Unique nose prints

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dog smallHuman fingers have little ridges that form our unique finger prints. Did you know that dogs have something similar? They don’t have fingertips, of course, but every dog’s nose is unique. There is only one, and no other like it.

The nose print of a dog is a unique as a fingerprint. If you take a peek at your dog’s nose through a magnifying glass you’ll see all sorts of patterns and creases. They are never the same between two individuals.

Thus far, nose prints aren’t used for dog identification. There’s no central dog database with nose prints, but rumors have it that companies are looking into offering nose print identification.

The dog’s nose is remarkable in more ways. An average dog’s sense of smell is about 1,000 times better than a human’s. Some dogs can smell dead bodies under water, they can smell termites, and natural gas buried under 40 feet of dirty. They can also be taught to detect cancer too small to be detected by medical equipment, and can sense lung cancer through a person’s breath.

Why do dogs love being stinky?

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Dogs love to roll around in smelly stuff and often look very happy with themselves as they’re doing it – at least until they end up in the inevitable bath. What’s so great with being dirty? 

In order to understand this strange behavior we need to go back in time.

The ancestors of our modern dogs needed to hunt to live, and the dogs’ prey was cautious. Dogs need to eat, but that doesn’t mean the food wants to be eaten. In order to make hunting easier, the dogs would attempt to disguise their scent, luring the pray into thinking they weren’t a threat. Disguising their scent could also protect them from being found and eaten themselves.

This behavior is so deeply rooted it’s difficult to break. Most dogs only roll themselves in icky stuff from time to time, but if it becomes a problem many dog trainers recommend making the pleasurable (rolling in something smelly) less pleasurable. For instance through squirting the dog with a little water when it does the rolling. Keeping the dog on a short leash can also help, so it doesn’t have a chance to roll in the stink.

Funny dog

Why do dogs like to walk around before lying down?

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XoloitzcuintliEveryone who knows a dog has seen the bedding dance; walking around and around before lying down with a contented sigh. Ever wonder why they do that?

Humans and dogs have  a lot in common. Both species like to be comfortable. The walking around in circles doesn’t seem to make much sense on a doggie bed or carpeted floor, but a long time ago dogs made little nests for themselves through stomping the grass. It exposed the cooler ground below the grass, and marked the area with the dog’s scent, signaling to others that the place was claimed.

Today, some dogs still do the circle dance, but others can be much  more particular with their sleeping area. Some want all their toys near, and others don’t like to sleep without their favorite blanket or towel. It’s like a human being uncomfortable when the pillow is wrong.

Having the sleeping area just the way they want it helps the dogs feel secure and comfortable. Removing a favorite piece of bedding can in extreme cases make a dog anxious and unable to relax.

Finnish dog breed yodels and wins barking competitions

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Finnish Spitz stampThe Finnish Spitz – or Suomenpystykorva – is the national dog of Finland, hailed in many patriotic songs. These small and hardy dogs are perhaps most known for their barking abilities. They can bark up to 160 times a minute!

The Finnish Spitz was originally bred for hunting, with a focus on birds and small game, but they are also used for moose and bear. The breed stems back some 6,000 years, with the first representatives arriving to Europe around 2,000 years ago.

A typical Finnish Spitz loves children, wants to spend time with the family, and gets along well with other dogs. They are intelligent, independent, lively, quick, and friendly.

So, what’s with the barking? It has several functions; it tells the hunter the dog has found something, it distracts the prey, and to some point it masks the noise of the hunter approaching.

In their home land of Finland, there are barking competitions for the Finnish Spitz. They are also one of the few dogs who can yodel.

 

World’s rarest breed sings

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The New Guinea Singing Dog has been called a living, breathing, furry, and four-legged fossil. This breed is believed to be the rarest in the world and was local to New Guinea until 1957 when the first dogs left the island.

Besides being rare, the dogs are also primitive in the sense that they were separated from all other dog breeds thousands – maybe even tens of thousands – years ago, and have developed virtually undisturbed.

