Who is stronger, cat or dog? Cat attacks dog
Who is smarter - cats or dogs? Depends on what you mean by that. Intelligence is a completely subjective concept: what seems extremely reasonable to one person is a manifestation of stupidity for another. In relation to domestic animals, each person speaking about intelligence means something different. For one person, the manifestation of a pet's intelligence lies in the animal's habits, for another - in absolute obedience, brought to the point of automatism, and for a third, it is enough that the pet knows how to use the toilet and knows where the bowl of water is.
Therefore, each person has his own answer to the question of who is smarter than a cat or a dog. These pets are completely different, and for some people cats are smarter, while for others dogs are smarter.
What do scientists say?
In 2017, a study of interest to all pet owners was published in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy. Its essence is that scientists compared the brains of a cat and a dog as an organ, without taking into account the habits and other qualities that are components of intelligence.
Only the number of neurons was compared. And here’s what it turned out: in a dog’s brain there are about 530 million neurons, and in a cat’s brain there are much fewer, only 250 million. If we compare it with the human brain, then there are about 16 billion neuron cells functioning in it.
Accordingly, if we consider intelligence based on the qualities of the brain as an organ, we can come to the conclusion that dogs smarter than cats.
What are neurons?
A neuron is a cell, thanks to which everyone living on earth is capable of complex mental actions: thought process, analysis, thinking, learning, planning and others. That is, the presence neural connections is a sign of the presence of intelligence, without them thinking is impossible.
The fewer active neuron cells in the brain, the weaker the mental abilities. With a very small volume of neurons, the activity of the central nervous system comes down to reflexes and provision internal processes in organism.
Does brain size matter?
Paradoxically, the weight and volume of the brain as a whole does not affect intelligence in any way. A big brain doesn't make you smarter. For example, the cerebral cortex of such a fundamentally intelligent animal as a brown bear is 10 times heavier and larger in volume than that of a cat. However, the number of active neuron cells is higher in cats. Accordingly, cats are smarter, although their brain sizes are smaller.
The volume and weight of the brain does not play a role in the animal’s ability to perform complex actions, show understanding and flexibility when necessary. That is, all the habits of an animal, its intelligence, directly depend not on the size of its head, but on how much active gray matter is in the brain.
Does domestication affect the mind?
The same study, published in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy, which showed that according to the number of neurons, dogs more intelligent than cats, also revealed an interesting fact - domestication does not in any way affect the activity of gray matter and its quantity.
The fact that a dog is smarter, from the point of view of scientists, is in no way connected with the fact that these animals were domesticated much earlier than cats. People domesticated dogs about 30 thousand years ago, but cats have lived next to humans for only 10 thousand years.
Does a cat always attack?
There is no single answer to the question of why a cat attacks a dog. In each individual case there will be own reasons to show aggression. In order to understand them, you need to decide what is meant by the word “attack”. If a cat sits in ambush, then jumps out of its hiding place and clings to the dog for a couple of minutes and then runs away with arched back and the tail bent to the side, then this is a game, not an attack. Any big dog and a cat with an active, lively character often have fun in this way, and there is no need to worry about such pet games.
Dogs behave in exactly the same way. Only they don’t jump out of an ambush, but simply grab the cat with their mouths where they find him. After which they begin to procrastinate, tug, and press with their paws.
How can you tell if a cat is attacking?
A “fighting” cat is different from a playing cat. True anger and hatred are immediately visible. If a cat experiences rage and shows aggression, it is impossible to confuse this with play. As a rule, the dog senses this unmistakably and retreats immediately if it is alone. A pack of dogs can fight off an angry cat, but a lone animal never can.
People often confuse attack, that is, aggression of cats towards dogs, with defense. For example, if a dog has driven a cat into a corner or a place from which it is impossible to get out, then the animal does not always press itself to the floor. A “fighting” cat will turn around, narrow its eyes, begin to scream loudly, making sounds very different from meowing, and at the same time will not forget to use its claws. Usually after such an “experience” the dog needs health care, since the scratches are quite deep.
