Bell dog is actually a female, and her real name is Gidget.

Contrary to popular belief, dogs are not color blind but can, in fact, see color. However, their color scheme is not as vivid as ours and can be likened to our vision at twilight.

There are more than five million puppies born in the United States each year.

Have you ever seen a dog curled up with his tail covering his nose? They do that to keep the nose warm in cold weather.

Many dogs' eyes reflect the color green in the dark, but some also reflect orange or red.

The top five favorite breeds of dogs in the US are: Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Beagle, and Dachshund.

The Lhasa Apso was used by monks to guard temples.

The Doberman breed was created in the 1860's by Louis Doberman, a German tax-collector who created the dog to protect him while he worked.

Most people think that dogs sweat by salivating, but they actually sweat through the pads of their feet.

The name Pug is believed to have derived from this dog's resemblance to the pug monkey.

There are over 200 different breeds of dogs

The Basenji is the only barkless dog in the world.

You might expect that a Great Dane can eat a lot of food. In fact, they can eat up to 8 ?? pounds a day!

Greyhounds can reach a speed of up to 45 miles per hour.

There are over 800 different dog breeds.

There is only one barkless dog in the world, the Basenji.

Dalmations are born without their spots. The spots appear as they mature.

When a puppy is born, he is blind, deaf, and toothless.

Dogs don't actually sweat by salivating. They sweat through the pads on their feet.

Smiling at a dog causes him to think you are baring your teeth to show aggression.

There are about 68 million dogs with owners in the United States.

If a dog lives to be 11 years old, it will cost approximately $13,550 to own that dog.

The Taco Bell dog is actually a female Chihuahua named Gidget.

The oldest recorded age for a dog is 29.

The oldest known breed of dog is the Saluki, which is an Arabic word meaning noble one. These dogs were raised as hunting dogs by ancient Egyptians.

One of the very first animals domesticated by humans was the dog.

The oldest known dog lived to be 29.

The "spring" in Springer Spaniel referred to this dog's ability to spring or startle game.

In Flemish, Schipperke translates to "Little Captain."

Dogs have been domesticated for 10,000 years.

Laikia, a dog, was the world's first ever space astronaut. She was sent into space in an artificial earth satellite in 1957 by the Russian government.

Greyhounds are no doubt fast. In fact, they can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour for short amounts of time.