Did you know?

Many of us are unaware of certain dog-related facts. Some things we take for granted as common knowledge might actually surprise people. Here are a few facts you may not know:

Dogs do see certain colors and are not completely colorblind, as some may think. They see blue, yellow and violet. They are red-green colorblind, so they can’t differentiate between those colors, even with variations in shading. Dogs also see various shades of gray. That means you can teach a dog to recognize specific items by color, as long as the item is always the same shade of gray. For example, if you want your dog to bring you an orange ball and teach it the words “orange ball” while playing with that specific ball, it can learn to distinguish that item from a brown ball if you also teach it to fetch the brown ball.

Some people have been told that not all parts of a sago palm are toxic. That is not true. All parts of a sago palm are poisonous to dogs, including the leaves, bark, pods and seeds. If you have them on your property, get rid of them by having them completely dug out. Do not just cut them, as they can regrow. Sago palms can cause liver failure, sometimes quite rapidly. If your dog ingests any part of one, remove any remaining plant material from its mouth and rush it to your veterinarian or an emergency veterinary clinic immediately. It is possible to treat and save your dog, but time is critical. Many dogs do not survive beyond a few days or months, even with treatment.

Adult dogs have 42 teeth. When teeth are removed because of dental disease, how does it affect their ability to chew? In fact, if incisors, which are used for ripping, tearing, licking and grooming, are removed, it shouldn’t affect their eating or play. However, removing canines and molars could affect how they hold and play with toys, as well as their ability to chew hard items such as kibble, chews and bones. If certain teeth must be removed, your dog may have to switch to softer food.

How do dogs sweat? The real question is how they reduce their body temperature. Dogs have sweat glands in the pads of their paws, but sweating there is not an effective way to reduce body temperature because it involves such a limited area of the dog’s body. The primary way a dog reduces body heat is by panting. Moisture evaporation cools the mouth and lungs. Blood vessels in the face and ears expand, bringing blood closer to the surface to help lower body temperature. This allows heat to escape into the air, cooling the dog.

There are many things about dogs that we don’t know or understand, but we are sure of one thing: They are devoted and loving companions to families!

Abby Bird is the owner of Alphadog Training Academy. AlphadogTrainingAcademy@gmail.com.