The cat does not rush at the dog immediately; it always waits for some time, demonstrating its own intentions. This is expressed in the following actions:
- wagging the tail with increasing rhythm, up to knocking it;
- narrowing of the eyes, squinting;
- display of fangs;
- hissing or guttural growling;
- squatting, pressing chest to the floor or other surface, followed by pulling into a string a moment before the jump;
- pressing the ears to the head with a pull back;
- muscle tension.
The cat that is about to really attack is incredibly similar to its large predatory relatives - panthers, tigers, lionesses.
How dangerous is a cat attack?
Many owners of animals, especially large and quite adventurous dogs, worry about cats, which they begin to chase around the yard or down the street if they are given such a chance. In fact, you should worry not about the cat, but about the dog, in the event that its “victim” decides to fight back or take revenge after some time.
It's not about who is stronger, a cat or a dog, but about the method of attack and defense that meowing animals use. No matter how large and scary a dog may be from the point of view of its owner, it will not be able to do anything with a cat clawed into its muzzle with the claws of two (and sometimes all four!) paws.
Cats rarely rush onto a dog's back, at the withers or scruff of the neck. The exception is forest and wild reed cats. A domestic cat, like a city cat living on the street, is practically not attacked in this way. However, this does not mean that they cannot do the same. For example, a considerable number of cats prefer to jump onto a dog that is offending them from a tree or from a fence. But such cases are typical for cats harboring a sense of revenge, that is, it is a stretch to consider such behavior a typical way of displaying aggression.
Which cats attack more often?
Any cat attacks a dog if it gives it a reason. But there are also cat breeds who are more prone to aggression. The Siamese breed is considered to be the most “vicious”. Moreover, they are not only evil, but also extremely cunning.
However, Siamese do not rush into battle just like that. If Siamese cat attacked the dog, so there was a reason. And anything can be a reason for aggression. Each animal has its own reason. Some cats feel extremely offended if a dog licks their bowl, while others are completely calm about it. Some cats remember for years the dog that once attacked them and are capable of showing aggression even after several years. Others, on the contrary, will avoid the offender, run away, and climb a tree at the sight of a bully dog.
Less often aggressive behavior arises among the classical Persians. Such a cat attacks a dog in exceptional situations in which there is simply no other way out. For example, protecting your kittens, or a plate of delicious sausage that the owner’s dog decided to lay claim to.
Why does the cat attack?
There are many reasons for a cat to show aggression towards a dog. If we're talking about about pets that live under the same roof, then by carefully observing their behavior, determining the reasons for the attacks is not so difficult.
In fact, the reason for regularly repeated aggression on the part of a cat is always that the dog is constantly repeating some action that pisses off the other animal. But what exactly the dog does can be found out by observing the pets.
Usually, domestic cat becomes aggressive if:
- encroach on her personal space;
- do not give her the opportunity to sleep or rest;
- eat her food or drink her water;
- they dirty the bowl, touch it with their paws and tail;
- occupy a favorite place near the owner;
- scatter the filler from the tray;
- interfere with urinating in the toilet.
In addition to quite noticeable and objective reasons, there are also not so obvious ones. We are talking about the psychological background of aggression. It is not so rare for a cat to literally attack a recently adopted puppy and do this at every opportunity. At the same time, the small dog does not interfere with the cat in any way: does not sleep in its litter box, does not chew the house, does not touch the bowl.
The reason for this behavior is stress and deep resentment, misunderstanding of what is happening and jealousy. Happen similar situations in families where for a long time the cat lived alone and was extremely spoiled. People, having brought a puppy into their home, devote all their attention only to him for at least a month, sometimes forgetting even to feed the cat on time. This behavior of the owners and the change in their priorities cause deep emotional distress in the cat, leading to attacks on the dog.
What to do?
If a cat attacks a dog living under the same roof with it, you need to very carefully study the behavior of both pets and analyze your own priorities in relation to your pets. This is necessary in order to identify the cause of aggression and eliminate it. This is the only way to stop cat attacks. Remember that punishing or isolating the animal will only make the situation worse. Once the cause of the attacks is eliminated, the aggression will immediately disappear.
Dogs have twice as many neurons as cats in their cerebral cortex, the area responsible for thinking, planning and complex behavior, scientists have found. The results of the work were published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroanatomy .
