15 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Dog

How well do you really know your dog? From the fastest runners to their poop placement, dogs have some seriously cool abilities. But did you know they can actually smell time passing? Yep, it’s true. Here are 15 amazing things about your dog you probably didn’t know!

Your dog talks in more ways than barking.

Dogs don’t just bark or growl to communicate with each other—they’ve got a whole body language thing going on, too. A raised or tucked tail, ears forward, or a stiff stance can say a lot about what they’re feeling. And sometimes, they even have these quiet little “conversations” where they plan something exciting, and you might miss it if you’re not paying close attention.

Your dog can see some colors.

You might think your dog is colorblind, but that’s actually not the case. They don’t see all the colors we do, but they can still see some. Dogs have cones in their retinas that help them spot blue and yellow. And don’t feel bad for them—while their color range is smaller, dogs actually have more rods in their eyes than we do, so they’re way better at seeing in low light.

Your dog has a favorite paw.

Just like people, your dog can be right or left-pawed! A big study at Lincoln University in the UK tested 17,901 dogs with a simple task: they placed a treat in a tube and watched which paw the dogs used to grab it. Turns out, 74% of dogs had a clear paw preference, while the other 26% used both paws equally. Of the dogs with a favorite, 58.3% were right-pawed, and 41.7% were lefties.

Your dog’s sense of smell is way stronger than yours.

A dog’s sense of smell is at least 40 times stronger than ours. You probably know dogs have an amazing sense of smell, but just how mind-blowing it is might surprise you. Dogs have 300 million scent receptors, while humans only have about 5 million. Now you can see why dogs are used to sniff out criminals and illegal substances.

Your dog dreams, too!

Your dog doesn’t just sleep soundly—they dream, too! If you’ve ever seen your dog twitching, moving their paws, or even making little noises while they snooze, they’re probably dreaming about chasing squirrels, playing with you, or just running around. Dogs go through REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which is the same stage we hit when we’re dreaming.

Your dog sweats in their own way.

Dogs keep their body temperature in check by panting. On a hot day or after a fun game of fetch, panting and finding a shady spot helps them cool off. Dogs do sweat, too, but not in the same way we do. While you won’t need to grab a towel to wipe sweat off their forehead, they do sweat through their paws.

Your dog can sniff way faster than you.

A dog breathes around 20-30 times per minute when they’re just chilling, while humans usually take about 12 to 20 breaths per minute. When your dog’s out for a walk, their breathing picks up to about 31 times a minute. But when they’re sniffing around, that number can shoot up to 200 breaths per minute!

Your dog kicks back after doing the business.

Does your dog kick backward after they’ve done their business? A lot of people think it’s their way of covering up their poop with grass, dirt, or whatever they’re standing on. But that’s actually not it. Dogs do this to mark their territory. While they’ll pee to claim their space, the “scrape behavior”—that backward kicking—actually leaves a longer-lasting scent to let other dogs know they’ve been there.

Your dog’s paw prints are like fingerprints.

Your dog’s paw prints are as unique as your fingerprints. Those cool patterns on their paw pads are one-of-a-kind, and no two dogs have the same ones. If you ever need to identify your dog, those little paw prints could actually help. In fact, some police departments have used paw prints to track down missing dogs, especially during rescue missions.

Your dog hears things we can’t.

Dogs can hear sounds at frequencies up to 65,000 Hz, while we humans can only catch sounds up to 20,000 Hz. That means dogs can listen to high-pitched stuff, like a whistle, that we can’t even pick up. It’s also why your pup might get super excited or a little agitated when they hear certain high-pitched noises, like sirens or squeaky toys.

Your dog tastes things differently.

Some things taste different to dogs. Most artificial sweeteners taste super bitter to them, which is why your dog might totally avoid them. But there’s one sweetener they might like—and it’s super dangerous for them. Xylitol (or birch sugar) can make their blood sugar drop fast, which can mess up their liver and even kill them.

Your dog has three eyelids.

A lot of dog owners might not know this cool fact, but did you know your dog has three eyelids? If you look closely, they’ve got the regular top and bottom eyelids, plus a third one underneath called the nictitating membrane. This little membrane does a bunch of stuff—including cleaning the cornea from debris, making tears, and even acting like a lymph node to help fight off infections.

Your dog can smell time passing.

As researcher and author Alexandra Horowitz puts it, “Dogs smell time.” Dogs can sense how smells change over time with their insanely sensitive noses. They basically experience time as a mix of scents—newer, stronger smells and older, fainter ones. This cool ability lets them take in their surroundings in a totally unique way.

Your dog can tell which way you’re going by your scent.

Your pup can figure out which way a human scent trail is going, even if they come across it from a right angle—or if the person’s walking backward. Studies show that their sense of smell is so sharp that they can pick up on the change in scent strength within just five steps (but not three) of where the trail started.

Some foods are toxic for your dog.

Xylitol is at the top of the list—it doesn’t take much to be deadly for dogs. But chocolate’s also super dangerous—the darker it is, the worse, though a tiny bit probably won’t send your big dog to the vet. The same goes for onions and, to a lesser extent, garlic. Both can make a dog’s red blood cells burst and if they eat enough, it could actually kill them.