Dogs

Dogs are a best friend that always has our backs. And do you ever feel like your dog just understands you? It turns out that humans and dogs both respond to emotional sounds. When your dog hears you crying or laughing, the response in their brain is similar to that of a human’s. In fact, they interpret your crying as another dog whining.

Did you know that dogs often curl up into a ball when sleeping to conserve body hear and protect their most vulnerable organs in the abdomen from predators? Leaving them some clothes that smell like their owner will actually help them with separation anxiety. While you may think you have the smartest dog, animal psychologists believe that most dogs are about as smart as a 2 year old human. Dogs can understand more than 150 words, count up to 5 and notice simple errors such as 1+1=3. Dogs are also capable of solving spatial problems. For example, they learn the location of hidden treats, find the fastest route to the park and operate mechanisms such as latches.

Unlike the 3 specialized receptors in our eyes to distinguish colours, dogs only have 2. Because of this, they see black, white, blue and yellow. Meanwhile, their brains do not interpret red and green, but instead see grey. There are many types of dogs in the world but one of the few intelligent dog breeds are Border Collies, poodles and German shepherds. However, these are measures of intelligence that compare to our own. Dogs are amazingly smart in other ways. Some of you might have probably heard of drug sniffing dogs, but did you know that dogs can sense seizures, detect low blood sugar and can sniff out cancer? In one study, dogs were able to identify 30 of 33 cases of prostate cancer by smelling participant’s urine. Their sense of smell is 10,000 to 10,000,000 times more sensitive than humans depending on the breed. A secreted fluid from their nose helps them smell by capturing scent chemicals in a thin layer of wet mucous on their nose.

On top of it all, humans really do love dogs. They help us decrease stress and anxiety and it is clear why they have become such an important part of our lives.