28 Dog Facts For Kids

1. Dogs are domesticated animals that are members of the Canis genus.
2. The binomial name for dogs is Canis familiaris.
3. Dogs are descendants of wolves and studies suggest the Pleistocene wolf is the closest ancestor to dogs.
4. Dogs are easily recognized and known as the most popular household pet in the world.
5. The size, shape and color of a dog widely varies based on its breed.
6. Dogs are prized for their companionship, protection, and hunting abilities.
7. Dogs are domesticated and need humans to survive, but there are dogs who live without human support.
8. Dogs that survive without human support are known as feral dogs and are commonly found in developing countries.
9. Dogs were the first animal to be domesticated by humans around 15,000 years ago by hunter-gatherers.
10. There are 200 dog breeds registered and recognized by the American Kennel Club.
11. Dog breeds fit into one of three classifications, short-haired dogs, long-haired dogs, and hairless dogs.
12. The Boxer is an example of a short-haired dog breed.
13. The Bearded Collie is an example of a long-haired dog breed.
14. The American Hairless Terrier is an example of a hairless dog breed.
15. Dogs can be found virtually anywhere in the world that is inhabited by humans.
16. It is estimated there are between 750 million and 1 billion dogs living worldwide with humans.
17. Dogs are classified as omnivorous, but their biology puts them in between an omnivore and a carnivore.
18. The average lifespan of a healthy dog is between 10 and 13 years.
19. The weight of a dog varies greatly by the breed, which can be a small as 2 pounds or as much as 200 pounds.
20. The smallest dog breed in the world is the Chihuahua with an average weight between 2 and 7 pounds.
21. The largest dog breed in the world is the Saint Bernard with an average weight between 120 to 180 pounds.
22. Some dog breeds are used as workers, like herding livestock, servicing humans with disabilities and protection.
23. Dogs are highly intelligent and perceive and retain information allowing them to solve problems.
24. Dogs have an amazing sense of hearing and can hear sounds far outside the range of human hearing abilities.
25. Dogs have an excellent sense of smell and can smell up to 40 times more than a human.
26. Dogs have an OK sense of taste, but its only 20% as powerful as a human’s sense of taste.
27. Dogs have good eyesight, and a common myth is dogs only see in black and white, which is false. Dogs have two types of cones that allow them to discern blue and yellow, which gives them a dichromatic vision.
28. Some research studies have suggested that dogs may be able to see the Earth’s magnetic field.

Dog Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on dogs. Below are six pictures of various dog species. These pictures should help you better understand the different types of dogs found around the world.

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