“In this study we wanted to compare different types predators and find out how the number of neurons in their brain correlates with its size,” the researchers explain.
A predatory lifestyle is one of the factors believed to contribute to the development of an animal's intelligence, the authors of the work write. High intelligence is required to outsmart prey.
One way to characterize an animal's intelligence is to determine the encephalization coefficient, the ratio of brain mass to the animal's body mass. However, although it allows an approximate assessment of the development of an animal’s intelligence and can be used to identify development trends and potential opportunities various types, it does not provide an accurate picture of intellectual ability.
“I believe that the total number of neurons in an animal’s brain, especially in the cortex, determines the richness of its intellectual abilities and the ability to predict events based on past experience,” explains professor of psychology and biology Suzana Herculano-Ouzel, one of the study’s authors.
Scientists compared the brains of several species of animals - ferrets, mongooses, cats, dogs, hyenas, lions and brown bears. As it turns out, dogs have about 530 million neurons in their cerebral cortex, while cats have only 250 million (for comparison, there are about 16 billion neurons in the human cerebral cortex). According to the researchers, the number of neurons in this area determines the animal's ability to draw conclusions based on past experience.
"Our discovery suggests that dogs are biologically adapted to much more complex mental processes than cats,"
However, according to scientists, cats are probably not stupid, they are just more difficult to study. So, at the beginning of 2017, Japanese scientists came to the conclusion that cats are no more stupid than dogs - they are able to remember what happens to them and, if necessary, retrieve the necessary information from memory.
The researchers also found that the number of neurons in the brains of predators does not exceed the number of neurons in herbivores, as they initially assumed. This hypothesis arose from the assumption that a predatory lifestyle requires greater intelligence from the animal. However, the number of neurons in herbivores and carnivores of similar sizes turned out to be approximately the same. Probably, in the process of evolution, herbivores had to put in no less mental effort in search of safe place where you can hide from predators.
The least intellectually gifted were brown bears. Although their brains were 10 times larger than a cat's, they had about the same number of neurons.
And in general, the larger the animal was, the fewer neurons it had in its brain - so, golden retriever there were more of them than hyenas or lions.
Hunting requires a lot of energy, especially for large predators, and the intervals between successful hunts are unpredictable. Therefore, large predators, such as lions, rest most of the time. The brain is the most energy-consuming organ, and these costs increase in proportion to the number of neurons.
“Eating meat largely solves the problem of providing energy. However, it is clear that predators are forced to maintain a delicate balance between body size and brain performance»,
- scientists explain.
The researchers also disputed the widespread belief that domestication contributed to the stupefaction of animals - ferrets, cats and dogs did not differ much from their own in the number of neurons wild relatives, mongooses, lions and hyenas.
And researchers recognized the raccoon as the most “brainy” animal - despite its modest size, the number of neurons in its cerebral cortex turned out to be almost the same as in dogs. According to the researchers' calculations, the density of neurons in the brain of raccoons is approximately the same as that of primates.
All animals are special and unique in their own way, although best friend We all call dogs dogs. They are incredibly smart, loyal and funny, so it is simply impossible not to fall in love with these furry pets. A dog is more than just a companion, it is a true friend. Moreover, these animals clearly deserve special treatment, because they have qualities that are quite rare for the animal kingdom, which you will now learn about.
Dogs still haven't lost some of the basic instincts of their ancestors.
Dogs were domesticated approximately 33,000 years ago, but their basic instincts remain active to this day. Among these instincts are howling at the moon, dependence on the pack, and the habit of marking territory.
Dogs understand our facial expressions
Studies have shown that dogs are practically the only animals on the planet that recognize human emotions by our facial expressions. In other words, our pets can read from our faces whether we are happy, angry or sad.
Dogs see colors
For some reason, many people believe that dogs are not able to see colors and perceive our world only in black and white, but this is far from the case. In fact, they see the world in different colors; they are simply able to recognize fewer colors than humans.
Dogs have higher temperatures than humans
The average body temperature in dogs ranges from 37.5°C to 39.0°C, while in humans the norm is 36.6°C. This is why fleas prefer dogs to people - they make life warmer.
