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Dogs are capable of understanding up to 250 words and gestures and can count up to five.
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Dogs have formed such a strong bond as pets, workers and friends (companions) to humans that they have earned the nickname "man's best friend".
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Dogs have a remarkable sense of smell. They are capable of smelling and identifying odours in concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans can.
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Dog experts usually refer to males as ‘dogs’, females as ‘bitches’, dogs younger than a year old as ‘puppies’ and a group of offspring as a ‘litter’.
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Dogs have superior hearing over humans, capable of hearing sounds at four times the distance.
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Dogs don’t enjoy being hugged as much as humans and other primates. Canines interpret putting a limb over another animal as a sign of dominance.
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Hyenas aren’t actually dogs. They are more closely related to cats.
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Spiked dog collars were invented in ancient Greece and were originally designed to protect dogs’ throats from wolf attacks.
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It is a myth that dogs are colour blind. They can actually see in colour, just not as vividly as humans. On the other hand, they have better night vision than humans.
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A dogs’ only sweat glands are between their paw pads.
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Dog’s nose prints are as unique as a human’s finger prints and can be used to accurately identify them.
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An African wolf dog known as the basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark.
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After birth, puppies’ eyes do not fully open until they’re about 12 days old.
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Dogs dream just like you! Dogs have the same brain wave patterns while they are asleep as humans, so they dream just like we do.
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Smiling a toothy smile at a dog may make them feisty! Dogs see a toothy smile not as friendly body language, but detect your "bearing teeth" as a sign of aggression.
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The seeds of apples and pears should be kept away from dogs. Their composition includes arsenic which could kill your dog.
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Feeling a bit anxious? Studies indicate that petting your dog can lower your blood pressure.
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Dogs can fall in love! A professor at Claremont Graduate University in California found that a dog’s brain releases oxytocin - the love hormone - when it interacts with humans and dogs, just the same as a human brain does when we hug or kiss.
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The oldest in-tact fossilized remains of a pet canine dates back 33,000 years. It was discovered in Siberia in the 1970's.