Dogs are a man’s best friend and whilst there is now a lot of competition for our affections in the form of cats, dogs seem to hold a special place in our hearts. Perhaps it’s something to do with the fact that they’re pack animals. In a very real sense when you own a dog you are playing the role of pack leader.Dogs are, of course, extremely interesting animals and even though we’ve got a long history together there are still aspects of their life and behavior that are very mysterious.
With this in mind, here are five of the many hundreds of interesting facts about dogs:
Smaller dogs will tend to mature faster than larger animals. In fact there can be significant physiological differences between different kinds of dogs. The most obvious example of this is the differences in size, which can be extreme. With this in mind, you can get specialist pet foods that are adapted for specific kinds, e.g. Sizes, of dogs.
Did you know that humans and dogs are linked in a very special way? All the different breeds that you see around the world, when we’re talking about domestic dogs, are the product of years and years of selective breeding. Humans have domesticated and breeding dogs for around 12000 years, which seems a long time but are negligible on an evolutionary scale.
However, despite the above you can still recognize the wild heritage of canines in their behavior. Wolves of course are pack animals, and many dogs still crave this kind of social interaction and even the hierarchy. As we’ve mentioned they will tend to see their own as the pack leader or alpha male.Dogs and humans are indeed complimentary species. Another example is perhaps the fact that the first ever living being in space was a dog, Laika, 1957. Of course all the technology associated with this sojourn was man-made but it says everything that mankind trusted a dog to make this first intrepid journey.
It’s not all good news. Certain kinds of dog are more susceptible to health problems than others. All dogs are very vulnerable to arthritis, a condition that affects humans too. Certain breeds such as Dalmatians, for example, may suffer problems with their eyes.Whilst there is a lot that we can say about dogs as a whole, it’s important to recognize the fact each dog is an individual animal with its own particular personality and way of behaving. Some dogs are very effective and crave exercise, whereas others might be more sedentary and require a little more encouragement.
Thankfully, dog care is a little easier than it’s ever been thanks to the advent of the internet. Not only is it easier to research various aspects of dog care but you can find lots of products like animal feed too.