Dogs, like people, can get cancer
Cancer threatens not only people, but also dogs. Nearly half of all dogs over 10 years of age suffer from some type of malignant tumors(from lymphoma to skin cancer and many other types of cancer).
Dogs are real rescuers
A recent study at Germany's Schillerhöhe Hospital found that dogs have a unique ability to smell one particular chemical that has been linked to lung cancer in humans. This scientific discovery proves that your beloved pet can be not only your friend, but also a living tool for identifying fatal disease on his early stage development, when to detect lung cancer traditional way very difficult.
It may not be arthritis
If your dog is limping, it could be due to... different problems with health - from splinters to arthritis. However, in some cases, lameness can also indicate bone cancer, so don't neglect your pet's health and take him to the vet if your dog won't stop limping.
No chocolate!
It turns out that chocolate contains Chemical substance called theobromine, and it is not only toxic to dogs, but even deadly if the animal consumes 100 to 150 milligrams of chocolate per 1 kilogram of its own weight at a time. People eat chocolate without any problems, because our body is able to digest and absorb this substance quickly enough, but digestive system dogs process theobromine much more slowly, which allows it to accumulate in the animal’s body in dangerous quantities.
Small dogs live longer than large ones
Unfortunately, more large dogs They don't live as long as we would like. But small dogs usually live longer than their large relatives. An analysis of veterinary reports showed that pets weighing less than 9 kilograms live to an average age of 11 years, and pets heavier than 40 kilograms usually live up to 8 years. One theory is that larger dogs die earlier due to accelerated growth.
Dogs sense static electricity during thunderstorms
If you have a dog, you probably know that your pet simply hates rain showers with thunder and lightning. Why is this happening? Many people believe that pets are simply afraid loud sounds and sudden bright light. However the real reason The fear of thunder and lightning is that during a thunderstorm, dogs physically feel the effects of static electricity. It affects the fur of the animal, the dog feels a slight tingling sensation, and because of this, it whines and tries to hide somewhere (most often lower and closer to the ground). If you want to help your pet, just rub his fur with dry wipes, and static electricity will not torment him as much.
Dogs are the coolest different ways
Just like us, dogs can get hot and cold. Most effective way which these animals use to cool themselves is a deep and rapid breathing. This is why you so often see them out of breath after running. Another way to combat overheating is the so-called vasodilation. Essentially, heated blood is directed to areas of the body closer to the skin, which allows it to cool before returning back to the heart, and this happens over and over again with each circle of blood circulation. Another trick is the secretion of sweat through the pads of the paws, which can be compared to human sweat, only we sweat all over the body, unlike dogs.
Identification by nose print
Every person on the planet has unique fingerprints, which, if necessary, can be used to establish his identity. In the same way that we identify people by their prints, we can also identify dogs, but in this case the print is taken from their nose, not from their fingers.
The power of smell
Dogs have an incredibly keen sense of smell. A dog's nose contains up to 300 million olfactory receptors, while a human has approximately 6 million. This means that dogs are about 50 times better at perceiving different odors than we are. This is why dogs are such valuable assistants to police officers and rescuers.
Dogs and pack
Dogs are pack animals, and they perceive their owner as the leader of the pack. When a group of dogs walks together, each individual's gait and overall movements can be used to determine its position in the social hierarchy of the pack. Studies have shown that a dog that leads a pack is usually more attentive and obedient to its owner and responds well to training. In addition, the leaders usually become older and more aggressive individuals from the entire flock.
Heirs and heirs
In the United States, about 1 million dogs are the main heirs of their owners. It’s not even that hard to believe, because cute pets are particularly tender and devoted to their owners, and therefore people often consider them real family members and life partners. The largest inheritance in history was received by a male dog German Shepherd nicknamed Gunther III. Its owner left the animal as much as 80 million dollars! With this money you can buy a lot of delicious seeds!
Dogs are good at hiding their identities from each other.
You've probably noticed that a scared dog usually hides its tail between its legs. It turns out that in this simple way she is trying to hide the glands located in the area anus which emit a specific odor. It is by this smell that animals usually receive information about each other. It's almost like a passport, only olfactory. It turns out that by covering the crotch with its tail, the dog is figuratively putting on black glasses and a hood so that no one recognizes it.