The dogs have adapted well to living as pets. They are agile, active, graceful, and alert. They are known to be affectionate with people they know, and they are both curious and clever. Being so close to the wild, they also have a strong hunting instinct, and they require a lot of exercise. They can climb trees, jump, and dig, so any yard must be very well secured.

So, what’s with the singing?

The name comes from their melodious and distinctive howl. These dogs have a dramatic ability to vary the pitch. If they howl in a group, all the dogs will strike a different pitch. It sounds like a choir! They don’t bark a lot, but are still quite vocal.

Pet Guinness World Record Holders

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Many dream of getting into the Guinness Book of Records, and some records are right out weird. Here are some pets who succeeded with unexpected records:

1. Longest tongue
Puggy is a male Pekingese holding a record for current longest dog tongue. His tongue measures 4.5 inches, which is very long for a Pekingeses. The longest dog tongue on record overall belonged to a boxer whose tongue was 17 inches long.

2. Most tennis balls in mouth
Many dogs like tennis balls. Golden retriever girl Augie likes them more than most do; she has the record for successfully gathering and holding five tennis balls in her mouth at the same time.

3. Longest cat
The world’s longest cat is called Stewie, and he measures 48.5 inches from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail bone. (That’s just over 4 feet.)

4. Most flying discs caught
This record goes to Rose, a Labrador – Border Collie mix. She can catch and hold seven separately thrown frisbees without dropping one.

5: Most balloons popped
Anastasia is a Jack Russell Terrier who likes to pop balloons. She got 100 balloons in 44.9 seconds.

6: Highest jump
Cinderella May is a greyhound who likes to jump. She clears 68 inches (almost 5.7 feet).

7: Water glass balancing
Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix Sweet Pea holds the record of “most steps walked down by a dog facing forward while glancing a 5-ounce glass of water.” She made it ten steps.

8. Soda can balancing
This record also goes to Sweet Pea. She walked 100 meters with a can balanced on her head in two minutes and 55 seconds.

9. Loudest purr
Some cats purr loudly. Smokey purr loudest of them all with a measured 67.7 decibels. He has also been recorded with a 92.7 decibel purr; equivalent to a hairdryer.

10. Dogs skipping rope
The Super Wan Wan Circus in Japan is the home of Uchida Geinousha’s dogs. They are the main attraction, and hold the world record for most dogs skipping rope with 13 dogs at the same time.

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Fun Facts About Dogs

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An Appenzeller Sennenhunde requires a large PlexiDor dog doorLove dogs? Here are some fun and little known facts about our furry friends.

1. It is impossible to put an exact figure on the number of dogs in the world; many are strays, and large parts of the world do not require pet registration. Estimates point to well over 500 million.

2. Of registered dogs around the world, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular. The Labradors’ friendly disposition, merry temperament, and patience with other pets as well as children make them great pets. Many also work as guide dogs and police dogs.

3. Most people know dogs have an excellent sense of smell. But how good is it? An average dog can differentiate odors in concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than a human can.

4. A dog’s whiskers are important instruments helping the dog navigate the world, and they should never be cut off. The whiskers can sense tiny changes in airflow, and help the dog determine if something is close to its face.

5. Experts disagree on how long humans and dogs have been together, but it might be as long as 30,000 years.

Five fun comparisons between humans and dogs

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Dogs might be man’s best friend, and they are treated more and more like people. Despite all our similarities there are also some interesting differences.

Girl and dog1. Teeth:

Unless some have fallen out, an adult dog has 42 teeth. A puppy has 28.
An adult human has 32 teeth, and a child has 20.

2. Ears:

Dogs can hear sounds 250 yards away.
Most humans can hear sounds around 25 yards away.

3. Eyes:

Dogs have a smaller range of clear focus than humans, but a significantly wider peripheral vision. Dogs have a visual range of 250 degrees, and humans only 180 degrees.

