11 Dog Myths You Don't Believe

Myth 1. Dogs see the world in black and white

It is believed that dogs are not able to distinguish colors. But it's not. These animals seeD. Alderton. The Dog: The Most Complete, Illustrated Practical Guide to Dogs and Their World. the world is predominantly in shades of yellow, blue and gray and at the same time they are not able to distinguish between red and green.

The color perception of dogs is different from human, but they definitely have it.

A red object appears yellow to a dog, while a green object is seen as white with a tint of grey. Experts from the University of Wisconsin in the USA amounted toCanine Vision / Dr. P's Dog Training here is such a visual scheme to compare the canine world and the human one.

In addition, dogs possessS. Coren. How Dogs Think: Understanding the Canine Mind good night vision and can pick up magnetic fields with their eyes. But in general, their eyesight is inferior to that of humans, and they rely more on their sense of smell and hearing.

Myth 2. The bigger the dog, the longer it lives

This statement is not true. On the contrary, small dogs live quite for a long timeWhy Do Small Dogs Live Longer Than Large Dogs? /AKC. Chihuahua - more 12 yearsChihuahua: Temperament, Lifespan, Grooming, Training / Petplan, sometimes reaching up to 20, dachshunds - more 13 years oldDachshund: Temperament, Lifespan, Grooming, Training / Petplan.

But large breeds, on the contrary, have less time on average. Rottweiler lives1. Rottweiler: Temperament, Training, Grooming, Nutrition / Petplan, 2. St. Bernard Lifespan / How Long Do Saint Bernards Live 8-10 years old, like St. Bernard. And the mastiff 6–12 years oldHow long do Mastiffs live? What is a Mastiff's lifespan? /spiritdogtraining.com. So there is an inverse relationship.

Myth 3. Dry dog ​​nose indicates illness

It is widely believed that a healthy dog's nose is cold and wet, while that of an ill dog is hot and dry. But it is not always the case.

The temperature and humidity of the nose in dogs is constantly fluctuatesIs a Dog's Hot Nose a Sign of Illness? /WebMD and depends on physical activity, time of day, environment and other factors less understood by science.

A dog with a dry, warm nose may simply be dehydrated after playing in the sun for a long time. And a seriously ill pet may beIs a Dog's Hot Nose a Sign of Illness? /WebMD wet cold skin. Or even wetter than usual, due to nasal mucus.

Define the same disease dogs are more likely to help symptoms such as lack of appetite and restless behavior.

Myth 4. Dogs eat grass to cleanse their bodies.

A popular myth is that dogs, when they feel unwell, eat certain plants to cure their illness. Some even believe that they thus induce vomiting in themselves when they have eaten something wrong and want to clear their stomach. Actually it is not.

Veterinarians believe that these animals are not smart enough to understand such things. Dogs, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings.

In addition, after eating grass be sickWhy Dogs Eat Grass: Causes and Prevention / WebMD only about 25% of dogs, so it's unlikely that this is the case.

Periodically, dogs really try to get useful minerals from plants, which they lack. Also, dogs sometimes compensate for the lack of fiber in the diet in this way. Therefore, if your pet constantly encroaches on the lawn, you should balance his diet.

But with the same success, dogs can eat grass just like that, out of boredom - especially young dogs. Try to give your dog vitamins and minerals and do not let her eat vegetation: firstly, she can be poisoned by pesticides, and secondly, pick up the eggs of various parasites.

Myth 5. Dogs love hugs

Not always. Hugs are common gestureWhy Dogs Don't Like to Be Hugged / TreeHugger love and friendship in humans, as in most monkeys. But dogs do not have such habits: they are more specialized in tail movements and sniffing. And hugging is interpreted as your attempt to dominate them. Such powerful physical contact shows them that you are the leader in the pack.

Therefore, it often happens that an extremely friendly dog ​​begins to break loose and get nervous during hugs. It seems to him that you are striving to strengthen your power, even beyond what is necessary.

This is fine. Dogs are just used to expressing their sympathy in a different way.

So it's better to show attachment in other ways. If a want toThe Data Says "Don't Hug the Dog!" / Psychology Today to cheer up the dog, stroke or pat him on the back with short movements, give him something tasty or talk to him affectionately - these actions are much clearer to him.

Myth 6. When a dog wags its tail, it is happy

It is not always so. Tail wagging often denotes joy and an attempt to make friends, but can also demonstrateWhat a Wagging Dog Tail Really Means: New Scientific Data / Psychology Today opposite feelings: fear, uncertainty, challenge. Or even a warning that the animal intends bite suspicious stranger.

In different breeds, by the way, tail movements in the same situations can be completely different, so everything is individual here.

