Our canine friends are more clever than we think! Their amazing senses can save lives as they can detect earthquakes, killer bee diseases, drugs, health conditions, and much more. Even their own presence can help relieve signs of depression anxiety.
Think you already know everything about your furry friend? Then read these 15 magnificent things that dogs can do and you’ll surely be amazed.
15. Dogs and cats both slurp water the same way
This may not seem unusual to you, but if your dog is a messy drinker, you’re probably shocked right now.
Just like cats, our canine friends bend the tip of their tongue and raise liquid in a column up to their mouths.
14. Dogs can sense earthquakes
Since dogs also have a keen sense of hearing, they can hear the movements of the rocks underground before an earthquake strikes. Still, it depends on the dog and their ears. Basset hounds, with their floppy ears, are less likely to hear sounds like this.
Some dog breeds that can sense earthquakes include Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Boston Terriers, Chihuahuas, Miniature Pinscher, and Schnauzer.
13. Dogs can save bees
Dogs have now been trained to detect a killer bee disease just by using their amazing nose. American Foulbrood is killing bee larvae around the world and if detected early enough, quarantine is essential to save the bees.
Bees are vital to pollinating crops and so they play a huge role in the food that we eat.
12. Dogs have their own sense of time
Circadian rhythm is an internal biological clock that tells us when it’s time to wake up, eat, and go to bed. According to various researchers, dogs possess their own certain rhythm, along with other animals.
Of course, it’s far different from our perception of time. Dogs know how long we are gone when we leave the house. Their reaction from a 30-minute absence differs from your 2-hour absence.
11. Dogs are as smart as 2-year-olds
In terms of arithmetic tests, basic emotions, and spatial problem-solving skills, some dog breeds are as smart as 2-year old children. Dogs can learn 165 words like kids, as well as gestures, while some intelligent breeds can learn up to 250.
Some of the dog breeds with high IQs include Border Collies, Poodles, German Shepherds, and Golden Retrievers.
10. Dogs’ sense of smell is 1000 to 10 million times better than yours
Some researchers say that a dog’s sense of smell is 10 times better than ours, while others suggest it is up to a million times more powerful. Either way, we can conclude that dogs are winners when it comes to nose sensitivity.
For instance, the most invisible things, like the 50 million skin cells we shed each minute, can be very noticeable to our dogs’ noses.
9. Dogs can get jealous
Jealousy is often associated with squabbling siblings or love triangles. But the dog can also experience this with their guardian.
Dogs show jealous behaviors when their owner display affection toward an animatronic stuffed dog that bark and wag its tail, according to this study. Dogs tended to snap at and push against the toy to get in between it and the human.
8. Dogs can smell your feelings
Dogs use their sense of smell to attune themselves to their human’s emotions and moods. Researchers noticed that when dogs’ owners smell happy, they are happier and more inquisitive. Meanwhile, when they smell fear, dogs show the same behavior and avoid strangers.
7. Dogs poop in alignment with the Earth’s magnetic field
Studies suggest that dogs are sensitive to small variations in the earth’s magnetic fields. Researchers found out that under “calm magnetic field conditions”, dogs love to do their business along the north-south axis.
It’s still unclear to them as to why dogs align their feces with the magnetic field, whether they consciously do it or not, and the stimulus that triggers them to do so.
6. Dogs’ whiskers help them “see” in the dark
Canine whiskers serve as receptors for information regarding size, shape, and speed of nearby objects. Although they don’t literally help “see” the dog, they help our four-legged friends sense vibrations in the air to feel approaching dangers.
Apart from that, dogs can also send messages about their emotions. When a dog is threatened, they will flare their whiskers and point them in forwarding direction.
5. Dogs can hear 4 times as far as humans
Dogs have much more sensitive hearing than humans so they can hear higher frequency sounds and even pinpoint the exact source of the audio.
Dogs can hear up to 50,000 vibrations per seconds, whereas humans can only hear sounds not greater than 20,000 vibrations per second. This is because dogs’ ears are controlled by about 18 muscles so they can tilt and rotate their ears to funnel the sound into the ear more effectively.
4. Dogs can help with anxiety and depression
I think we all know how dogs can instantly boost our moods! But there’s something deeper than that. Dogs can actually be an integral factor in our overall well-being.
Depression and anxiety disorders affect millions of kids and adults around the world. Studies show that dogs can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression by easing loneliness and encouraging exercise for your health.
For instance, walking around the park with them can keep your blood pressure low and prevent heart diseases. It also elevates oxytocin and dopamine, creating positive feelings for both of you.
3. Dogs can detect pregnancy
Because of their keen sense of smell, dogs can detect a change in a woman even before she herself does. Because they have 60 times as many smell receptors as human, and 40 times as much brainpower dedicated to smell, they can pick up on different scents from chemical changes.
Some of these include cancers, insulin levels, bombs, drugs, pregnancy, menstrual cycle, and many more. However, although they can detect these changes, it’s unlikely for your furry friend to understand the reason behind them.
2. Dogs release love hormones when you look into their eyes.
Oxytocin is a hormone commonly known as the love hormone, hug hormone, or cuddle hormone. It’s related to breastfeeding and childbirth which help release the said hormone in the body.
This hormone which affects emotional, cognitive, and social behaviors, is released by mutual gazes between a dog and their owner.
Learn more about dogs and the love hormone in this video.
1. Dogs can be trained to detect cancer
Dogs can be trained to detect cancer and other diseases because of their great ability to sniff. Their powerful noses can detect viruses, bacteria, and signs of cancer in a person’s body or bodily fluids.
Cancers leave specific traces of odor signatures in a person’s body, especially in their skin, breath, urine, feces, and sweat.
Various studies have been done about this, such as one about trained dogs being able to detect colorectal cancer from people’s breath and stool.
Dogs are impressive in their skills and they are more than just a pet to us because of their intelligence and emotional abilities. These skills that they possess make us realize how much we should treasure them as loved ones.
Acknowledge their abilities and remember to take care of them all the time by giving them a positive and encouraging environment, feeding and caring for them, and building a strong relationship with them. After all, they have earned their title of man’s best friend!