4. Breathing:

Most adults breathe 8 to 16 times per minute.
Most dogs breathe between 10 and 30 times per minute.

5. Heart:

A human’s heart generally beats 70 to 80 times per minute.
A dog’s heart beats between 70 and 120 times per minute.

7 fun facts about the Pekingese

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Pekingese - the Lion DogThe Pekingese is a very old breed, traditionally associated with Chinese emperors. Here are seven fun facts about the breed.

1. Visually, the little Pekingese with its soft coat and short nose doesn’t resemble a wolf. They are still one of the breeds closest to wolves genetically.

2. The breed has been traced back two thousand years, to the Han dynasty.

3. Today’s China doesn’t have lions, but the Pekingese, the Lhasa Apso, and the Tibetan Mastiff were all bred to resemble stylized Chinese lion images. The Pekingese is also called the lion dog.

4. Emperor Lingdi of Han ruled from 168 to 189. He loved his dogs so much he made his favorite Pekingese a member of the nobel cast, making it outrank most  people in the country.

5. During the Tang Dynasty, years 618 to 907, no one outside the Imperial Palace was allowed to breed or own a Pekingese. This was a good period of time for the little dogs; if an ordinary person met one of the dogs they had to bow and show respect.

6. The Pekingese are sometimes called “The Sleeve Dog.” This stems from being bred down in size so their owners could carry them in their sleeves. Allegedly a Pekingese in the Emperor’s sleeve was his last line of defense should enemies get into the palace.

7. It sometimes pays off to be small. Three dogs escaped the Titanic: one Pekingese and two Pomeranians.

Fun facts about cats

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CatCats have excellent night vision, and can see well at one-sixth of the light level required for humans. They also have excellent hearing  and can hear higher-pitched sounds than both dogs and humans. The cat’s hearing is amongst the best of the mammals.

In addition to these great senses, cats have an acute sense of smell. It might not be as good as a blood-hound, but it’s still twice as good as a human’s.

When cats meet they don’t usually greet each other nose to nose, because that puts both participants in a vulnerable position. Cats who know each other well and have been apart for a while feel safe enough to do this, and through the nose contact they gather information about how the other cat is, where they have been, and what they have been doing.

Most human societies find it polite to meet another’s gaze. Cats do the opposite; they blink and narrow their eyes when they accidentally make eye contact. To make friends with an unfamiliar cat, try to blink and look away when you catch his eyes.

Cats and dogs may see flashes of light around power lines

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A couple of weeks ago the PlexiDor blog reported about cats and dogs being able to see in ultraviolet. The ability makes it possible for many animals to see things humans do not, such as threats that would otherwise blend in with the environment and patterns that can lead to food. 

Being able to see like they see would probably be both convenient and amazing in many situations. Flowers, for instance, may have patterns we will never be able to discern. However, due to human interference the ability to see in ultraviolet might also be terrifying.

The Guardian reports that UV cameras can pick up coronal discharges around power lines that humans cannot see with the bare eye. These lights and flashes correspond with the humming we can sometimes hear around power lines.

Naturally, what we see with the aid of a camera is still not the same as animals able to detect ultraviolet frequencies would see, and the cameras can see a narrower range than most animals, but at least it gives us an idea.


We have known for a long time that animals in the wide prefer to avoid power lines, and the popular explanation has been that the corridors cut to accommodate the lines expose animals to predators. However, with power lines looking like glowing and flashing bands across the sky, they might have an unforeseen worldwide impact. Besides disturbing our domestic friends like cats and dogs, they might interfere with migration routes for birds and prevent mammals from going where they need to be.

Burying all power cables does not seem a realistic alternative, but one idea is to put a non-conducting shield around the cables to screen them from view.

Fun dog facts

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Kooikerhondje

  • The Greyhound is considered the fastest dog on Earth. They can run 45 miles per hour.
  • The Irish Wolfhound is the largest dog breed.
  • The Great Dane is the tallest dog.
  • The Great Dane really originated in Germany, not in Denmark.
  • The Chihuahua is the smallest dog breed.
  • The St. Bernard is the heaviest dog breed.
  • The oldest dog in the world was an Australian cattle-dog named Bluey. He lived to be over 29 years.
  • Dogs have twice as many muscles for moving their ears as people.

