There are many rumors and myths in the pet industry and pet parents more than trust their local dog grooming and pet store facilities to have all the answers. Sometimes they don’t. For those times, here are some common myths about dogs that you may have heard about and the truth behind the claims:
Myth #1: Mixed Dog Breeds Are Healthier than Pure breeds
This is a myth perpetuated constantly in the pet industry, among dog grooming facilities, pet rescues, and sometimes even dog breeding circles. It was likely thought up by those who wish to encourage pet adoption from rescue missions vs. breeders, but really only proves to divide pet parents. When it comes down to pet health, it’s all on an individual basis. Just like humans, some dogs are healthier than others, whether they’re mixed or purebred. If these dogs with health problems breed, many health problems can be passed down. You could take a purebred Beagle with health problems and a lab mix, make puppies, and they have the chance to have the same health problems as their parents because that’s how genetics work. At the end of the day, a healthy dog is a healthy dog and health defects come in all shapes, sizes, and breeds.
Myth #2: All Pit Bulls Lock Their Jaws
Pit Bulls have a bad name in the pet industry for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons is their strong jaw and high level of energy. When Pit Bulls attack, it’s said that they lock their jaws and this is frightening for friends, family, and employees at dog grooming. When a jaw locks, there’s nothing you can to do release it. The truth about Pit Bulls is their jaws are no different than any other dog jaw on the planet. That said: they don’t lock.
Myth #3: Dogs Have Cleaner Mouths than Humans
In the pet industry, this is a common saying among pet parents. You may find pet parents at dog grooming talking about how they share food with their dogs or that it’s alright if their dog licks everything incessantly because their mouths are cleaner. This statement is false as all creatures, human, dog, or otherwise, have bacteria in their mouths to keep them healthy. Dogs’ mouths aren’t necessarily cleaner than humans, but they have a different ecosystem. Most people certainly won’t grow sick from doggie mouth, but that doesn’t mean doggie mouths are clean or that you should be germ sharing.
Myth #4: Dogs See the World Like an Old Television Set
In the pet industry and among pet parents, it’s often said that dogs are color blind and can only see in black and white. This is actually very untrue. Many vets and professionals at dog grooming can tell you that studies have been done recently that say while dogs don’t see in as full a color-spectrum as humans, they still see colors ranging from shades of blue and yellow. Though dogs have not been shown to see colors on the blue to green spectrum.
Myth #5: Dog Years Are 7:1 Human Year
There is truth in the statement that dog’s age faster than humans. However the way their years add up is calculated differently depending on the breed. You’ll notice that often smaller breeds live longer than larger breeds. Talk to individuals in the pet industry and you may hear that lifespan is very breed specific. Appropriate dog grooming can help lengthen a dog’s life, but not to some major extent like adding ten years onto a 16-year-old dog’s life.
