MYTHS ABOUT DOGS
A myth is a false story, a superstition, that untrue belief that just keeps circulating. It is not hard to find an abundant list of myths that relate to dogs. Some of these dog myths are downright amusing. Other canine myths are really quite sad even harmful as literally millions of dogs are put to death each and every year because of uneducated myths about dogs. Below we are going to bring you a few of the most prevalent and a few of the humorous ones as well as a few of the most harmful ones.
A DOG WILL ATTRACT LIGHTNING:
How? Dogs don’t attract lighting anymore than you do. Most often lighting will strike the closest (meaning the tallest object) or the most intensely charged particles (meaning a metal or an isolated object like a metal golf club held in golfers hand in middle of an open). “That’s thunder I hear, oh quick, throw the dog outside”. HaHaHa! Your dog is as safe as you inside your house.
FEMALE DOGS MUST HAVE A LITTER BEFORE THEY ARE SPAYED:
A bitch must have litter because they will be calmer if they develop a maternal instinct or so they say. Well, their maternal instinct will be to protect any and all from their puppies. This does not help you to get a calmer dog. It’s not giving birth to a litter of puppies that shape a bitch’s personality it’s the breed of the dog and the environment it’s brought up in. In fact allowing a female dog to get pregnant will expose her to health problems not only during the pregnancy but also they are at a higher risk breast cancer and uterine infections. Never mind the cost and never mind the risk to the bitch what do you do with the litter of puppies?
BOTH MALE AND FEMALE DOGS NEED SEX TO MATURE:
HaHaHaHa! This is like saying your teenage kids need sex to mature. Like it is with your children, it’s not sex that develops maturity it is age and experience. There in fact, is no known benefit derived from allowing dogs to breed at their first heat. On the other hand there most definitely are health benefits to spaying and neutering. Un-neutered males have greater chance of testicular tumors, and of developing prostate problems, as well as rectal tumors that are stimulated by testosterone. Spaying females, before their first heat, not only lowers the risk of too many puppies running around, it also reduces their risk of developing mammary tumors later in life and possible pregnancy related issues.
NEUTERED MALES ARE NOT AS PROTECTIVE AS UN-NEUTERED MALES:
Not so! The so called whole male dog has more testosterone. Testosterone makes the male dog more aggressive. Yes this hormone can cause aggression, but not protectiveness. The breed, personality and training of the dog generates protectiveness not testosterone.
A DOG’S MOUTH IS CLEANER THAN A HUMAN MOUTH:
Hey if a human mouth is filled bacteria why not a dog’s month. This myth probably stems from the fact that bacteria in the mouth of a dog, is dog specific. A dog’s “species specific” bacteria doesn’t easily transfer to humans. Some of this myth could also stem from the fact that dogs and puppies lick their wounds. Well, because a dog licking its wound removes dead tissue it can help a wound heal faster, but they can still get infected. Also too much licking can actually prohibit healing. Yup, you will be a little less likely to get dog germs kissing a dog then you would another catch a human being’s germs by kissing, but keep in mind dogs licks anything that smells bad this includes excrement (poop). You decide if you want to risk kissing a dog.
CAN’T TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS:
You can (if you try) teach dog’s up until the day they pass away. Just like humans though their learning depends on their health.
A WARM NOSE MEANS A SICK DOG:
Health, illness or if they have a fever is not determined by temperature of a dog’s nose. Also a cold wet nose does not indicate good health. The only accurate method to determine if a dog has a problem with its temperature is to use a thermometer. The normal temperature for a dog runs between 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit 38.06 to 39.17 Celus.
A DOG WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THEY ARE SICK:
Not so folks! In fact a dog is generally quite good at hiding the fact that they feel sick. This is a simple survival instinct. It’s bred into them not to appear vulnerable to any possible “prey.” So some times by the time they show you that they are sick condition can be quite advanced.
RAW EGGS MAKE A DOG’S COAT SHINNY:
There are those who say you shouldn’t feed your dog raw eggs because the egg white contains this enzyme called avidin which lowers the absorption of a B vitamin (biotin) and that raw egg may also contain the salmonella bacteria. And there are those who say a dog’s digestive system can deal with any of the small amounts of salmonella bacteria and that may be found in a raw egg and that there is no proof that raw eggs hurt dogs. So who does a person believe? I believe that seeing as how the known benefits of feeding your dog an egg is about the same if the egg is raw or cooked, why risk your dog’s heath on raw eggs. So for a nice shinny dog coat feed your dog cooked eggs and be sure. Also feed them the egg shells also (ground up if you like) because egg shells are an excellent source of calcium.
FEMALE DOG’S DON’T “HUMP” OR LIFT THEIR LEG TO URINATE:
Another not true. Bitches, especially dominant females, will not only hump object or other dogs, and they will also lift their leg to urinate. It doesn’t matter if they are spayed or not.
DOGS LIKE TO BE PETTED ON THEIR HEADS:
No not every dog! If you try to pet the wrong dog on its head you may come back short of a hand. Some dogs take head petting as a threat. Ask before you pet a strange dog.
