[0:00]There are some popular myths about dogs that are just not true. Like, when a dog licks you, they're kissing you. One human year equals seven dog years and a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's.
[0:13]You'll learn the truth about those myths, but first, here's one of the biggest misconceptions about dogs. When your dog wags their tail, they're happy. Yes, it might mean they're happy, but it could also be a sign of several other moods.
[0:26]A slow and low wag might mean that they're feeling unsure, while a high and fast wag might mean that they're feeling aggressive. And even the direction of the tail wag might be a sign of their mood.
[0:38]One study found that when they're wagging their tail more to the right, they're feeling good about something. But when they're wagging it more to the left, they're feeling uneasy.
[0:48]And here's another dog behavior myth. Dogs eat grass when they're sick. They might be eating grass because they're bored or anxious, kind of like how humans fidget when we're bored or anxious.
[0:58]One study found that only 22% of dogs that eat grass regularly vomit afterwards, and only 8% of dogs showed signs of being sick before they ate grass.
[1:10]That being said, if they're frantically eating grass or eating it all the time, then you might want to take them to the vet and get them checked out.
[1:17]Grass is typically harmless to dogs, but not everything they try to eat is harmless. A lot of people think that if it's okay for us humans to eat, then it's okay for our dogs to eat.
[1:28]But that's not always true. There are several weird foods that are perfectly safe for us, but dangerous to our dogs.
[1:34]Foods like chocolate, grapes, macadamia nuts, raisins, and onions, just to name a few. Your vet can help you learn what they can and can't eat, and they can help you come up with a plan to keep them healthy.
[1:46]Now, here's a myth about dogs that almost everybody thinks is true. One human year equals seven dog years.
[1:53]This probably got started because people said humans live for about 70 years, and dogs live for about 10 years, but that's pretty inaccurate.
[2:02]Small dogs can often live up to 15 years old, while some bigger breeds might only live to be eight years old. And then there's the fact that dogs mature faster than humans.
[2:11]According to this chart from the AKC, the first year of a dog's life is about 15 human years. Then after that, one year of your dog's life is equal to about five years for a human.
[2:24]This next myth is a little on the sensual side, but first, if you love your dog and want them to be the best dog they can be, subscribe to doggy digs, so you never miss any of our future doggy videos.
[2:37]Okay, no beating around the bush here. Many people think that only boy dogs hump, but female dogs may be just as guilty.
[2:44]Here's why. Humping is not always a sexual thing. It can be a display of social dominance, or your pup is just over excited and doesn't know how else to express themselves.
[2:54]But it's not the only thing people think is just for boy dogs. Many people think that only boy dogs lift their legs and mark their territory.
[3:03]But just like humping, girl dogs can join in on this pee party too. They might lift their legs to mark when they're in heat to let the boys know what's up.
[3:11]Or they might just be letting other dogs know that this is her territory. And size may have an impact too, with smaller females typically lifting their legs more than bigger females.
[3:22]But no matter if you have a male or a female dog, this next false fact affects every pup. And that is, dogs need to chew on bones.
[3:30]Many dogs love to chew, and there are tons of benefits to chewing, like helping them relax and also cleaning their teeth. But giving your dog real bones can result in a serious accident.
[3:42]They can splinter and slice your dog's mouth, throat, or stomach. They can be too hard and break your dog's teeth. Or if you boil them, they might break apart and cause your dog to choke or get lodged in their stomach.
[3:54]Of course, if you don't give your dog something to chew, they'll find something themselves, something you probably don't want them chewing, like your shoes.
[4:03]So instead of leaving the door open for my dog to chew whatever he wants, I like to give him nylon toys like this Benny bone or rubber toys like Kongs, which won't hurt his teeth or his tummy.
[4:13]I'll drop a link for these two toys down in the description for you. And speaking of your dog's health, here's another thing people get wrong.
[4:20]Many dog owners think that they should shave their dogs in the summer. But this can be problematic for a few reasons.
[4:26]First, when you shave them, you get rid of their natural protection against sunburn and bug bites. And to make matters even worse, if your dog has a double coat, I'm talking to you, shepherd and retriever owners,
[4:39]then you're robbing them of their natural ability to regulate their temperature, so they might actually overheat. If you're thinking about giving your pup a buzz cut, talk to your vet and see what's best for your dog.
[4:51]There's another mistake people are making that's hurting their dog. But first, let's talk about a myth that might make you think twice about the next toy you get your dog.
[5:00]And that is, the myth that dogs are colorblind. Dogs can see colors. It's just that they don't distinguish colors as well as humans.
