Dog Facts: 25 Fun, Weird and Interesting Facts about Dogs!

Chances are, you’re a dog lover like us! (We love dogs so much, we created the world’s best GPS tracker for them…) But today we want to talk about the most interesting, funny, weird, and amazing dog facts. Because let’s face it, our four-legged friends are pretty incredible aren’t they? From their anatomy and physical abilities, to their intelligence and relationship with humans, here are 40 fun facts about dogs that will help you get to know (and appreciate) your furry friend even better!

1. Corgi is Welsh for “dwarf dog”.

2. A dog’s sense of smell is much stronger than ours – 10,000 to 100,000 times as sharp.1 A dog has more than 220 million olfactory receptors in its nose, while humans have only 5 million.

3. All puppies are born deaf – they are not fully developed at birth.

4. Dogs have twice as many ear muscles as people and their sense of hearing is more than 10 times more accurate than that of a person.

5. After birth, puppies’ eyes do not fully open until they’re about 12 days old.

6. Like human babies, Chihuahuas are born with a soft spot in their skull which closes with age.

7. Dalmatian puppies are born completely white and develop their spots over time!

8. Dogs mostly sweat only from their footpads and nose.

9. Spaying or neutering can help prevent certain types of cancer in dogs.

10. Grapes and raisins even in small amounts can cause kidney failure in dogs.

11. The world’s oldest dog died at age 29.

12. The reason dogs curl up is because of an age-old instinct to keep themselves warm and to protect vital organs while they sleep.

13. A dog’s nose print is one of a kind, very similar to a person’s fingerprint.

14. Chocolate contains a substance known as theobromine (a natural substance arising from the cocoa bean – similar to caffeine) which can kill dogs or at the very least make them violently ill.

15. The world’s smartest dogs are thought to be (1) the border collie, (2) the poodle, and (3) the golden retriever.

16. The world’s smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua.

17. The U.S. has the highest pet dog population in the world, at over 75 million². France has the 2nd highest.

18. 10 million pets are missing annually worldwide. Only less than 20% of dogs are reunited with their owners. With Tractive GPS dog owners always know where their beloved friend is and it therefore gives them a feeling of safety.

19. The Norwegian Lundehund is the only dog that has six toes on each foot!

20. 58% put pets in family and holiday portraits.

21. 70% of people sign their pets name on greeting/holiday cards. (Why not? Our pets are family)

22. If a guy has a dog with him, he’s three times more likely to get a girl’s phone number.

23. The St. Bernard is the heaviest dog breed.

24. Petting dogs can actually reduce your blood pressure.

25. Contrary to popular opinion, dogs are not colorblind but can see yellow and blue.³

Dog Facts for Kids

For more interesting facts about dogs for kids, check out the video below and teach your children something about man’s best friend!