INDOOR DOGS DON’T GET HEARTWORMS:
In mosquito areas everyone has at some point been bitten in their house by these little suckers who follow them in the door. So mosquito’s get into houses, therefore; even if you have a tiny indoor puppy dog you need to get it heartworm prevention.
DOGS ONLY GET HEARTWORM IN THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES:
At one time this was true, but now heartworm is found in nearly all places where mosquito’s flourish. The parasite has been found in all of the United States (except not Alaska yet) and in most of the warmer regions of Canada.
DOGS NATURALLY KNOW WHERE TO POTTY:
HaHaHa! If you want to try this one out go ahead, you will find out that you need to train your dog not to mess in your house and you should start when they are young.
DOGS ARE NATURALLY PACK ANIMALS:
Dog are not the same as wolfs, free ranging dogs do not in fact form into packs. They only form loose and transitory associations with other free ranging dogs.
LET A DOG EXIT A DOORWAY AHEAD OF YOU THE DOG LET DOMINATE:
There isn’t any evidence that the behavior of going through a doorway has any social significance other that the simple motivation to get to whatever is on the other side as fast a possible and they just happen to be faster than you.
REWARDING A DOG IS BRIBING A DOG:
The problem with this one is that that bribes are given before behavior, and rewards are given after. Rewards do not compromise relationships they make relationships better, not worse.
PLAYING TUG-A-WAR WITH A DOG MAKES DOGS AGGRESSIVE:
Linda Goodloe and Peter Borchelt practicing dog behaviorists in New York are the only one’s known to have done a study on this, and they found that there wasn’t a correlation between playing tug-a-war with a dog and the incidences of aggression directed at family members or at strangers. The only aggression is directed at the toy and it seems in the dogs mind the human is also aggressive with the simulated prey: the toy.
CHEW TOYS CAUSE DOG’S TO LEARN TO CHEW EVERYTHING:
Dogs who like to chew need something to chew on. With minimal training dogs can easily learn to distinguish their toys from those forbidden items like your shoes. Dogs toys help keep dogs from becoming bored.
A DOG’S GENETIC BEHAVIOR CAN’T BE MODIFIED:
All dog behavior is complex interplay between the dog’s genes and the dog’s environment. Some behaviors require no learning or less learning. In the end the modifiability of genetic behaviors varies as much as does the modifiability of learned behaviors.
DOGS BECOME AGGRESSIVE IF YOU DON’T PUNISH THEM FOR GROWLING:
Dr. Ian Dunbar is a veterinarian, well known animal behaviorist, and writer calls this “removing the ticker from the time bomb”. A dog growls because something that’s upsetting them is getting close, too close. Don’t punish them for informing you of this. They will still be upset but they can stop letting you know that scary things are getting closer. It’s really much better to make your dog comfortable around whatever that scary thing is that’s causing the growling. Check into dog training tips on how to do this.
YOU ARE REWARDING FEAR IF YOU PAT A DOG WHILE IT’S IS AFRAID:
If your were afraid enough of something to shake would someone saying it’s okay here’s a hundred bucks, make your shakes go away. A Dog’s fear is an emotional reaction not an attempt at manipulation. Check into dog training tips on how to help your dog be less fearful.
SPOTTED TONGUES ARE PROOF OF A MIXED BREED:
Nope, sorry! Spots on a dog’s tongue are simply some deposits of extra pigment, like human birthmarks and freckles. In fact dogs quite often have spots of dark pigment on their skin, too, hiding under their coats. Also known is the fact that blue-black spots on tongues are quite common in dogs. There are more than 30 pure breeds that have members with spotted tongues. However, if a spot appears that wasn’t there it should be checked for cancer.
Pure Bred breeds known to have some members that have spotted tongues are: Airedale, Akita, Australian Cattle Dog, Australian Shepherd, Belgian Sheepdog, Belgian Tervuren, Belgian Malinois, Bichon Frise, Bouvier de Flandres, Bull Mastiff, Cairn Terrier,Chinese Shar-Pei, Collie, Cocker Spaniel, Dalmatian, Doberman Pinscher,English Setter, Eurasier, Fila Brasileiro, Flat-coated Retriever, German Shepherd,Golden Retriever, Gordon Setter, Great Pyrenees, Irish Setter, Kai Ken, Keeshond,Kerry Blue Terrier, Korean Jindo, Labrador Retriever, Mastiff, Mountain Cur, Newfoundland, Pomeranian, Pug, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Shiba Inu, Siberian Husky, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, Tibetan Mastiff.
A DOG WAGGING ITS TAIL MEANS IT’S FRIENDLY.
Wrong! A dog will also wag its tail out of fear and/or aggression. A dog’s tail wag is only one of the signs you look for when meeting a new dog. You also have to check their ear position, their hackles, their head position, their eyes, their expression, their stance and so on. It is not always easy to tell what a dogs wagging tail means. So be sure, ask the owner if their dog is friendly before petting any dog!
