Well folks, we have already completed 100 Wild Facts! I want to thank all of you for supporting this project and I hope you will all stay with me as we reach our goal of 1000 Wild Facts! As well, I hope to see this site evolve and become even better as we get to the last Fact. With that said, if you have any comments or suggestions then please let me know. You can contact me either in the comment thread or by the contact form on the menu bar. To celebrate the 100 Wild Facts I decided to complete a fact on an animal we should all be familiar with.
That’s right, today I wanted to shed some light on a few of the interesting behaviours of man’s best friend, the dog. Have you ever wondered why your frightened dog puts its tail between its legs? How about why your dog pants a lot more than we do? If you want to know some interesting facts about dogs then I suggest you continue reading.
Why does a frightened dog put its tail between its legs?
I am sure we have all witnessed this behaviour with our beloved pets but have you ever stopped to think why Fido is doing this? First you need to realize that dogs have anal scent glands which display a lot of information about themselves, such as sex, age, social status, etc. This is why you will see dogs sniffing each other’s behinds. When a dog is scared it will try to hide this information from other dogs by using its tail. I guess it would be like us hiding our face when Freddy Krueger is about to jump out from behind the house.
Why do dogs pant so much?
You will often notice your dog panting on hot days or after a lot of exercise. They need to do this to help them cool down. Unlike humans, dogs can’t control their heat by sweating since they have a limited number of sweat glands. Panting will cause evaporation in the mouth and throat which brings in cool air. Since so much blood is flowing around the head of the dog this will actually cause the blood to cool and eventually allows the dog to cool down.
Why do dogs wag their tails?
Most people believe that dogs wag their tails because they are happy. This may be true but it isn’t quite this simple. Tail wagging is a form of communication which is proven by the fact that dogs don’t wag their tails when they are alone. Dogs may use their tails to communicate happiness, fear, aggression, submission or dominance. As well, some have suggested that wagging the tail is a way to disperse their personal information. Remember those anal scent glands we talked about? Well, when the dog wags its tail the muscles around these glands will contract causing the pheromones to be released.
Why do dogs turn around before lying down?
There are a couple of potential answers to this question, however, both are based on instincts and evolutionary behaviour. The first theory suggests that dogs exhibit this behaviour since their ancestors use to travel in packs (i.e. wolves) . When a pack of animals lie down they form a tight circle in order to take advantage of their neighbours heat. Your dog may be instinctively carrying out this behaviour. The other theory is that in the wild they would turn around to trample down long grasses and make a comfortable bedding area. Either way, your dog is exhibiting traits that have been passed down thousands of years.
Dog Fast Fact: When your family dog growls and barks while your kids are rough-housing, which my mother always told us to take it outside, they aren’t actually upset. Believe it or not they just want to be a part of the fun! Your dog is just a childish as your kids and enjoy messing around. So I guess when you ground your kids after they break your best vase then you should also ground your favourite dog!
I hope you all enjoyed our 100th Wild Fact dedicated to Man’s Best Friend!
Have a great day!
Interesting comments about dogs…some of which were completely new to me.
Glad you enjoyed the information!
Congratulations on your 100th wild fact. Boy how time flies. You have been doing an excellent job.
If you can’t get people commenting over those cute puppies I don’t know what will since they are adorable.
Have a great day!
You saw right thru my ploy of putting cute puppies on today’s post.
I am glad you have enjoyed the last 100 Facts. There will be plenty more to come!
What cute puppies. And great info about the doggies. And also congratulations on your 100th wild fact. They are all great posts.
Thanks!
The puppies are definitely cute!
WOW! 100 seemed so far away when you started your blog – Congratulations Nathan and thank you for taking the time to help others to understand and appreciate wildlife.
Great 100th post. I have one behavior to ask you about – is there some deep seeded reason why dogs lick people?
(The pictures you found are so adorable.)
On to the next 100…keep up the good work!
Thanks for the kind words!
So you would like to know why dogs lick people! Well, this is another form of communication. Licking people shows affection, respect and submission. Licking is usually a good thing. You may notice that your dog will lick visitors as this lets them know that they are okay and are welcomed in the dog’s home.
I hope this answers your question.
Cute photo, congrats on the 100th; my question is why do dogs bark so much? Several here in he neighborhood are way way beyond obnoxious with how much, and how long they bark.
Thanks Sandy!
That is a great question and normally I would say that the dogs are barking as a form of communication. Some researchers believe that barking is a result of conflict. For example the dog feels threatened and wants to run but knows it has to stay and stand its ground. Your dogs ancestors use to be pack animals and would all gather around to bark in order to scare away a threat. This may explain why several dogs in your neighbourhood bark at the same time. You may live in a busy neighbourhood so these dogs are put in to more conflicting situations.
If you would like more information on this theory then please follow this link or just ask me some more questions.
The link is: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714210137.htm
Thanks for such a great question!
Even all the genetic diluting my dog has gone through over the generations and she STILL circles her spot before laying down. By why, WHY!, does she always have to sleep on my legs instead of my husband’s? 😉
PS My niece is in school for habitat biology as well…Unity College in Maine.
That is a really great question, Amy. My guess is it has to do with dominance and pack mentality. I am just not 100% sure what the relationship would be. If I had to guess I would say the dog sees you as the pack leader and by your dog sleeping with you is showing their submission and contentment. As well, the pack leader usually has the most comfortable spot in the house so maybe it is just that simple.
Thanks for the great question and don’t be shy to ask more.
I adore the first pic, pups look so cute and oh so fluffy! 🙂
I thought the first picture was priceless! Puppies are always cute though!
First of all, congratulations on reaching post #100. At my pace, I’ll have to live longer than Methusaleh to match that feat. Dogs are wondrous creatures, poet Paul Valery called the dog “the god of frolic.” And when you grow up with one from the age of 3, as I did, you really feel that way. I’ve always wondered why dogs sniff each other’s butts, and what’s more relevant, why we don’t? It seems like such a friendly thing to do and a wonderful way to break the ice. Well, now I know the answer to both questions, though I still think we humans could gain a lot from emulating this practice.
Thanks for the nice words!
hahaha! I think you should try sniffing someone’s behind! We just need one person to start the trend, although you may end up in trouble so you have to be careful. Not everyone will understand that you are just trying to get some information about them.
Thanks for stopping by and making me laugh!
I knew the one about the panting, but not the others. You are doing an amazing job and I’ve learned so many things from you! Keep up the good work Nathan!
P.S. That Coffinfish looks really weird, like it’s dead or something.
Have a great day!
Thanks Anml_lvr! I am happy to hear that you are enjoying Wild Facts and are actually learning things!
Unfortunately, the coffinfish may actually be dead. As I mentioned, we don’t see them too often so I was not able to find a good picture of the little creepy, walking fish!
Well congrats. You’ve reached the 100th – the rest will be a breeze! Right?
Thanks Agagpelife!
hahaha! I am sure it will be easy from here on out! 🙂
@Animl – That’s why is called the coffin fish! It is ready to be in a coffin!
hahahahaha! This made me laugh! A very good point! Pretty clever, Agapelife!