Dogs: Separating Fact from Fiction

So you think you know everything there is to know about dogs? Think again! Some of the most time-honored dog facts are really just old wives' tales. Read on to learn which information is doggy fact, and which is doggy fiction.

Dog Years

We've all heard that one dog year equals seven human years, but this isn't entirely accurate. Dogs tend to age very fast at the beginning of their lives. The aging slows down as they grow older. For example, the first year of a dog's life is more like fifteen human years, but their middle and late years are more like seven human years. Oddly, large dog breeds with shorter life spans tend to age more slowly at the beginning of their lives.

A Dry Nose Means a Sick Dog

A cold, wet nose is the sign of a healthy dog, right? Not always. Back when distemper was a more common disease, dog owners felt of their dogs' noses to see if they were cool and moist (no distemper) or hot and dry (possible distemper). A dog's nose is not a primary indicator of health, however, and can feel warm and dry soon after the dog wakes up. For a more accurate picture of health, keep an eye on their appetite and energy level.

Dogs Have Clean Mouths

There has long been an urban myth that dogs have cleaner mouths than humans, or that dogs' mouths are somehow sterile environments. This probably got started when a medical journal published a study showing that human-inflicted bites were more likely to become infected than dog bites. This was later recanted in 1995's Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, which showed that human bites anywhere besides the hand have a similar incidence of infection as other types of bites.

In reality, both humans and dogs have bacteria in their mouths, but we have yet to figure out which species has less. Neither human nor dog saliva is antiseptic, so it's a good idea to keep human and doggy mouths away from open wounds.

A Wagging Tail Means a Friendly Dog

Ever heard the phrase, "Lie like a dog?" That's because a dog will absolutely bite you while its tail is wagging. Tail-wagging can be a sign of friendliness, but it can also be a sign of submission or fear aggression. When approaching a dog, look at its overall body language to tell if it's relaxed and confident, or tense and hunching over to appear smaller.

Dogs Can't See Colors

Though it was once believed that dogs could only see in black and white, further studies have suggested that dogs can see colors in the violet and yellow spectrums. Dog eyesight is similar to that of red-green colorblind humans, but humans have better eyesight than dogs. (20/20 versus 20/75) Dogs also have poor depth perception, but they see better than humans at night, and they are much better at perceiving movement.