[5:08]For your dog, red is just dark, kind of like a brownish gray or black. And yellow, orange, and green all kind of look yellowish.
[5:16]But they can see blue really well. So the next time you pick up a can of tennis balls, you might want to consider getting blue balls instead of green ones, so they stand out more against the green grass.
[5:27]Now, dogs being able to see colors is a pretty harmless myth to be unaware of. But this next myth can actually hurt your relationship with your dog if you don't know that it's wrong.
[5:37]You need to be the pack leader. We all know that in wolf packs, there's an alpha wolf who's the dominant leader.
[5:43]And since dogs are descendants of wolves, you need to be the pack leader, or else your dog will try to take that position. But I've got news for you.
[5:51]Wolf experts, like this guy, Dr. David Mech, have changed their minds about the concept of wolves competing to be the dominant alpha wolf.
[5:59]Today, scientists say packs of wolves resemble more of a family, with the leader being the parent, instead of a competitive dictatorship like everybody used to think.
[6:10]Okay, so what does this all mean for you as a dog parent? It means you don't need to dominate them or never let them walk ahead of you, eat before you, or let them on your furniture.
[6:19]Those decisions should be decided based on what you want your dog to do, not out of fear that they'll think they're the alpha in your home.
[6:27]And speaking of the concept of aggressive alpha dogs, here's another myth. Tug will make your dog aggressive.
[6:33]And letting them win that tug will make them think they're dominating you. This is just not true.
[6:38]And actually, playing tug with your dog can help build your relationship with them. You're having fun together and getting a bit of a workout in, which both strengthen the bond between you two.
[6:48]Plus, you can use it to teach several different commands. Your dog can learn to drop it, they learn that bringing their toys back to you can be fun, and you can even mix in different commands and tricks between bouts of tug.
[7:00]But that's not the only myth about dog games. Here's another one. All dogs love to play fetch. This is kind of like saying all kids like candy.
[7:08]Of course, many of them do, but not all of them do. So if fetch isn't your pup's favorite, don't worry, they're not broken.
[7:15]Just see which activities they do like and do those with them. And speaking of fetch, here's another myth that might surprise you.
[7:22]A tired dog is a good dog. Let me ask you this. Is a tired toddler a good toddler?
[7:28]My nephew just turned two, and toward the end of his birthday party, he was certainly tired, but he was absolutely not good.
[7:35]So when you wear your puppy out physically, they can have meltdowns too and start getting the zoomies or biting you uncontrollably.
[7:43]Instead of just wearing your dog out, give them an appropriate mix of physical and mental exercise.
[7:49]So mix puzzle toys, like frozen Kangs, or this hide squirrel toy, in with your walks and games of fetch and tug.
[7:56]Now, these next few myths have a lot more at stake than just your dog being tired or not. The first one is that dogs' mouths are cleaner than humans.
[8:05]Okay, here's the truth. They're not necessarily cleaner. We each carry billions of bacteria in our mouths.
[8:12]But they do carry different bacteria than we do. And most of the bacteria they carry won't harm us, which is probably how this myth got started.
[8:20]And here's a big mistake that could harm your dog. When your puppy has a potty accident in the house, rubbing their nose in it will help prevent future accidents.
[8:28]Okay, this is not true because you're not actually teaching them where to go. All you're teaching them is to be scared of you.
[8:36]If your puppy has an accident, it's best to clean it up with an enzymatic cleaner so they won't go in that spot anymore.
[8:42]Then, take them outside, show them where to go, and praise them for going in the right spot.
[8:48]They'll appreciate your patience with them so much they could kiss you, which brings us to this next myth. When your dog licks you, they're kissing you.
[8:57]I hate to break it to you, but if your pup is licking your face, they might be trying to get you to puke up your food so that they can eat it.
[9:06]Well, that's what puppies of wild wolves, foxes, and coyotes do to their mother when she gets back from a hunt. So take it as a compliment.
[9:12]It's kind of like they're viewing you as their mother. But that's not the only reason dogs lick you. And it's not the only gross reason either.
[9:20]Dogs like salt and stinky things. So if you're sweaty, they might be trying to lick your sweat, which makes sense in a slightly offensive way, because my dog licks me way more than my wife.
[9:33]Your dog might also lick you to get some of your leftover food off of your hands or face, to groom you, or, like we all want to believe, they might actually be trying to show you affection.
[9:44]Licking you is one way they show you they love you, and if you want your dog to keep loving you, watch this video next about 13 things dogs hate that humans do so you know what never to do.
