6 Facts You Never Knew About Dogs

How well do you think you know dogs?
​
You might know that dogs shouldn’t eat chocolate. Or that they don’t actually like being hugged. Or even that their noses are 50 times stronger than those of humans. And, while you might know your own dog like the back of your hand, we’ll bet you never knew these facts about dogs.

1. Dogs are crepuscular

No that’s not a typo and yes, it is English. Crepuscular refers to twilight and is an external cycle for a dog’s biological rhythm. Think of it as their circadian rhythm. It means dogs are most active just before sunrise and just after sunset. If you just got a sudden sense of dread about having to walk your dog right before sunrise, don’t fret. Lucky for us, dogs are able to adapt to our schedules with some practice.

How to use this knowledge:

Knowing that dogs are crepuscular can help you maximize those bursts of energy during twilight hours. For example, you can feed your dog through a puzzle toy soon after he wakes up. And, in the evening, you can use the twilight time after sunset to work on training (stick to five minutes or so!).

Using these times to maximize their brain activity means they’ll be more alert and better able to learn, making these events more productive. 

2. Dogs should sleep a lot more than you think

On the note of daily rhythms, you’ve probably noticed your dog gets plenty of shuteye. They sleep alongside you at night, after breakfast, after their walk, and in the afternoon. No, your dog isn’t lazy. This is all by design.

Most adult dog breeds should get a whopping 12 to 14 hours of sleep every single day. For growing puppies, they should get an incredible 18 to 20 hours of sleep each day.

While their hours of sleep are a-plenty, they’re not in REM that entire time. In fact, only about 10% of their sleeping hours achieve REM. As a result, they get to sleep when and however they can, meaning short cat naps throughout the day. So, it’s good to let sleeping dogs lie. That said, if you notice your dog is a bit lethargic or there are sudden changes in their sleep schedule, it’d be good to get a vet visit in to rule out any underlying health issues.

How to use this knowledge:

Let them sleep! Make sure to offer plenty of time and space for your dog to rest and recover. And yes, this means not petting your pup while they're resting. Imagine a “do not disturb” sign dangling above their head.

3. Dogs have superhuman smelling strength

Any time we humans feel an emotion such as sad or fearful or mad, we release hormones (like adrenaline and cortisol). Dogs, incredibly, use their 300 million olfactory receptors to pick up on these chemical changes. As your emotions shift, you may notice your dog responding to these changes with a head tilt, agitation, or even vocally.

​Beyond emotions, dogs are also capable of detecting the onset of narcoleptic attacks, blood sugar levels, and even allergic reactions. Sounds pretty cool, right?

How to use this knowledge:

What’s even cooler is that you can train your dog in scent detection to pick up on these scents and alert you. You can search for scent work courses in your area and even compete.

4. Dogs can't learn when afraid

This one is actually true for humans, too. When a dog is scared, it triggers a series of events inside the brain, starting with the amygdala. As their breathing, blood flow to muscles, blood pressure, and blood sugar increase, their pupils dilate, their appetite is suppressed, and their senses heighten. But what also happens is a reduction in cognitive ability, or at least partially.

While all these events are happening inside your dog, his concentration takes a dip. Simultaneously, he has less control over his impulses and experiences a lower threshold level. All of this is to say that learning ain’t happening while all of this is going on. Your dog will be far too occupied on how to reduce the threat to remember that “sit” means bum on the floor.

How to use this knowledge:
Technically, not all learning is off the table when a dog is afraid. A dog can, in fact, continue to learn when scared if the learning contributes to mitigating the fear. This means your dog could cope by hiding behind your legs, growling, or trying to run away. This behavior may become a learned response to the fearful stimulus. As such, this is why it’s so important to make sure you have a calm and positive environment when it’s time for your dog to learn and train.

5. Anything can be a reward for a dog

This one is pretty cool. Essentially, you can make anything a reward for your dog. For most of us, it’s saying “whosagoodboy!” in a high-pitched voice. And we all know that treats are loved by many dogs. 

While treats are tasty, using certain words and petting your dog are actually learned rewards. They aren’t inherently understood to be great. We teach our dogs that we say these things and do these things and they are good. Rather than the object or action, it's the association that helps categorize these things as good things.

How to use this knowledge:

This can certainly make things interesting; you can try to incorporate new things into your rewards vault. For example, you can use a certain type of scratches to be dished out after recall. For my dog, it’s the spot just above his tail.
​
Ultimately, while you can experiment with new rewards, it’s important to note that the dog is the one who will decide what is a reward and what isn’t. Even if you present something you deem as great and pair it with positive affirmations in a high-pitched voice, your dog might not even bat an eye. And that’s okay! Keep experimenting.

6. Anything can be aversive for a dog

In the same vein, anything can also be aversive according to your dog. Just like anything can be a reward through association and context, certain objects, sounds, people, actions, or even words can be aversive for a dog.

For example, you may notice your dog gives you some push-back when you put his harness on before a walk. It’s puzzling because he loves walks, so why does he struggle with putting on his harness? It could be a variety of things, but it could be that the harness doesn’t fit properly and pinches him. The dog has developed an aversion to wearing the harness, even if he may put up with it so he can enjoy his favorite activity: a walk.

Or, some of you may have experienced your dog stopping mid-walk to stare at and possibly growl or bark at a passing dog. Perhaps you've jerked the leash to encourage your dog to move away with you and it worked. Unfortunately, leash jerking is often unpleasant at best and, with enough of the same experiences, can associate the pain of a jerked leash with the sight of another dog, thus making your dog link pain to other dogs and furthering reactivity.

How to use this knowledge:
​
Be mindful of your dog’s reaction to certain stimuli. If you see your dog present signs of fear or stress, consider abandoning the object that's causing it. In some cases, it might be your voice or actions that cause fear or stress. It’s never too late to adjust your dog’s environment; it’s just about taking the time to understand.

---

It’s clear that dogs are truly wondrous creatures that bring so much joy to our lives. With modern and advanced research, we’re still learning about them every single day. Do you have any interesting facts about dogs to share? Comment below and let us know!