Cold Nose Facts

Dogs are truly amazing creatures! Here are a few anatomy and health facts about our four-legged friends that might surprise you:

• Sweat glands in dogs are between their paw pads.

• Dogs are left or right ‘handed,’ just as humans are.

• A dog's normal body temperature is between 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Dogs trained to guide the blind cannot tell a red light from a green one. They watch the traffic flow to tell when it is safe to cross.

• One of the top canine health problems in the U.S. is overweight dogs.

• Dogs instinctively turn around before they lay down because in the wild this action turns long grass into a bed.

• The gestation period in a pregnant female dog is normally between 61 and 63 days, but can vary between 58 and 68 days.

• Dogs have twice as many muscles for moving their ears as humans.

• Puppies have 28 teeth, while adult dogs have 42 permanent teeth.

• A dog's heart beats 70 to 120 times per minute, while a human heart beats 70 to 80 times per minute.

• The hearing range of a dog is ten times farther than a human’s hearing range.

• Dogs share nearly 90% of the same genetic content that humans do and they inherit many of the same diseases.

• Dogs do not have an appendix or a collarbone.

• A dog's nose has over 200 scent receiving cells, 44 times more than humans.

• Dogs don’t see the colors that humans do but instead see muted colors and many shades of gray.

• Most dogs are lactose intolerant.

• The Bloodhound is the only animal whose (sniffing) evidence is admissible in an American Court of Law.

• A dog's nose is kept moist by fluid from a gland inside his nose. This moisture helps them detect odors.

• Dogs and humans are the only animals with prostates.

• The average dog's mouth exerts 150 to 180 pounds of pressure per square inch. Some dogs can apply up to 450 pounds. In comparison, a six-foot alligator exerts a force of about 1,540 pounds between its jaws.  (Hint: Don’t let your dog chase alligators!)