Your pup will thank you

Can dogs really tell time? The answer will surprise you!

Image: Jametlene Reskp

Dogs are part of the family: They're our best friends and our constant companions. But over the years, myths about dog behavior have made their way into common belief. Some sound logical, while others are just crazy, but how do we separate fact from fiction? Can dogs really tell time? Is chocolate always deadly? Let's take a look at some of the most common myths about our four-legged friends, some of which might just surprise you!

Image: Dominik QN

Many dog owners believe that once their pup has reached a certain age, training becomes impossible. It’s only logical: When we see a young pup and their eagerness to pick up on commands quickly, we tend to think older ones won’t be able to do that. Because of this, many people give up on training their senior dogs, assuming the effort won’t pay off. But is this belief really true? Place your bets!

Image: Camylla Battani

As it turns out, age is just a number: Dogs are capable of learning at any stage of life! While older dogs may take a little longer to pick up new habits, just like we humans, their brains remain highly adaptable.

Training activities work best when it’s fun, positive, and rewarding, so grab some tasty treats and start small. Short, frequent training sessions are the key to success.

Image: Matthew Henry

Ever leave the house and come back to a dog who acts like you’ve been gone for years? Many assume dogs don’t understand time, thinking they react the same whether you’ve been gone for five minutes or five hours.

Since they don’t read clocks, it’s easy to assume they live entirely in the moment. But if that’s the case, how do they seem to know exactly when it’s time for dinner or their daily walk?

Image: Karsten Winegeart

Science confirms that dogs have a sense of time. Studies have shown that dogs can distinguish between different time intervals, meaning they know the difference between an hour and several hours. But how?

They associate events with specific routines. If you always walk them at a certain time, they’ll start anticipating it. Some experts believe dogs use scent to tell time, as human odors change throughout the day. So yes, your dog really does know if you’re late for dinner!

Image: Tim Mossholder

On warm days, it’s tempting to crack the windows and run into the store, thinking your pup will be fine for a few minutes. After all, they have fresh air, right? Many people assume that as long as the windows are open, there’s no risk of overheating. But just how safe is it?

Image: John Carlo Tubelleza

Leaving a dog in a parked car, even for a few minutes, can be incredibly dangerous. Cars heat up shockingly fast, even with the windows cracked, and dogs have a harder time regulating body temperature than humans.

Heatstroke can set in quickly, and once it does, it can be fatal. If you wouldn’t sit in a parked car on a hot day, why would you let your dog do so?

Image: Erica Magugliani

Humans rely on words to express emotions, but dogs sadly don’t have that luxury. Many assume that while dogs pick up on body language, they can’t actually sense how we feel.

After all, emotions are internal, right? However, have you ever felt your dog was closer than ever when you’re feeling down? Is that real, or is it just your mind playing tricks?

Image: Eric Ward

If you said this was possible, you were right! Dogs don’t just guess your feelings; they can smell them! Their noses are 100,000 times more powerful than ours, meaning they pick up on chemical changes in our bodies.

When we’re scared or anxious, we sweat slightly differently, releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Your dog doesn’t just see your nervous body language; they literally smell your fear. So yes, they know when you’re having a bad day, and that’s why they’re always ready to comfort you.

Image: James Barker

Chocolate is delicious, and dogs seem eager to try everything we eat, don’t they? We might feel tempted to share our piece of chocolate with our furry best friend.

Many people believe that while chocolate is technically bad for dogs, a small amount won’t actually cause harm. If a dog sneaks a bite of a cookie or a tiny piece of chocolate, it’s no big deal… right?

Image: Artem Sapegin

Well, chocolate contains theobromine, a chemical that is toxic to dogs. The danger of it depends on the type of chocolate and the size of the dog. Naturally, dark chocolate is the worst, as it contains the highest levels of theobromine.

While a tiny bit of milk chocolate might not be fatal, it can still cause vomiting, diarrhea, or heart issues. If your dog eats any chocolate, call your vet immediately. You know the saying: Better safe than sorry!

