Free printable
Free Printable: Your Dog's Wild Side Mini-Poster
Get the free Your dog's wild side mini-poster: 6 everyday dog habits, the wild instinct or the science behind each, and one thing to notice or try today. Every line is sourced, and it prints on US Letter or A4.
Updated
Download the poster
Free, no email needed: Download the PDF (US Letter) or Download the PDF (A4). Each file is 2 pages (4 MB): page 1 is the poster, page 2 lists every source with links. Personal use; for learning and fun, not veterinary advice.
What is on the poster
Pick one habit to notice today, or try the wag check below. You can read all six here before downloading.
Why does my dog sniff everything?
Dogs have up to 300 million scent receptors; people have about 6 million. A sniff is how a dog reads the world.
Notice: About 12% of each sniff takes a side path straight to a deep scent chamber at the back of the nose.
Why does my dog howl?
Howling is long-distance talk for wolves: it keeps the pack in touch, marks territory and helps them find each other.
Notice: In Yellowstone, a wolf howl can be heard about 6.6 miles away in forest and 9.6 miles across open ground.
Do twitching paws mean a dream?
Sleep recordings of family dogs show the same main stages people have, including REM, so many scientists think dogs may dream.
Notice: In one study, dogs that napped after learning new command words remembered them better.
Why does my dog love a full-speed run?
Your dog's wild cousin, the gray wolf, cruises at about 5 mph and can sprint at up to 35 mph.
Notice: Yellowstone wolf packs patrol home ranges that average about 165 square miles, so travel runs deep in the family.
Why does my dog stare at me?
In a Japanese study, owners' oxytocin, a bonding hormone, rose after their dogs gazed at them. Hand-raised wolves did not have that effect.
Notice: Dogs have a small muscle that lifts the inner eyebrow into "puppy eyes". Wolves mostly lack it.
What is my dog's wag really saying?
A wag shows excitement, not always happiness. Dogs wagged more to the right for their owner, more to the left for an unfamiliar dominant dog.
Try this: When you come home, stand behind or in front of your dog and watch: does the wag lean to your dog's right? There is no right answer; it is just fun to notice.
How to use it
- Print page 1 on Letter or A4 ("fit to page" is fine; card stock looks best).
- Stick it on the fridge or by the leash hook.
- Tick a box each time you spot a habit this week.
Keep going, free
- Why does my dog sniff everything on walks?
- Why does my dog circle before lying down?
- Why does my dog wait by the door?
More questions: Why does my pet...?
Sources
- PBS NOVA: dogs' sense of smell (Craven, Paterson & Settles 2010)
- U.S. National Park Service: Yellowstone Wolf Facts
- U.S. National Park Service: Why Wolves Howl
- Eotvos Lorand University: sleep-dependent learning in dogs (Kis et al. 2014; Iotchev et al. 2017)
- PBS NOVA: puppy-dog eyes (Nagasawa et al. 2015; Kaminski et al. 2019)
- Nature news: tail wagging to the right or left (Quaranta et al. 2007)
This is general information, not veterinary advice. If anything about your dog's behavior or health worries you, ask your vet.