The smell center of a dog’s brain is 40 times larger than a human:

The average dog’s nose is tens of thousands times as sensitive to smells as a human’s.  A dog’s nose is powerful, it can detect odours in parts per trillion.

For example, if you put one rotten apple in a barrel of two million, a dog can sniff it out. This is why Beagles are used at the airports to sniff out bombs and drugs.

Dog noses are like fingerprints:

If you look closely at a dog’s nose, you’ll see thousands of tiny ridges and lines. Just as a human can be identified by their fingerprints, dogs can be identified by their nose prints. The Canadian Kennel Club has been using dog nose prints as proof of identity since 1938.

The oldest dog on record lived for 29 years:

The oldest dog ever was an Australian cattle dog named Bluey who lived 29 years and was owned by Les and Esma Hall of Rochester, Australia. He lived from 1919 to 1939. He worked herding sheep and cattle for 20 years and lived on a diet of emus and kangaroos.

Dogs have sweat glands just like humans: 

Dogs only produce sweat from areas not covered by their fur such as their paws and nose. However they can’t produce enough sweat to be able to cool them down. A dog’s primary method of cooling down is panting. No one knows if the sweat glands are left over from a time they needed them or if they are just an anomaly. One theory is the sweat is actually made to allow for better traction.

US has the highest dog population in the world. Brazil is second:

It comes as no surprise that the United States has the most dogs with 70 million, but did you know Brazil was second with almost 36 million?

Pet ownership in the US has more than tripled since the 1970s and half of all pet owners in the US admit to talking to their pets. However, Brazil is first in something. They have the highest number of small dogs per capita in the world.

Most popular dog is the Labrador: 

The Labrador is by far and away the most popular dog breed, winning the top spot in the American Kennel Club list of dog breeds for the 26th year. It’s not surprising considering Labrador’s gentle nature and beautiful body. They are the perfect dog for families with small children.

Dog’s earliest ancestor is the Miacis:

The Miacis is an extinct carnivore of the late Paleocene and Eocene eras. They lived in North America and Asia. They are the ancestors of all canines such as coyotes, wolves, foxes and jackals. They ranged in weight from about 1 to 7 kilograms. It is thought that they could climb trees and lived in treetops. Their hind legs were longer then their forearms and their pelvis was very doglike.

Kublai Khan owned 5,000 Mastiffs:

The 13th century Mongol emperor Kublai Khan, who founded the Yuan dynasty in China and ruled as the first Yuan emperor until his death, owned 5,000 Mastiffs which he used for hunting and war. It is thought that this was the most dogs ever owned by one person.