Did you know? 20 fun K-9 Fun Facts

Some Fun Facts..... 1. It takes 63 days for puppies to be born from the time of mating. 2. Puppies are born both deaf and blind.Their eyes begin to open between 10 and 14 days.They begin to hear soon after but it takes a while longer before they have complete sight and hearing. 3. Puppies begin getting their puppy teeth when they are about three weeks old.They're very sharp! 4. Puppies begin getting their adult teeth between four and seven months.They're very likely to chew on things during this period. 5. Dogs are thought to have descended from wolves in southeast Asia at least 14,000 years ago. 6. Some of the oldest breeds of dogs are the Afghan Hound, the Chow Chow, the Lhasa Apso, the Pekingese, the Shar Pei, the Shih Tzu, the Tibetan Terrier, the Saluki, the Basenji, the Akita Inu, the Shiba Inu, the Samoyed, the Siberian Husky and the Alaskan Malamute. 7. Most dogs have a double coat of hair -- an undercoat that provides insulation and an outer coat of guard hair. 8. There are no completely hypoallergenic dogs.All dogs have at least some hair that can attract dander and allergens.Some dogs and breeds attract less than others. 9. There are currently 74.8 million pet dogs in the United States.Some 44.8 million U.S. households own a dog. 10. Seventy-eight (78) percent of the owned dogs in the United States are spayed or neutered. 11. According to the AKC the most popular names for dogs are Lady and Bear. 12. The American Kennel Club recognizes 161 dog breeds in the United States.The FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), recognizes over 400 breeds throughout the world. 13. The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest breed of dog. At a minimum, males should be 31 inches tall at the shoulder and 120 pounds.Females should be 28 inches tall at the shoulder and 90 pounds. 14. The heaviest dog is usually considered to be the Mastiff or the Saint Bernard.A healthy Mastiff or Saint Bernard -- not an overweight dog -- will typically weigh 180-200 pounds. 15. Larger breed dogs can be harder to handle because some do not even fit through an average dog door. 16. The world's fastest dog is probably the Greyhound.They can reach speeds of 45 miles per hour.However, Whippet fans claim that their dogs are faster over short distances, able to zig and zag better.Saluki afficionados claim that their dogs are better open-field hunters.All three breeds are extremely fast. 17. Contrary to popular belief, the Poodle did not originate in France.It was originally a German breed used for hunting, water retrieving and even herding.You can see the breed's similarity to other curly-coated herding breeds such as the Puli.Poodle coats will curl and even cord if allowed to grow out. 18. At one time the Collie was considered a vicious breed of dog, perhaps because the Scots who kept the dogs were considered a vicious people.It wasn't until Queen Victoria became a fan of the breed in the 19th century that Collies became popular with the public. 19. The Labrador Retriever has been the most popular breed of dog in the United States since 1990.The Lab is also the most popular dog breed in Great Britain. 20. Sighthounds, or gazehounds, are hounds that hunt by sighting their prey.They include the Afghan Hound, the Borzoi, the Greyhound, the Irish Wolfhound, the Italian Greyhound, the Salukia, the Scottish Deerhound and the Whippet.