Popular Myths!

Adding Garlic or Onions to a dog's diet can repel fleas

Not true. Both items may make the dog's breath smell, but will have no effect in fleas.

Raw eggs are good for dogs.

Cooked eggs are an excellent source of protein, but raw eggs should not be fed as they can cause bacterial contamination. Much like in humans.

Egg whites can also cause a vitamin B deficiency, leading to scaly skin, hair loss or diarrhoea.

Dogs are colourblind.

Although they can’t see the world in full technicolour like we can, dogs can see some colours. Their eyes detect fewer colours than ours, so their perception is similar to humans with colour blindness.

They can tell the difference between blue and yellow, but see green and red as shades of grey.

I can tell when my dog has done something wrong from the guilty look on their face

Ever come home to find your pet has chewed up your child’s favourite cuddly toy, or has made a mess on the carpet? That look on his face isn’t guilt, but you could be forgiven for thinking it is.

Owners often mistakenly believe their dog knows they have done wrong, but what you’re actually seeing is ‘appeasement behaviour’.

Dogs that look guilty are doing nothing more than responding to an owner’s disappointment, upset or anger and it is their way of diffusing tension in response to feeling threatened. They’re more likely to do this is they’ve been told off in the past.

Dogs age seven years for every human year.

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, so working out their age in human years isn’t quite as simple as multiplying it by seven.

Different breeds take different lengths of time to reach maturity, and lifespans vary based on size and genetics, too. Smaller breeds tend to live longer than larger breeds, and they also take longer to mature than their bigger cousins.