Alex Carson
Dogs
If you have a dog, there is a good chance that you don’t know everything there is to know about them. They can release your stress levels and even help you live longer. Also, yours could remember up to 1,000 words. They have complex thoughts and feelings and are said to be as intelligent as a 2-year-old child. If you want to know more about your dog, here are 20 fascinating things you never knew about them.
Feel Many Emotions
Many people believe that they experience nothing but happiness. This isn’t true. Yours can feel happy, excited, and frustrated, and they can even mourn the loss of another family pet. According to an animal expert, Sally Morgan, they can have the same range of emotions that humans do. The only limitation that they have is on your end. They have feelings, but you don’t have the ability to understand and interpret them.
Showing Compassion
Dogs can be very compassionate. Have you ever been sick or sad, and noticed that yours wouldn’t leave your side? This is because yours senses that there is something wrong with you, and he is showing his compassion. A study was performed in Vienna, which proved that they are also compassionate toward one another. During the study, one of them would pull a string to give another dog a treat. The subjects were more likely to do this when the treat was going to a dog that the subject already knew.
They can Predict Health Issues
There have been plenty of studies that have shown that they can predict certain diseases in humans. They can detect that their owner will have a seizure 12 to 24 hours before it begins. This is why many people with seizure disorders have services to give them this warning. They have also been known to detect cancer in their owners. A woman was told by her doctor that she had an ovarian cyst, but when her pet wouldn’t stop sniffing her lower abdomen, she went to her gynecologist. It turned out that she had ovarian cancer. Had it not been for her dog, she would have accepted her misdiagnosis and could have died. There are several types of cancer that they are known to be able to detect.
Can Lower Your Blood Pressure
Petting your dog can be very soothing. It can even lower your blood pressure, reduce your heart rate, and decrease your stress level. This is why many people today get a dog to act as an “emotional support animal.” If you start to feel overwhelmed, stressed, and if you suffer from panic attacks, spending time with your dog can help. Many hospitals bring them in regularly to help the patients who need it the most.
Dogs Have Best Friends
You likely have someone in your life who you call your best friend. What you may not know is that your dog also has a best friend. For some of them, it is a family member who they have selected to be their best friend. This is the person that they feel closest to. Some of them choose a dog or a cat to be their best friend. This is just further proof that they are a lot more us than we ever thought.
Can Help Cure Shyness
Have you ever gone to a party and felt better by latching onto a dog because you are shy? According to dog experts, speaking to a dog often can help you find your voice. Being with a dog can also help boost your confidence. Have you ever felt safer and more confident while walking your dog, even if he is small? This is proof that your dog can help you to feel more confident.
Can Help You Better At Math
According to a study, they can increase your math skills. The subjects who took tests with them by their sides received higher scores than those who didn’t. According to experts, this could be due to the fact that they can decrease your stress levels. If you don’t feel stressed and anxious during your test, you will be able to focus better. If you are planning to take a big test for school or work, see if you can bring your dog along with you.
Encourage Kids To Get Along
Dogs are pro-social, and they want their loved ones to get along. If two kids are fighting, the family dog will do what he can to get the kids to get along and cooperate. If you have kids who seem to be always fighting, you should think about getting a dog. The dog might be able to stop the fighting easier than you can.
They Are Individuals
Wolves are pack animals, but domesticated dogs aren’t. If you have more than one dog, you shouldn’t treat them like a pack. Each of them has his own personality, their own likes and dislikes, and their own unique needs. It is essential to your dogs’ happiness that they treat them as individuals.
Dogs Think In Smells
They literally think it smells, which is why your dog wants to smell everything he sees. They have over 300 million scent receptors in their noses. When your dog sniffs something for five to ten seconds, they can create a whole other dimension based on the smells. They need to be allowed to experience this dimension, which is why you need to let your dog sniff when he needs to.
Form Scent Memories
Have you ever smelled something from your past and are immediately brought back there for a moment? Ad they do the same thing. They can analyze a smell and then use it to create a memory. This is why they can be trained to sniff out drugs and bombs. They are able to remember these smells from training.
Smarter Than You Think
Everyone knows that they can be trained. They can learn and understand signals, commands, and they can recognize people and animals. Researchers in canine cognition wanted medical proof of this. They used MRI scans to see what is going on in a dog’s brain, and the results of the tests proved that they are much smarter than we think.
Can Help You Live Longer
A Swedish study was performed, and 3.4 million people were involved in the study. The results showed that those who owned a dog had a lower mortality rate. If you want to live a long and happy life, you should go out and get a dog.
They Have a Big Vocabulary
You probably know that your dog can understand common words like outside, treats, no, and come. What you may not know is that they have a very big vocabulary. Experts believe that most of them understand at least 50 words. Some of them are able to comprehend up to 1,000 words. If people tell you that you are crazy for talking to your dog like a human, you’re not. There is a good chance that he understands almost everything that you are saying.
Can Understand Multiple Languages
If you are bilingual, there is a good chance that your dog is as well. If you speak in both languages in your home and to your dog, he is going to pick up on the second language. There are many people who speak only one language. It is crazy that your dog could be bilingual.
Can Learn Sign Language
It is possible for a dog to learn sign language. Many working dogs and those who compete in agility competitions rely on hand signals. Some of them can be trained to bark on command when they see a hand signal.
React To Your Emotions
Your dog is very connected to your emotions. If you are nervous, angry, or frustrated, your dog will sense this through your body language, posture, your tone of voice, and even though pheromones. When your dog picks up on your emotions, he will react accordingly.
Like Being Trained
If you feel bad about forcing your dog into training sessions, you shouldn’t be. They love their training sessions because it gives them the mental stimulation that they crave. It also gives your dog a chance to bond with you. Your dog may tire after a long session, but he will enjoy it.
Can Get Anxiety
They often feel anxious. Some feel more anxious than others. If you have a house full of people and your dog is behaving strangely, he is likely feeling anxious. You should do what you can to help relieve his stress.
Know When You’re Sad
If you are sad, your dog will pick up on it. Not only will he know that you are unhappy, but he will also do what he can to cheer you up.
