Misconceptions About Dogs

Halloween is just around the corner. There are many animal-related myths and superstitions associated with the autumn holiday, particularly those involving black cats and dogs. However, many misconceptions about our canine companions persist all year long. A local San Antonio, TX vet lists some of them below.

Fido Is An Adult When He Reaches His Full Size

Many people assume that Fido is all grown up when he’s finished that big growth spurt. However, dogs are technically puppies for at least the first year of their life. With large dogs, it’s closer to two years.

Small Dogs Don’t Need Training

Small dogs don’t pose much of a threat to others, so people just assume that training them completely isn’t a big deal. Many little pooches never get trained beyond housebreaking. The truth is, even the tiniest Chihuahua needs to know basic commands like Sit and Stay, for both petiquette and safety.

You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

This may very well be the oldest and most persistent myth about Man’s Best Friend. Fido can learn new things at any age. Breaking old/bad habits in senior dogs can be challenging, but it’s by no means impossible.  

Fido Can’t See Color

Dogs don’t see the color spectrum the way we do. However, despite old misconceptions, they aren’t colorblind. Your canine pal’s vision is similar to that of a human with red-green colorblindness. Fido can mostly see blue, green, yellow, and shades of gray.

A Wagging Tail Means Fido Is Happy

This one isn’t entirely wrong, but it’s more complex than many people think. Dogs do wag their tails when they’re happy. Tail language doesn’t stop there, though. A fast tail wag is a clear indication that Fido is feeling cheerful and excited. A slower wag, however, signals uncertainty, fear, or discomfort, and can sometimes be a sign of impending aggression.

One Dog Year = Seven Human Years

This may be an easy way to make a rough guess, but it’s not exactly accurate. For one thing, large dogs age faster than small dogs. An eleven-year-old Saint Bernard would be the equivalent of an 86 year old human, while a Chihuahua of the same age would be closer to 60 in human years. Our canine companions also grow faster than we do: most one year old dogs are roughly equivalent to a 15 year old human.

Do you have questions about caring for Fido? Contact us, your San Antonio, TX animal clinic, today!