Dogs are said to have been domesticated 20,000 to 40,000 years ago and at today's world they are considered a part of family. It is crucial to know your pets breed, their diet, behaviour and how to train them .Pets are proven to have benefits in our mental health, social life and physical health.
The average lifespan of a dog is 10-13 years and their gestation period is 58 to 68 days. Their lifespan is also estimated by their face, a long face means a longer life.
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There are over 339 breeds of dogs as stated by the World Canine Organisation that are divided into 10 groups according to the dogs function, appearance or size. The 10 groups are:
1.Sheepdogs and cattle dogs.[apart from Swiss dogs that are classified as herding dogs]
2. Pinscher and Schnauzer, Swiss mountain and cattle dogs, Molossoid breeds ,other dogs.[Molossoid breeds include dogs like mastiff by the kennel club]
3.Terriers.
4.Scent hounds and other related breeds.
5.Pointers and setters.
6.Companion and toy dogs.
7.Spitz and primitive types.
8.Retrievers, Flushing dogs and Water dogs.
9.Dachshunds.
10.Sight hounds.
Each group is divided into subgroups of dog breeds and each of them are assigned different region, country or origin.
Dogs have wet nose that help them absorb scent chemicals. Their nose secrete a special mucus that absorb these chemicals and helps them understand what the smell is. They have a third eyelid called the Nictitans or the Nictating membrane at the inside corners of their eyes.
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A dogs nose print is said to be unique just like our finger prints and they have over 300 million receptors in their nose. They can taste food too but the smell seems to play a bigger role than the taste of the food.
Human blood pressure is known to go down while petting dogs and so does the dogs, so the next time you pet them, please know they love it just as much as we love it. They are also contagious to yawning just like us.
We would have noticed dogs kicking backwards after they go to bathroom. It is to mark their territory using the scent glands in their feet and not to cover it up. They can also sweat through their paws. Unlike our hands their paws are divided into 5 different components. Their paws are waterproof but not heatproof. They also love getting their toes massaged and it's recommended to rub between the pad on the bottom of the paw and between their toes.
Dogs don't see in black and white like they are shown in the movies but they are known to be colour blind as they have only two colour receptors in their eyes whereas we have three. Therefore they can see colours though their receptors can perceive only certain wavelengths of light that is blue and yellow and can only see in combinations of blue and yellow.
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They are also born deaf and blind. As their eyes are under-developed when they are born, their eyes are closed and so are their ears. Their eyes and ears develop and mature over about 8 weeks.
Though they cannot speak they surely can understand us. They are also found to have been able to differentiate between words we have previously spoken and those we didn't. They can also recognise our moods and emotions and differentiate them through our facial expressions.
When feeding your dog please be careful to avoid giving them alcohol, chocolate, coffee, citrus, coconut and it's oil, grapes and raisins, milk and dairy products, nuts, onion, garlic, chive, salt and salty snacks, avocado and raw/uncooked meat, eggs and bones. Eating any one of these foods could make your dog ill and for worse could become life threatening so please be careful of what you feed them.
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Animals have emotions and feelings too so the next time you see any animal getting mistreated, please step in and help them. It won't cost us anything but it could definitely save a life.
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cover image credits: Judi Neumeyer of unsplash
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