Interesting Facts about Dogs & Dog Breed Information for Dog Lovers
Did you know ...?
- Breeds - There are 701 types of pure breed
dogs.
- Chihuahuas - Get their name from the state of
Chihuahua in Mexico. They usually weigh between 2 to 6lb (0.9 to 2.7 Kg)
and are about 5" high at the shoulder. There are 2 types of Chihuahua:
the longhaired and the smooth coat.
- Dalmatians - The puppies are born pure white,
without spots. The spots develop later.
- Fastest dogs - The greyhound, reading at
speeds of 45 miles per hour, is generally considered the fast breed.
- French Poodles - Surprise surprise, they did
not originate in France but in Europe where they were used as hunting
dogs. Because their thick coats proved a problem in the bush and water,
their owners started clipping them leaving hair on the ankles to protect
against rheumatism.
- Hair - Some dogs have 2 coats; the shorter
undercoat is usually fluffy.
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Find cute gifts for dog lovers. |
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Spoil your dog with his own t-shirt. |
- Hearing - dogs can hear far better than we
can. They can register sounds up to 45,000 Hz (compared to our top range
of 23,000 Hz, a cat's top of 64,000 Hz and a mouse, believe it or not,
with a top range of 91,000 Hz). The Lhasa Apso is well known for its
keen sense of hearing and therefore is considered a good watch dog.
- Heaviest dog - Zorba, an old English Mastiff
weighing 343 lbs in 1989. Generally, the St. Bernard is considered the
heaviest breed weighing about 200 lbs.
- Largest dogs- The Irish Wolfhound is
considered to be one of the biggest breeds, measuring 28" to 37" (71 cm
to 94 cm) at the shoulder and weighing up to 135 lb (61 kg). It is
considered a very loyal breed.
- Lifespan - Smaller dogs usually have a longer
life span than larger dogs.
- Longest dog - Zorba, an old English Mastiff
weighing 8 feet 3 inches long in 1989.
- Memory - A study was conducted at the
University of Michigan in which it was found that cats have better
memories than dogs In the study a dog's memory of how to solve a
problem could last up to 5 minutes, while a cat's could last up to 16
hours.
- Oldest dog - Bluey, an Australian cattle dog -
aged 29.
- Poison - It is not a myth that chocolate can
be dangerous for dogs. Chocolate contains
theobromine and caffeine which
stimulates the cardiac and nervous systems. The concentration in
chocolate is too much for dogs, small dogs in particular.
- Puppies - are usually born
63 days after conception. About 14 days later, their eyes open.
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Dog Breed Information
| Pos 2006 |
Dog Breed |
c/f 2005 |
| 1. |
Labrador Retriever |
Winner again |
| 2. |
Yorkshire Terrier |
Up from pos. 3 |
| 3. |
German Shepherd Dog |
Up from pos. 4 |
| 4. |
Golden Retriever |
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| 5. |
Beagle |
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| 6. |
Dachshund |
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| 7. |
Boxer |
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| 8. |
Poodle |
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| 9. |
Shih Tzu |
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| 10. |
Miniature Schnauzer |
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(Information based on registration statistics.)
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Do you think I could make the list?
Compare the most popular dogs in 2005 with the list from 2004. The trend
appears to be towards smaller breeds but the trusty Labrador Retriever still
holds position #1 and has done so for the past 16 years.
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- Popular dogs 2005 - According to the American
Kennel Club, the 10 most popular dogs in 2005 were, in order of popularity:
1. Labrador Retriever
2. Golden Retriever
3. Yorkshire Terrier
4, German Shepherd Dog
5. Beagle
6. Dachshund
7. Boxer
8. Poodle
9. Shih Tzu
10. Miniature Schnauzer
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- Popular dogs 2004 - According to the American
Kennel Club, the 10 most popular dogs in 2004 were, in order of popularity:
1. Labrador Retriever
2. Cocker Spaniel (English)
3. English Springer Spaniel
4. German Shepherd Dog (Alsatian)
5. Staffordshire Bull Terrier
6. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
7. Golden Retriever
8. West Highland White Terrier
9. Boxer
10.Border Terrier
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- Smallest dogs - the Chihuahua, usually 6-9" and no
more than 6 lbs is regarded as the smallest dog breed, but a Yorkshire
Terrier which died in England in 1945 was 2.5 inches tall, 3.5 inches longs
and weighted only 4 ounces.
- Smartest dogs - poodles, border collies and golden
retrievers.
- Smell - Man has about 5 million smelling
receptors. Compare this to various dog breeds: A Dachshund has 125 million,
whilst an Alsatian 220 million. The St. Bernard has a very keen sense of
smell which makes it ideal for tracking people lost in the snow.
- Sounds - Dogs vocal cords are much thicker and
less sensitive than ours which means that they can bark longer than we can
before getting a hoarse throat. Dogs can only make about 10 sounds, compared
to cats which can make over a hundred.
- Sweating - Dogs sweat through the pads of their
paws.
- Tallest dogs - the Irish Wolfhound. Males are
usually at least 32" to 34", females 30". Great Danes are also very tall
dogs.
- Taste - Dogs have far fewer taste buds than we do.
We have about 9,000 whereas our canine pets have something like 1,700. BUT
they make up for with their sense of smell (see above).
- Teeth - Dogs usually have 42 teeth.
- Tongue - Dogs have a pink tongue except for the
Chow Chow which has a blue-black colored tongue.
- Yorkshire Terriers - can grow hair up to 2
feet in length.
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Pet Owners - check these health benefits
Blood Pressure - Dr.
Karen Allen (State University of New York) found, from her study of stock
brokers, that pets could lower blood pressure.
Cholesterol - It has been found that pet
owners tend to have lower cholesterol on average.
Epilepsy - Seizure alert dogs have been
used to warm people of an imminent epileptic seizure. Some have been able to
detect the oncoming attach up to an hour beforehand.
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Dog
Trivia
Beatles' Song - It is said
that at the end of the song "A Day in the Life", Paul McCartney recorded a
sound, that only dogs could hear, for his Shetland Sheepdog.
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Canary Islands - Many people
think that the Canary Islands were named after the bird but they are
actually named after dogs (canines).
Lassie - Several male dogs played
the part of Lassie.
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Year of the Dog - Did you know that 2006 is the year
of the dog in the Chinese Calendar?
Keep posted for other interesting facts
about dogs and puppies. |