20 Fun Dog Facts for Kids
If your kids or students love dogs, these dog facts for kids are the perfect way to integrate learning with their interests. There are hundreds of dog breeds out there and while dog owners may be experts on one or two, there is so much more to learn!
Dogs are considered the world’s most popular pet and for good reason. They are lovable, fun, and make great companions. And like much of the wild world of animals, they are a constantly evolving species! There is always something new to learn!
Kids may think these animals are just pet dogs, but they were wild animals first! There are massive differences between adult dogs and puppies and from breed to breed.
If you have a dog lover in your classroom or household, you will likely find tidbits below that they have never heard before! Learning something new is how we grow and develop. So, let’s jump right in to these fun dog facts for kids.
Easy Dog Facts for Kids Printable Activity
For the younger kids, I have simplified some basic dog facts to help them better understand. If they love dogs, and are learning how to read and write, then they will LOVE these Building Sentences Dog Facts Printables.
- Dogs have an amazing sense of hearing.
- Dogs have 42 adult teeth.
- Labs are the most popular family dogs.
- Service dogs help humans with special needs.
- There are 400 million dogs in the world.
- Dogs are called “man’s best friend”.
- Dogs have dreams just like humans do.
- Every dog’s nose print is different.
- Dogs cannot eat chocolate.
- Dogs wag their tails when they are happy.
Interesting Physical Traits of Dogs
While many breeds may look different on the outside, many of them have similar physical traits that we may not notice! Here are a few interesting physical traits that the majority of dogs carry:
- Dogs come in many different sizes. Some are toy size and only weigh four pounds and some weigh over 100 or 200 pounds!
- Dogs cannot sweat! This is why many dogs get very hot in the summer.
- A dog’s ear canal is much deeper than a humans! This is why they are such excellent listeners!
- Dogs have an organ on the roof of their mouth that lets them “taste” what they smell!
- Dogs have blood vessels in their claws! This is why it is so important to be careful when trimming their paws!
- Dog skin is much thinner than human skin! It is important to use shampoo specifically made for dog skin.
- Different breeds have different types of hair coats. Breeds like huskies that are from colder climates have hair that helps keep them warm!
- Dogs have 28 baby teeth and 42 permanent teeth.
Fun Dog Facts for Kids
Dogs make great pets. That is a well known fact. But did you know the average dog can live up to 14 or 15 years? That does not seem very long to us, but it is actually over 100 years old in dog years! The interesting facts listed below will teach you something new about (almost) everyone’s favorite animal!
Fun Facts About Man’s Best Friend
- Dogs are omnivores! This means that they eat all different types of foods. They like to eat grains, vegetables, and meat. The dog food you buy in a store usually includes all three!
- Larger dog breeds like German Shepherds or Great Danes have large litters of puppies. They often have litters of eight puppies! Smaller dogs, like Yorkshire Terriers, have smaller litters. They may only have three or four puppies.
- A dog’s average body temperature is between 101 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The average lifespan of a dog is somewhere between 10-14 years!
- Dogs have an excellent sense of smell. Dog noses can smell many things that we cannot!
- It’s popular belief that Dalmatians are the best fire dogs.
- Dogs have an amazing sense of hearing. They can hear extremely high frequencies and can hear sounds about four times the distance away that we can!
- Before moderns dogs existed in houses, they were wild dogs! However, many scientists believe that the domestication of dogs may have happened over 15,000 years ago!
- It is estimated that there are about 400 million dogs alive around the world right now! You can check your dog’s mood and how they are feeling by looking at their body language! Checking to see if their ears or tail are up or down can let you know what they might be feeling.
- Dogs are mammals! This means they have hair (or fur), they breathe with lungs, are warm blooded, and give birth to live young!
- When we say dogs, we think of pet dogs. However, scientists use the term dogs to refer to animals in and outside of the home. They call foxes, jackals, wolves, and dingos dogs too —even though those animals live in the wild.
Popular Dog Breeds
The American Kennel Club recognizes over 200 different breeds of dogs. That doesn’t even include the hundreds of experimental or new breeds that they do not officially recognize! Needless to say, there are a lot of different breeds of dogs out there.
We may think they all are somewhat similar, but pet owners. can verify that is not true. Different dog breeds make great guide dogs for blind people or those with disabilities. Whereas some make great police dogs or great guard dogs. There are also dogs that make the perfect first dog for children.
In case you didn’t see this list in the Puppy Facts for Kids, here are some of the most popular breeds of dogs in the United States.
- Great Dane
- German Shepherd
- Labrador Retreiver
- Golden Retriever
- Border Collie
- Cocker Spaniel
- French Bulldogs
- Poodles
- Beagles
- Rottweilers
- Pointers
- Yorkshire Terriers
- Boxers
Popular Service Dog Breeds
Service dogs are dogs that are trained to work with individuals who have some sort of special or specific need. Assistance dogs could be for psychological reasons, mobility reasons, or medical reasons. They are trained to be a companion to the individual and help keep them safe.
While some dogs make great pets, not all have the temperament necessary to be service dogs or guide dogs. Here are a few breeds that make great service dogs:
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador Retriever
- German Shepherd
- Poodle
- Border Collie
- Boxer
- Great Dane
- Pomeranian
Thanks for stopping by to read these fun dog facts for kids.
Below are more dog and puppy posts to keep learning fun for your kids.
Dog Facts for Kids