Jealousy
Research has shown that dogs can experience and express jealousy. Experiments have shown that these animals are capable of producing the same hormone, oxytocin, which is associated with feelings of love and jealousy in humans.
Dogs have quite a rich vocabulary
It may sound incredible, but some dogs are so smart and quick-witted that they are able to remember and respond correctly to 150-200 human words. The mental abilities of dogs can even be compared to the development level of a 2-year-old child. The most smart breeds know up to 250 words, and the average dog can understand up to 150 words.
Olympic runner
Greyhounds are the fastest dogs in the world, as they can accelerate to an incredible speed of 72 kilometers per hour. For comparison, the most fast man on the planet, the Jamaican record-breaking runner named Usain Bolt has won many victories throughout his Olympic career and set several world speed records, including the highest average speed over a 20-meter section - 44.72 kilometers per hour. This means that a greyhound can run almost 2 times faster than the fastest Olympian track and field athlete in the world!
The mystery of chasing your own tail
Have you ever wondered why dogs love to chase their own tails? It turns out that they have their own very reasonable reason for this. Circular movement in nature helps to crush tall grass and create a comfortable bed for relaxation. However, if your pet is not chasing his own tail in the field, perhaps his imagination is just running wild.
Bible dog
All dog breeds have certain characteristics, but the greyhound breed is considered special in some circles, if only because it is the only one in the entire Bible that deserves a mention. In some translations, a passage from the book of Proverbs (chapter 30, verses 29-31) can be interpreted as a reference to a rooster or a horse, while in other (Western) versions of Scripture they write specifically about a greyhound dog.
“There are three creatures that seem important when they walk:
The lion is the strongest animal and he is not afraid of anything.
A rooster and a goat walking proudly, and also a king in the midst of his people.”
Dogs can hiccup
Dogs, like people, can hiccup if they eat or drink too quickly, swallowing too much in the process. a large number of air. Anxiety, fear, stress and even too much joy can also cause hiccups in dogs. Some experts believe that hiccups in these animals are due to the release of gases that have accumulated in the dog's stomach, so it is ultimately a very beneficial condition for your pet.
Dogs don't feel guilty
No matter how much you might think that they have the saddest and most regretful eyes, dogs are not capable of feeling guilt. According to Alexandra Horowitz, a researcher at Barnard College, guilty eyes and the dog's embarrassed appearance is more connected with the peculiarities of human perception than with the expression of the feelings of the animal itself.
Socializing with a dog helps lower blood pressure
Studies have shown that petting your pet lowers your blood pressure. It turns out that for the owner this process is so calming that he even produces more hormones responsible for relaxation. In addition, while you pet your dog, your blood levels of stress hormones will also decrease. By the way, don’t forget that communication and affection are no less important for your pet, so both sides win in the end.
A dog named Banner has a heart of gold and gentle character. She not only reliable assistant his owner who has health problems, but also saves animals...
Husky Banner is already 3 years old, she lives with Whitney, the owner has trained the dog not only to provide assistance, but also many other things. “She warns not only about episodes post-traumatic syndrome, panic attacks, migraine attacks and the need to take medications,” says the owner.
“We help a lot of animals, but Banner really loves kittens. 2 years ago I bottle fed a cat for the first time that she found in a ditch. Now he lives with us, but over the course of several years, Banner has rescued at least ten litters of abandoned kittens. But this is the first time she has found THIS.”
Meet Banner - a husky with a heart of gold
The assistance dog was nervous, she heard that something strange was happening in the forest
The dog led the owner to a secluded place where they stood in a sealed cardboard box.
Inside were seven abandoned blind kittens, less than a day old.
"Someone hid them in cardboard box, closed it tightly and left it to die away from people"
“These people hoped that the babies would die and no one would find them. It's a miracle that Banner was able to find out they were there. The kittens were very cold and weak, they quietly awaited their fate. The kids didn’t even have the strength to squeak..."
“It pains me to understand that this is the work of man. This is so cruel and heartless."
The husky did not leave the kittens. She loves them as if they were her puppies.
"It's amazing," says Whitney
“We will find good homes for the kittens”
“Thanks to Banner, these little ones survived and will be able to find loving homes!”
