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33 Enlightening Pet Trivia Tidbits About Our Animal Friends

Think you know everything about your dog, cat, fish or African pygmy hedgehog? Think again

33 Enlightening Pet Trivia Tidbits About Our Animal Friends

November 07, 2023

Strangely, we allow loud, stinky pets to live with us for free in our homes. What’s stranger is that we assume we know anything about them. But we don't — at all. Case in point: Check out these surprising facts about the domesticated animals in our midst. I bet you didn’t know a one of them.

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Dog fleas jump much higher than cat fleas. In one study, dog fleas jumped about 50% higher than cat fleas on average. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source: 13 Surprising Facts About Your Pets

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DOGS' PERSONALITIES CAN CHANGE OVER TIME. Owners have a major influence on their dog's personality. Fear and anxiety, however, are personality traits that remain consistent CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Dog Facts That Are Pleasant As Hell

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Wolves, unlike dogs, won't try to get human help to solve a problem. In a study that involved both dogs and wolves raised by humans, when help from humans was needed to get food, the dogs turned to humans - but the wolves rarely did. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source: 13 Surprising Facts About Your Pets

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WAGGING HAS DIFFERENT MEANINGS DEPENDING IF IT'S ON THE LEFT OR RIGHT. Dogs wag to the left when they have positive emotions and to the right when they have negative. Dogs can understand the difference when looking at other dogs. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Dog Facts That Are Pleasant As Hell

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Onions are poisonous to cats and dogs. They contain organosulfoxides, which are converted into a mixture of sulfur compounds by chewing, and those sulfur compounds break down cats' and dogs' red blood cells. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source: 13 Surprising Facts About Your Pets

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Some people think a smiling dog is a happy, friendly dog. But any time you see a dog's teeth, beware A dog who is feeling happy and calm will smile by hanging its mouth slightly open, and relaxing its ears and eyes. A dog pulling back its lips and baring its teeth is sending you a warning. That warning is, Back off or I'm going to bite you. CRACKED.COM tto:/Sheartdogs.com/what-does-vour-dogs-smile-mean/ — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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You might think a dog with a wagging tail is a friendly, happy dog. It might be - - depending on the tail position. The position of the tail matters a lot more than the wagging itself. When the tail is held low and curved and is wagging slowly, everything is cool. If the tail is higher or arched over the back, the dog is feeling dominant or aggressive. And a tail that wags to the dog's right (your left, as you face the dog) is a sign of interest, where wagging to its left signals anxiety. CRACKED.COM http — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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Puppy-dog eyes are a real thing, and have been produced by evolution. Because dogs have been living with humans for so long, they've evolved small muscles around their eyes that let them make expressions that are appealing to humans. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source: 13 Surprising Facts About Your Pets

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You might think you should give your dog a great big hug. Your dog would probably hate that. Hugging increases a dog's stress level. A professor who specializes in dog behavior looked at a random sampling of people hugging dogs from Google Image Search and Flickr. In those photos, 81.6 percent of the dogs were stressed out. Dogs who are being hugged can't defend themselves by running away, which is why they hate it. Instead, try petting your dog, or giving him a treat. CRACKED.COM http://www.npr.org/2016/04/30/476212898/fets-not-hug-it-out-with-our-dogs? — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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When your cat leaves his poop unburied, you might think he's just being careless. The truth is, he's leaving a message. Normally cats are quite tidy with their turds, leaving them in litter boxes and carefully covering them up. But when your cat drops a log in the box- or worse, outside the box exposed and uncovered, he's saying, Attention other cats: this is my territory. So, there's another cat making him feel threatened. CRACKED.COM http understanding-your-cat/why-do-cats-cover-their-waste — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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Hypoallergenic dog breeds don't exist. Allergic reactions are usually caused by proteins in the urine and saliva of dogs and cats, not their fur. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source: 13 Surprising Facts About Your Pets