The only more or less common feature for all dogs is connectionSeeing Left- or Right‑Asymmetric Tail Wagging Produces Different Emotional Responses in Dogs: Current Biology / Current Biology emotions with the direction of movement of the tail. When the beast feels something negative, it wags it with a bias to the left, and when it is pleased, to the right.

Scientists believe this has something to do with the asymmetry of the nervous system that mammals have.

Myth 7. Any bones can be given to a dog

In fact, many veterinarians believe that such a "delicacy" can injure the dog's stomach. Therefore, in order not to take risks, you should not give bones to the beast at all - it is better to buy him a special toy for training his jaws.

If you have a really large pet, you can suggestCan Dogs Eat Bones? Raw & Cooked Bones for Dogs / PetMD him bones, but only large and raw, without any processing. The rules are: the treat should be the size of your dog's head, and after 10-15 minutes you need to take it away so that the animal is not injured.

In no case it is forbiddenCan Dogs Eat Bones? Raw & Cooked Bones for Dogs / PetMD give the dog boiled, smoked or otherwise processed bones: they are fragile, easily crushed and can injure the pet with sharp fragments.

Myth 8. Dog saliva is sterile

At least that's what some people who allow pets sometimes say. lick face and even kiss with them. At the same time, they say that the dog's mouth is much cleaner than the human mouth, and you can even let the dog lick his own cut to heal faster.

This is monstrous stupidity. Humans, unlike dogs, do not pick things up with their mouths and brush their teeth periodically. So to say that these animals are cleaner is incorrect.

From dogs, you can easily pick up salmonellosis or intestinal parasites. And kissing with a pet, and even more so, letting him lick his wounds is very imprudentIs a Dog's Mouth Cleaner Than a Human's Mouth? /AKC. Drooling in dogs does not have any special healing effects and can only harm the cut, so after operations, veterinarians put collars on pets that do not allow them to lick themselves.

Myth 9. If your dog is whining in his sleep, wake him up.

There is no clear answer to the question of whether dogs dream, but most likely they are able to dream. So they have nightmares too. From this, some dog owners conclude that a pet that is twitching and whining in a dream must be awakened so that it does not have emotional trauma. But this is absolutely not true.

When the dog is sleeping, disturb him no needWhy You Shouldn't Wake a Sleeping Dog / Southern Livingeven if he whines. There is reason to believe that nightmares are beneficial in general, because they allow the brain to process the accumulated experiences of the day and learn from them. If the dog needs to be awakened by all means, do not touch it, but call its name several times.

And yes, do not take your pets to bed with you at night, let them lie separately from you. For example, next to the floor. The fact is that animals that sleep with their owners often there areWATCH: Here's Why You Shouldn't Sleep with Your Dog, According to Latest Study / Southern Living sleep disorders, because the daily rhythms they have with people are different. Dogs restWhy You Shouldn't Wake a Sleeping Dog / Southern Living an average of 16 hours a day, and with your tenderness you tritely prevent them from getting enough sleep.

Myth 10. A year for a human equals seven years for a dog.

There is an old myth on the Internet that you can compare the age of a pet and its owner using the formula “one human year is equal to seven dog years”. That is, if the dog is four years old, it means that he has reached 28 years old by human standards - his whole life is ahead. And a ten-year-old dog by these standards is already seventy - consider it already quite old.

But in fact, this method of calculation does not have no scientific basis behind it. Some dogs, for example, live for 20 years. And if the year goes beyond seven, then it must be 140. And this is too much even for the most persistent human centenarians.

Many puppies have pubertystartsSexual Maturity In Puppies: What Puppy Owners Should Know & Expect / American Kennel Club in the period of six months - and they can no longer be compared with children of three and a half years.

Also, as we mentioned above, different breeds have different life spans. And this also points to the inconsistency of such calculations.

Myth 11. Dogs don't see the picture on TV

It depends on when the TV was released.

As we mentioned above, the eyesight of dogs is inferior to that of a human. We need only 20 consecutive images per second to perceive movement. Dogs requiredDo Dogs Understand What They Are Seeing on Television? | Psychology Today more - about 70. So the old pot-bellied telly with a refresh rate of 60 Hz seems to them just a source of flickering interference.

But on modern dog monitors, the images are excellent perceiveDog spots the dog: Dogs recognize the dog species among several other species on a computer screen / ScienceDaily, although, of course, not in those colors that people. Dogs even recognize other dogs in pictures and try to get to know them. But, realizing that the beast on TV is not inclined to answer them, they quickly lose interest in him.

In addition, dogs don't recognizeDo Dogs Understand What They Are Seeing on Television? | Psychology Today animated animals: they lack the abstract thinking to understand that Goofy is a dog and Mickey Mouse is a mouse. The movements of cartoon characters are not realistic enough to evoke associations with real animals in real animals.