Dogs are sensitive to the Earth’s magnetic field

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Dogs are sensitive to the Earth's magnetic field
Supercomputer model of the Earth’s magnetic field. Source: nasa.gov

The Earth has a magnetic field. Many people only come in contact with it through the use of a compass, but it has great importance for every living being on the planet. Amongst other things, it shields us from solar radiation.

In theory, the field is straight and neat with a magnetic north pole close to the geographic north pole, and a magnetic south pole close to the geographic south pole. In reality, it’s a bit more complicated, but for the sake of discussion, north and south are quite sufficient.

So, what does this have to do with pets?

Good question. Scientists at the Czech University of Life Sciences along with the zoology department at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany have studied dogs doing the “potty dance” and found that dogs prefer to align their body axis with the planet’s magnetic field. They prefer the North-South direction, and avoid the East-West direction.

While the reason for the magnetic preference remains unknown, this is the first time magnetic sensitivity has been proven in dogs. It is also the first time a mammal has been unambiguously proven to be sensitive to small changes in magnetic polarity.

The scientists believe there might a biological explanation to the phenomenon. Birds are thought to navigate with assistance of the magnetic field, and dogs might also have a “magnetic map” aiding them with their sense of direction. This could explain how some dogs are able to hike home across the country after being separated from their owners, or after a move.

70 dogs from 37 different breeds participated in the experiment, and their habits were studied over a period of two years. You can read more here, and see the report here.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Earth’s magnetic field, this Introduction to Geomag can be a good starting point, along with this article on Nasa’s website.

Big and small in the dog world

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Dogs come in many shapes and sizes. Zeus is currently the biggest of them all. This world record holder is a Great Dane from Michigan and with 44 inches from foot to withers he measures the same size as an average donkey. If he stands on his hind legs, he reaches 7 feet 4 inches.

Zeus weighs 155 pounds and eats around 12 cups of food every day. He’s too big to ride in the back of a car, and his family had to buy a van to be able to transport him.

The world’s smallest dog is a 2 year old Chihuahua from Puerto Rico. Milly stands 3.8 inches tall when measured from backbone to paw, and weighs around 1 pound. She is shorter than a can of soup.

When Milly was born, she weighed less than an ounce and fit in a teaspoon. She was too small to nurse from her mother, and the family gave her milk every two hours from an eyedropper. Today she eats twice a day and prefers small meals of salmon or chicken.

The smallest dog in terms of length is also a Chihuahua. Brandy lives in Florida, weighs two pounds, and measures 6 inches from her nose to the tip of her tail.

Where did dogs originate?

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Dogs and humans have been partners for a long time. No one knows exactly how long, but there is a 12,000 year old burial site in Israel containing the body of a woman and her puppy.

Some scientists think the association between dogs/wolves and people might go back as far as 100,000 years. (“Multiple and ancient origins of the domestic dogs” by C Vila.)

Another intriguing question is: where did the dogs come from?

The oldest known doglike fossil comes from Europe. DNA studies have implicated that dogs would come from east Asia and the Middle East, but new DNA studies point towards Europe. This latest research indicates that dogs might have indeed have originated in Europe, and this would have happened some 32,000 years ago.

The study gathered DNA from fossils of 18 ancient wolflike and doglike creatures that lived up to 36,000 years ago in Argentina, Belgium, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, and the United States. They compared this genetic material with samples from wolves from North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East along with 77 different dog breeds and four coyotes.

The DNA of modern dogs showed similarities to the DNA from ancient European specimens as well as modern day European wolves.

This doesn’t mean that Europe is the only place where dogs developed. The continent played a major part in the domestication process of dogs as we know them today, but a parallel development might have taken place in other parts of the world.