
How much do you really know about dogs? From the fastest dog to poop alignment, the truth is, dogs have some incredible talents. But did you know they can actually smell time passing? Yep, that’s right. Here are 15 amazing facts about dogs you probably didn’t know.
Dogs chat in more ways than just barking.

Dogs communicate with each other through vocalizing, barking, or growling. However, you may not know that they also talk to each other through body language—a raised or tucked tail, forward ears, or a tense stance can say a lot. You might even miss when they quietly plan something exciting between them.
Dogs see some colors, but not all of them.

Many people think dogs are colorblind, but that’s not true. While they don’t see the wide spectrum of colors humans do, they can still see some. Dogs’ retinas contain cones that let them see blue and yellow. And don’t feel too bad for them! Although their color range is limited, dogs have more rods in their retinas than we do, making them much better at seeing in the dark.
Their sniffing speed is off the charts!

A dog breathes in and out about 15-30 times per minute when sitting calmly, while the average human takes 12 to 20 breaths every minute. A dog’s breathing rate jumps to 31 times per minute when he’s walking. But when a dog is actively sniffing, that very same rate skyrockets up to 200 times per minute.
Dogs can be right or left-pawed.

Dogs can be right or left-pawed, just like people. A large-scale study led by Kirsty Laverack and her team from Lincoln University in the UK tested 17,901 dogs with a food retrieval task by placing a treat or piece of dog food in a tube and watching which paw they used to grab it. Turns out, 74 percent of the dogs had a clear paw preference, while the other 26 percent used both paws equally. Of those with a favorite, 58.3 percent were right-pawed, and 41.7 percent were lefties.
A Greyhound can outrun a cheetah.

You know Greyhounds are fast, but did you realize a Greyhound could beat a cheetah in a race? According to Psychology Today, Greyhounds are amazing long-distance runners, keeping up speeds of 35 miles per hour for up to 7 miles. Cheetahs are lightning-fast too, but they can only maintain that speed for about 200 to 300 yards. Even if they got a running start, a Greyhound would quickly leave a cheetah in the dust!
Dogs sweat in a unique way.

Dogs regulate their body heat by panting. On a hot day or after an energetic game of fetch, panting and finding a shaded spot helps your dog cool down. Dogs also sweat, but not like humans do. While you won’t need to help your dog wipe sweat off their brow, they do sweat through their paws.
Dogs kick backward after doing their business.

Does your dog kick backward after doing their business? Many people think this is their dog’s way of covering up their feces with grass, dirt, sand, or whatever else they’re standing on. But that’s not the case; dogs do this to mark their territory. While they often urinate to claim their space, “scrape behavior”—the backward kicking they do afterward—is an even longer-lasting way to leave their scent behind.
Three dogs made it through the Titanic disaster.

Did you know that three dogs made it through the sinking of the Titanic? Vetstreet says these pups were in first class, including a Pomeranian puppy that her owner wrapped in a blanket to escape, so everyone thought she was carrying a baby. Another Pomeranian and a Pekingese also got rescued. Make room, Rose and Jack!
Dogs can sense the Earth’s magnetic field.

In 2020, Czech researchers looked into how dogs find their way back from a hunting trip using a new route with a shortcut. They found that dogs can do this by tuning into the Earth’s magnetic field, which acts like a natural GPS for them. Other research hints that dogs also line up with the Earth’s magnetic field when they poop, which is one reason they take their time circling to find just the right spot.
Their taste buds are different from ours.

Several things taste different to dogs. For example, most artificial sweeteners taste bitter to them, which is why your dog turns their nose up at them. But there’s one artificial sweetener they might actually like—and it’s super dangerous for them. Xylitol (also called birch sugar) shows up in a lot of sugar-free gums, candies, and medicines, and it can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar in dogs, which can lead to liver damage and even death.
Your dog actually has three eyelids.

Many dog owners might not know this fascinating fact, but did you realize your four-legged friend has three eyelids? Look closely. They have their upper and lower eyelids, plus a third eyelid underneath called the nictitating membrane. This membrane serves a lot of purposes—including clearing the cornea of any particles and debris, producing tears, and acting as a lymph node to help fight off infections.
Newfoundlands are like furry lifeguards.

Newfoundland dogs are the ultimate doggy lifeguards thanks to their water-resistant coats and webbed feet. They can swim for remarkably long distances, even while pulling a would-be drowning victim to safety. This makes sense, considering Newfoundlands were originally bred as working dogs for fishermen and were trusted to rescue people from drowning.
A Bloodhound’s nose can even help solve crimes.

How’s this for some fascinating dog breed information? A trained Bloodhound’s sense of smell is so spot-on that it can actually be used as evidence in court. Yes, you read that right. Maybe it’s because Bloodhounds can follow tracks over 300 hours old and stick to a scent trail for more than 130 miles.
Dogs can literally smell how time passes.

According to researcher and famous author Alexandra Horowitz, “Dogs smell time.” Thanks to their super-sensitive noses—dogs can pick up on how odors change as time goes by. They perceive time as a mix of scents, blending both new (stronger) and old (weaker) smells. This unique ability lets them understand their surroundings in a totally different way.
Some Dalmatians have hearing issues in one ear.

Universities Federation for Animal Welfare says that, on average, about 30 percent of Dalmatians are deaf in one ear, and around 5 percent can’t hear out of both. This is because of the extreme piebald gene—which gives them their white coat and sometimes those striking blue eyes. But Dalmatians with more dark patches on their fur are less likely to be deaf.