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Your cat showing you his belly might seem like a trap. It's really a sign of trust. Most cat owners have experienced it-seeing their cat splayed on his back, belly to the air, then reaching in to pet the cat and getting scratched. So they assume it's a form of play. It isn't. It's comparable to a human hug, where you press your body against another person. He's exposing his belly to say, I trust you. CRACKED.COM s//youtu.be/KEbiXxd2XF4 — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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When your pet misbehaves, you punish it. That's basic. And it's basically wrong. Punishing your dog or cat just teaches it that you're mean. They don't make the connection between their actions and your punishment, no matter how hard you rub their faces in them. And punishment makes them more likely to misbehave. Instead, use positive reinforcement, like treats, for good behavior. CRACKED.COM http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591%2811%2900087-6/abstract — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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When your dog yawns, you figure he's getting sleepy. -HO HUM He might be trying to shake off stress. Yes, dogs do yawn when they're tired - and they've been observed to catch a yawn from their human companions- but usually a yawn means they're tense. A yawn helps the dog to release anxiety and re-focus. Sort of like rolling your shoulders and head. CRACKED.COM 201204/are-dogs-trving-communicate-when-they-yawn — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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You might like to gaze lovingly into your dog's eyes. Your dog sees that as a threat. Dogs avoid eye contact with one another, when they interact. If a dog does meet your eyes with a direct stare, it means stop staring at me. If it gives you the side eye with its whites visible, back off. That dog is uncomfortable and might be preparing to bite. CRACKED.COM http://aspcapro org/resource/saving-lives-behavior-enrichment/canine-body-language — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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When your dog pees on the floor, you might think he's excited to see you. He might just be telling you that you're the boss. If your dog cowers and pees when he sees you, it's an act of submission, not overexcitement or lack of control. And if you yell at your dog for doing it, you'll make the dog even more submissive and prone to pee. Instead, sit down with him and avoid eye contact. CRACKED.COM http://www professorshouse.com/pers/dogs/raining/ — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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Is your dog SO happy to go walkies that he pulls on the leash? That's not happiness. It's confusion. Dogs need to be specifically trained to recognize what a leash is, and where you want their bodies relative to yours, during a walk. Otherwise they'll keep yanking harder and harder until they damage their tracheas. Training, by the way, does not mean simply yanking on the leash. That triggers your dog to pull more. CRACKED.COM http://dogmastersystem.com/behavior.ht — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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Think your dog gives you licks because he loves you? He's doing it because you're the alpha. When a dog is a puppy, it licks its mother to signal that it wants to eat. For adult dogs, it's an act of submission. In the wild, the less dominant members of the pack lick the alpha dogs. It doesn't mean he likes you, it means he knows you can crush him if you so desire and is submitting to your will. CRACKED.COM http://petcarefacts.com/blog/training-and-behavior/why-do-dogs-lick — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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If you pet another dog, does your dog pick that moment to act out? She's not bonkers. She's jealous. Scientists put two dogs side by side and had them complete commands. One of the dogs got rewarded; the other did not. The dog that was not rewarded stopped performing the trick, and showed signs of stress and annoyance. That's jealousy, or at least the ability to be irritated by unfairness. CRACKED.COM ://content 8599 1865847. 00 html — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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Dogs who eat their poop are either nuts or starving, right? Actually, they're following instincts. Predatory animals in the wild find dog dens by the smell of their poop. (You might have noticed it's pretty pungent.) Mother dogs will often eat feces to protect their puppies. Another reason your dog might eat poop is out of boredom. Fortunately that's easy to cure With a walk. CRACKED.COM fessorshouse.com/pets/dogs/fraining/articles/why-do-dogs-eat-poop/ — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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DOGS POOP IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE EARTH'S MAGNETICFIELDS. They also prefer to poop with their bodies aligned with a North-South axis. CRACKED.COM — Source: 21 Dog Facts That Are Pleasant As Hell

