Here are 20 interesting facts about your dog that you probably do not know:

1. Your dog is capable of understanding up to 250 words and gestures.

The average dog is as intelligent as a 2-year-old child and can also count up to 5.

2. The wetness of your dog’s nose is essential to know where the smell is coming from.

The mucous that comes out absorbs the smell and they then lick their noses. As disgusting as it may sound, it is necessary for them so as to acquire the taste of the smell.

3. When it is dark, your dog’s whiskers help him to see.

No, this is not like night vision goggles, but whiskers can sense the slightest change in air currents that can warn your dog about approaching dangers or prey.

4. And they do have a special membrane that helps them see better than we do at night.

The membrane is called tapetum lucidum. It is also the reason for their eyes shining when exposed to light.

5. It is a myth that dogs are colour blind.

Though they can’t see colours as vividly as humans do, they can differentiate between certain shades.

6. Dogs only sweat through their paw pads.

It can be a good idea to keep their paws wet during the summer season.

7. Your dog does not enjoy being hugged so stop smothering him.

The limb over limb makes them think that it is an act of dominance. He may act as though he is happy but inside he may be cursing you.

8. Your dog dreams just as much as you do.

This isn’t like they also have aspirations of going to college but this refers to normal dreams. They experience REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and you can notice their paws moving and twitching, which means they are pretty much in dreamland.

9. If there is change in the weather your dog can sense it.

You can keep your umbrellas handy for the times when your dog starts acting inexplicably funny, you know something is wrong with the universe.

10. Watch what you’re cooking as your dog’s sense of smell is likely to be 10,000 to 1,00,000 times better than yours.

So when you smell something nice in the kitchen, he is already smelling something nice in the neighbour’s kitchen.

11. Ever wondered why they love eating so much? It is because they have 1,700 taste buds.

Although it is less than what we have, but compared to their feline counterparts, who have 493, dogs can enjoy a fairly yummy meal.

12. You should not feed your dog chocolates.

Chocolates may speak the language of love but to a dog, it can be poisonous. And come on, he doesn’t care if it is chocolate or not, he can eat plastic if he wants. So you don’t have to give sweets to keep your dog happy. A bone would do.

13. Your dog’s ear alone can be very expressive.

Most of us can’t even move our ears but dogs have more than a dozen separate muscles to control their ear movements.

14. They don’t curl up just to look cute.

Evolution has taught them to curl up and sleep so as to protect their abdomen and vital organs from predators. But it’s okay to go all ‘aww’ over it.

15. Next time you stick your hand in his mouth, remember he can exert a pressure of about 300 pounds per square inch.

The pressure is different from breed to breed. Some can exert a pressure of 450 pounds per square inch.

16. And they have 10 more teeth than we do.

An average dog has 42 teeth and we have only 32.

17. Your dog can be trained to detect epileptic seizure.

They may not be able to call an ambulance but they can certainly raise an alarm.

18. If you have a one year old pup, he is as physically mature as a 15 year old human.

They act like irresponsible teenagers too at times.

19. They can hear 4 times better than you do.

Humans detect a frequency range of 64 to 23,000 hertz whereas dogs can detect 67 to 43,000.

20. They can even smell your feelings.

The changes in our smell helps them detect how we feel. Like when we sweat, they know we are nervous or scared and act accordingly.