The husky turned out to be kinder and more humane than the cat’s owner, who left the defenseless babies to die... 
All animals are special and unique in their own way, although we all call dogs man’s best friend. They are incredibly smart, loyal and funny, so it is simply impossible not to fall in love with these furry pets. A dog is more than just a companion, it is a true friend.
Moreover, these animals clearly deserve special treatment, because they have qualities that are quite rare for the animal kingdom, which you will now learn about.
25. Dogs have still retained some of the basic instincts of their ancestors.
Dogs were domesticated approximately 33,000 years ago, but their basic instincts remain active to this day. Among these instincts are howling at the moon, dependence on the pack, and the habit of marking territory.
24. Dogs understand our facial expressions.
Studies have shown that dogs are practically the only animals on the planet that recognize human emotions by our facial expressions. In other words, our pets can read from our faces whether we are happy, angry or sad.
23. Dogs see colors
For some reason, many people believe that dogs are not able to see colors and perceive our world only in black and white, but this is far from the case. In fact, they see the world in different colors; they are simply able to recognize fewer colors than humans.
22. Dogs have a higher temperature than people.
The average body temperature in dogs ranges from 37.5°C to 39.0°C, while in humans the norm is 36.6°C. This is why fleas prefer dogs to people - they make life warmer.
21. Dogs, like people, can get cancer.
Cancer threatens not only people, but also dogs. Almost half of all dogs over 10 years of age suffer from some type of cancer (from lymphoma to skin cancer and many other types of cancer).
20. Dogs are real rescuers
A recent study at Germany's Schillerhöhe Hospital found that dogs have a unique ability to smell one particular chemical that has been linked to lung cancer in humans. This scientific discovery proves that your beloved pet can be not only your friend, but also a living tool for identifying a fatal disease in its early stages of development, when detecting lung cancer in the traditional way is very difficult.
19. Dogs are passive smokers
Several studies have confirmed that second-hand smoke is very harmful to dogs. It turns out that if the owner often smokes in the presence of his pet, the animal may develop respiratory problems, allergies, and even cancer of the lungs or nasopharynx. Dogs suffer from the same symptoms as people when it comes to passive smoking, so if you are a caring owner, try to protect your pet from cigarette smoke.
18. It may not be arthritis.
If your dog is limping, it could be due to a variety of health problems, from splinters to arthritis. However, in some cases, lameness can also indicate bone cancer, so don't neglect your pet's health and take him to the vet if your dog won't stop limping.
17. No chocolate!
It turns out that chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine, and it is not only toxic to dogs, but even deadly if the animal consumes 100 to 150 milligrams of chocolate per 1 kilogram of its body weight at a time. People eat chocolate without any problems, because our body is able to digest and absorb this substance quickly enough, but the digestive system of dogs processes theobromine much more slowly, which allows it to accumulate in the animal’s body in dangerous quantities.
16. Small dogs live longer than large ones
Unfortunately, larger dogs do not live as long as we would like. But small dogs usually live longer than their large relatives. An analysis of veterinary reports showed that pets weighing less than 9 kilograms live to an average age of 11 years, and pets heavier than 40 kilograms usually live up to 8 years. One theory suggests that the reason for this dependence is that larger dogs die earlier due to accelerated growth.
15. Dogs sense static electricity during thunderstorms.
If you have a dog, you probably know that your pet simply hates rain showers with thunder and lightning. Why is this happening? Many people believe that pets are simply afraid of loud noises and sudden bright lights. However, the real reason for the fear of thunder and lightning is that dogs physically feel the effects of static electricity during thunderstorms. It affects the fur of the animal, the dog feels a slight tingling sensation, and because of this, it whines and tries to hide somewhere (most often lower and closer to the ground). If you want to help your pet, just rub his fur with dry wipes, and static electricity will not torment him as much.
14. Dogs cool themselves in a variety of ways.
Just like us, dogs can get hot and cold. The most effective way these animals use to cool themselves is through deep and rapid breathing. This is why you so often see them out of breath after running. Another way to combat overheating is the so-called vasodilation. Essentially, heated blood is directed to areas of the body closer to the skin, which allows it to cool before returning back to the heart, and this happens over and over again with each circle of blood circulation. Another trick is the secretion of sweat through the pads of the paws, which can be compared to human sweat, only we sweat all over the body, unlike dogs.
