Myths about dogs can endanger your dog's safety if believed and acted upon. Canine Kingdom exposes myths, old wives' tales and methods of communicating with dogs that do not work. Canine Kingdom will further refine and massively communicate our knowledge base about dogs — so that an accurate understanding of dogs is clear, widely held, and protected. To separate fact from fiction, Canine Kingdom brings you debunked myths, verified facts, and statistically proven methods.

Dogs must have bones!
The most common symbol associated with dogs, the ‘bone', is actually damaging to dogs! It is an erroneous myth that dogs should have bones. Unless you are working with a specialist or are experienced in raw feeding do not give dogs raw food or bones. Dogs have dental care needs just like humans. Their teeth wear down from hard bones, and can even break. Cooked bones should never be given to dogs. The heat changes the chemical and physical properties of bones and they resist digestion and cannot be chewed properly, splintering into jagged shards. There are several options available to provide your dogs the chewing exercise they love and crave: Kongs; ‘fill n freeze' nylon bones; and tough (but soft) chew toys.

Never disturb a dog when he's eating
One of the highest incidence rates of dog bites occurs when a dog's food is disturbed. Dog parents may conclude it's best not to disturb a dog when he's eating. But what it really means is that your dog sees you and/or your kids as a threat, rather than the best thing that's ever happened to him. Every dog should learn to look forward to the presence of people near their bowl because he's going to get a surprise yummy treat. To do this, start by hand feeding your dog-using an open palm. Then, each time you feed your dog, disturb his bowl or food in some way - starting with touching your dog and working your way to actually putting your hand in his bowl. That way, when someone inadvertently knocks his bowl over or a child reaches for his food, he won't respond as though his meal is being threatened.

A cold, wet nose, indicates a healthy dog
The nose of a healthy dog should be at normal body temperature unless he is out in cold, wintry air (just like our noses). So remember, it is not a wet nose that tells you your dog is healthy, but rather a dry, hot nose that tells you something may be wrong.

Brushing is good for the coat
This is a partial myth. While brushing is necessary to keep your dog's coat clean and detangled between baths, brushing too hard can roughen the hair cuticle, exposing its cortex and leaving the hair porous and frayed. Rule of thumb - if you can hear the brush, you are brushing too hard!

You must have a yard for your dog
Absolutely not true! Dogs are social animals, so they ultimately want to be with you. Ninety-nine percent of the time when a dog is in the yard, he's hanging out at the back door waiting to come back inside with you. And you'll notice that even inside a 10,000-square-foot house, the dog will tend to be right by your feet.

Dogs should not be fed table scraps
This is one of the most widespread myths the manufacturers of some pet food products perpetuate. They claim that table scraps will upset the balance of the commercial dog food. Just like humans, dogs should not be fed the same meal every single day of their lives. Dietary deficiencies do not appear overnight but need a long period of consistently poor nutrition to develop. Dogs will not automatically get fat, learn to beg at the table, or refuse to eat their own food just because they are fed table scraps. They will, however, do those things for various other reasons, like being overfed or trained that they can get food from your table. Feed your dog ‘human' food in their bowls.

Pit Bulls have locking jaws

According to Dr. Sandy deLaHunta, a noted dog neurologist, and Dr. Katherine Houpt, a dog behaviorist, there is no such thing as "jaw locking" or a "jaw locking mechanism" in pit bulls or in any breed of dog.

They both concurred that the power of the bite is proportional to the size of the jaws and the jaw muscles. And they concluded that there is no anatomical structure that could be a locking mechanism in any dog.

Do you have a myth about dogs that has proven to be false? A fact that has proven to be true? Please send your myths and facts with proof of verification to:
Research@Canine Kingdom.com

Mary Beth Close founded For the Love of Dogs, Inc., the holding company for Canine Kingdom in 1999. Her vision is to end the unnecessary and unintentional abuse pet dogs suffer because we do not understand them. Canine Kingdom researches, organizes, develops, and validates information, methods and products regarding dog communication, training, and care needs. Canine Kingdom is an independent corporation and is not affiliated with any other pet related company, professional, or organization

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