Image: Stas Svechnikov

When humans have aches and pains, we reach for ibuprofen or aspirin. Some dog owners assume it’s safe to give their pups a tiny dose of these medications if they’re injured or sick. After all, if it helps humans, it must help dogs too, right?

Image: Laula Co

That’s actually not the case! Giving ibuprofen to your dog can have serious, even fatal, consequences.

Dogs process medication differently than humans, and even small doses can cause stomach ulcers, kidney damage, or liver failure. If your dog is in pain, never give them human medicine. Just consult your vet for safe, pet-approved pain relief options. What works for us doesn’t always work for them!

We just know that we know nothing

12 facts that people often get wrong

No one can claim to know everything, but most people go through life confident about certain things. However, some of these widely held beliefs are not actually correct, despite their popularity. Let’s have a look at some "facts" you might have gotten wrong!

The idea that insects—particularly mosquitoes—are not animals is widespread, but it’s also incorrect. In fact, insects are the most diverse group within the Animal kingdom, with more than a million species described and representing more than half of the animal population of the planet.

The mistake comes from not considering that "fruit" is not only a culinary term but also a botanical one. Botanically, a fruit is the part of a plant that develops from a flower and contains seeds. This makes tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, and many other foods that we call vegetables actually fruits in the scientific sense.

Countries have a political delimitation, while continents are divided according to geographical criteria. The Russian Federation is the largest country on Earth, bordering fourteen other countries and extending across eleven time zones. It spans across a good part of Eastern Europe, but also across the Ural mountains—one of the recognized borders between Europe and Asia—and stretches deep into northern Asia.

While cold weather isn’t harmless, it is not the direct cause of illnesses like the flu, which are caused by viruses. In colder months, people tend to spend more time indoors and often avoid ventilating rooms, creating conditions that make it easier for viruses to spread and cause illness.

Bats might not prefer to be out during bright daylight, but this does not mean that they are blind. In fact, many species have excellent eyesight, though it is adapted to low-light or nighttime conditions. On top of that, bats also use echolocation, which allows them to navigate and hunt with remarkable precision in complete darkness.

The belief that you must wait a full day before reporting someone missing is a myth popularized by movies and TV shows. In reality, the law does not require a waiting period. In fact, law enforcement agencies stress that the first 24 hours are often the most critical, so a missing person should be reported immediately.

Some man-made structures are visible from space without magnification, but despite popular belief, the Great Wall of China is not one of them. While it is quite long, being over 13,000 miles long, it is relatively narrow, and its earthy colors blend in with the surrounding landscape, making it nearly impossible to spot with the naked eye from orbit.

This one is tricky: Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth (29,032 feet)… if you measure the distance from sea level to peak. For the actual tallest mountain, the answer might vary depending on how you measure. Measured from base to summit, Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the tallest at 33,474 feet—though much of it is underwater. Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska rises about 18,000 feet from its base to the peak, making it the tallest mountain entirely above sea level. And Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo, while shorter in height, is the farthest point on Earth from the planet’s center due to the equatorial bulge.

The Earth is tilted on an axis, which causes the amount of sunlight each hemisphere receives to change as it orbits the Sun. Because of this tilt, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and experiences summer, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away and experiences winter—and vice versa. This is why the Southern Hemisphere celebrates Christmas during summer.

Standard medical advice is to gently guide a sleepwalker back to bed rather than waking them, but not because waking them is inherently dangerous. People tend to sleepwalk during deep sleep, so waking them up might startle them or cause confusion and disorientation.

Hair color and thickness are determined by genetics, not by shaving. Hair naturally gets thin at the ends, so when you shave it, the hair shaft appears to be thicker and darker because of the blunt cut. But it's just an optical illusion; the natural size of the shaft remains unchanged.

Coffee is a natural diuretic, meaning it can increase trips to the bathroom. However, the water in brewed coffee still contributes to your hydration and offsets its mild diuretic effect. If you consume coffee in moderation—3 to 5 cups a day, depending on your tolerance—you should be alright. However, drinking extra water on the side is never a bad idea.