13. Identification by nose print
Every person on the planet has unique fingerprints, which, if necessary, can be used to establish his identity. In the same way that we identify people by their prints, we can also identify dogs, but in this case the print is taken from their nose, not from their fingers.
12. Power of smell
Dogs have an incredibly keen sense of smell. A dog's nose contains up to 300 million olfactory receptors, while a human has approximately 6 million. This means that dogs are about 50 times better at perceiving different odors than we are. This is why dogs are such valuable assistants to police officers and rescuers.
11. Dogs and the pack
Dogs are pack animals, and they perceive their owner as the leader of the pack. When a group of dogs walks together, each individual's gait and overall movements can be used to determine its position in the social hierarchy of the pack. Studies have shown that a dog that leads a pack is usually more attentive and obedient to its owner and responds well to training. In addition, the leaders usually become older and more aggressive individuals from the entire flock.
10. Heirs and heirs
In the United States, about 1 million dogs are the main heirs of their owners. It’s not even that hard to believe, because cute pets are particularly tender and devoted to their owners, and therefore people often consider them real family members and life partners. The most substantial inheritance in history went to a male German shepherd named Gunther III. Its owner left the animal as much as 80 million dollars! With this money you can buy a lot of delicious seeds!
9. Dogs are good at hiding their identities from each other.
You've probably noticed that a scared dog usually hides its tail between its legs. It turns out that in this simple way she is trying to hide the glands located in the anal area, which emit a specific odor. It is by this smell that animals usually receive information about each other. It's almost like a passport, only olfactory. It turns out that by covering the crotch with its tail, the dog is figuratively putting on black glasses and a hood so that no one recognizes it.
8. Jealousy
Research has shown that dogs can experience and express jealousy. Experiments have shown that these animals are capable of producing the same hormone, oxytocin, which is associated with feelings of love and jealousy in humans.
7. Dogs have quite a rich vocabulary.
It may sound incredible, but some dogs are so smart and quick-witted that they are able to remember and respond correctly to 150-200 human words. The mental abilities of dogs can even be compared to the development level of a 2-year-old child. The smartest breeds know up to 250 words, and the average dog can understand up to 150 words.
6. Olympic runner
5. The Mystery of Chasing Your Own Tail
Have you ever wondered why dogs love to chase their own tails? It turns out that they have their own very reasonable reason for this. Circular movement in nature helps to crush tall grass and create a comfortable bed for relaxation. However, if your pet is not chasing his own tail in the field, perhaps his imagination is just running wild.
4. Bible dog
All dog breeds have certain characteristics, but the greyhound breed is considered special in some circles, if only because it is the only one in the entire Bible that deserves a mention. In some translations, a passage from the book of Proverbs (chapter 30, verses 29-31) can be interpreted as a reference to a rooster or a horse, while in other (Western) versions of Scripture they write specifically about a greyhound dog.
“There are three creatures that seem important when they walk:
The lion is the strongest animal and he is not afraid of anything.
A rooster and a goat walking proudly, and also a king in the midst of his people.”
3. Dogs can hiccup
Dogs, like people, can hiccup if they eat or drink too quickly, swallowing too much air in the process. Anxiety, fear, stress and even too much joy can also cause hiccups in dogs. Some experts believe that hiccups in these animals are due to the release of gases that have accumulated in the dog's stomach, so this is ultimately a very beneficial condition for your pet.
2. Dogs don't feel guilty.
No matter how much you might think that they have the saddest and most regretful eyes, dogs are not capable of feeling guilt. According to Alexandra Horowitz, a researcher at Barnard College, a dog's guilty eyes and confused appearance have more to do with human perception than with the expression of the animal's own feelings.
1. Gentle interaction with your dog helps lower blood pressure
Studies have shown that petting your pet lowers your blood pressure. It turns out that for the owner this process is so calming that he even produces more hormones responsible for relaxation. In addition, while you pet your dog, your blood levels of stress hormones will also decrease. By the way, don’t forget that communication and affection are no less important for your pet, so both sides win in the end.