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You might think butt- sniffing is a greeting, or to compare poop. It's actually extensive information gathering. They're not checking one another's poop at all. What they're sniffing are the anal glands, which are like a doggy biography. Those glands tell another dog everything they need to know: gender, how healthy they are, what their diet is like, even their mood. CRACKED.COM http://www.ifiscience.com/plants-and-animals/why-do-dogs-smeli-butts-so-much — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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You're probably tired of your dog begging for your food. But what she's saying is, I trust you. Scientists set out two plates of human food, and had a person eat from one of them. After the dog witnessed that, it chose the plate the human had eaten from. Even when that plate was smaller. CRACKED.COM //journals s.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal pone 0035437 — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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When your dog barks, you might yell at her to shut up. Which tells your dog that it's time to bark. Your yelling sounds to your dog like you're barking, too. Not only will the dog continue to bark because you're now barking together, if she's barking because she's excited or scared, you just made it worse. Instead, try distracting your dog with a game. Or teach her to speak on command. CRACKED.COM http://www.k9web.com/dog-fags/behavior.htmi#barking — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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If you've got a yowling cat, you're probably mad at her. You should be mad at Yourself. Unless cat has a medical problem the a or is in heat, most likely reason your cat yowls is because it's helped her to get what she wants, in the past. Painful and annoying as it might sound, you need to ignore the racket and only give your cat what she wants when she's being quiet. CRACKED.COM htto ///pets webmd.com/cats/quide/cats-excessive-meowing — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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Purring Cats

A purring cat is a happy cat, right? Not necessarily. Cats do purr when happy, but they also purr to comfort themselves when they're frightened, and to help heal themselves. Scientists have found that the vibrations caused by purring can repair muscles and tendons, ease breathing, and reduce pain and swelling. And it's not just the cat who benefits - cat owners reap the healing properties of purring, and they're also less likely to have heart attacks.. CRACKED.COM http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/why-do-cafs-purr — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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You might think your cat brings you prey to please you. It's actually trying to teach you to hunt. Cats are natural hunters, and yours has noticed that you're absolutely terrible at killing your own food. So like a mother raising its kitten, your cat brings you prey (often still alive) to help you learn to hunt. CRACKED.COM http://nicolaas.articlealley.com/why-cats-bring-in-dead-animals-460709.htm/ — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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When a cat pees on your stuff, you might think he hates you. But the truth is, he's into you. All insecure cat wants to establish a bond with you, so he might pee on your things in order to mingle his scent with yours. He's saying, you and me, right? That cat needs confidence, and to feel secure. CRACKED.COM Vyoutu.be/KEbtXkd2XF4 — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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You probably think your cat rubbing against your leg is saying, I love you. Nope. She's saying, I own you. That cat lovingly caressing your leg is not only marking you as her property, she's also letting other cats know whether she's interested in hooking up. So wherever you go, now that you've been lovingly scent-marked, you're a walking Tinder for your cat. CRACKED.COM petplace understanding-your-cat/why-do-cats-rub-up-against-things — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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A hissing cat is an angry cat, right? Not quite. Hissing is meant to terrify you. A cat's hiss is intended to mimic a deadly snake attack, from the hissing sound to the slitted eyes and bared fangs. When your cat hisses, it's imitating something that can kill you. CRACKED.COM http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020526/spectrum/nature.htm — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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Cats are so clean. They're always licking themselves. And the reason they wash is to get rid of your scent. Cats are incredibly scent-oriented - they can detect catnip at one part per million. So they're particular about how they smell. They're eager to put their scent on you and your environment, but not so keen on smelling like a human. CRACKED.COM http://www.perfectpaws.com/help1.htm/#VyJd2aMrJMY — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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When your cat arches her back and puffs her tail, you might think that's aggression. It's not. It's fear. When a cat fluffs up her tail and raises her back with the hair standing on end, she's trying to make herself look as big as possible, to keep from being attacked. She's scared or startled, and unhappy. CRACKED.COM /voutu.be/KEbtXkd2XF4 — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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If you love your cat, you probably tell her so, in words. She won't get it unless you use your eyes. To really connect with your cat, you should learn the slow blink. Relax your face, gaze calmly at your cat, and blink very slowly. In cat language, that shows that you trust them enough to close your eyes. If you're doing it right, your cat will return the gesture. CRACKED.COM https://youtu be/ERJXwaTVPI8 — Source: 25 Pet Behaviors That Mean The Opposite of What You Think

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