Ah dogs! Many of us love them, be it a little, much, enormously, or madly. But even if we find them beautiful, intelligent, and loyal, the fact remains that we have preconceived ideas and sometimes totally false ideas about them. Here is a list of some of those preconceived false ideas that we have about them...

Here are ten myths and misconceptions that are still circulating, occasionally about dogs.

1. A dog who has a warm or dry muzzle has fever and is maybe very ill.

The muzzle is not a good dog thermometer. If the tip of his muzzle is dry, wet or hot, does not indicate the state of health or the internal temperature of your dog. The only real times when you have reasons to worry about the dog is when its muzzle is eroded or ulcer ed, or if their is an appearance of a lump or mass, or a color change, also when their is the presence of a purulent 'Mucus' flow, or a 'Mucus' blood flow coming from one nostril or both.

2. The dog eats grass to purge itself.

While dogs often vomit when they eat too much grass, it is often not the case. Furthermore, we do not really know why dogs eat grass, but it would be logical to think they love the taste, simply. The only real restriction is, in my opinion, that the grass in question is not watered with insecticides or pesticides.

3. Giving garlic to a dog is going to get rid of its intestinal worms.

Contrary to what many think, garlic is not an effective remedy against intestinal worms. Intestinal parasites exist even in countries where garlic is consumed in very large quantities. In addition to not being an adequate worming solution, garlic can prove to be toxic to dogs when ingested in large quantities because it can affect and destroy its red blood cells.

4. Castrating my dog will affect his personality and will diminish its protection instinct.

Not at all! The personality and character of your dog as well as your dog's basic instincts are not found in his family jewels. Do not worry! Your pouch will still be "macho" as before his castration. However, he will not tend to run away as much, and will be more docile in the presence of other males, but between you and me, this is only for the best.

5. Dogs usually know what is good for them.

Nothing is more false! No matter how much we love it and find tit nice, the fact remains that the dog is not very responsible, even when a little 'stupid' Every year, thousands of dog owners in North America need to visit their veterinarians because their dogs have ingested all kind of toxic or because they have swallowed a foreign object which was found stuck in their digestive systems. Swallowed objects are as dangerous and various like kitchen knives, tent pegs, fish hooks, money and the list goes on ....

6. The dog who rubs his buttocks on the ground surely has worms.

When a dog frantically rubbed this buttocks on the ground or lick its anus in a compulsive way, its much more often because he has a problem with infection or impaction around his anus sacs, and not because its infected with intestinal worms. In fact, the majority of dogs that are infected with intestinal worms are completely free of any symptoms.

7. Play a 'tug the rope' with a dog will make it aggressive.

There is no evidence that proves this idea. In fact, according to a study carried out by Borchelt and Goodloe on this subject, there is no correlation between the fact of playing tug the rope and the incidence of canine aggression toward humans.

8. Washing a dog too often will removes its natural protection of the skin.

Veterinary dermatologists are generally of the opinion that you can wash your dog wash as often as necessary as long as you use one of the many good quality shampoos for dogs, especially designed for the skin of dogs and recommended by veterinarians. It is advisable to avoid over perfumed shampoos and buy products designed by reputable companies who take care to write clearly all the ingredients on the label. Also, remember to rinse abundantly your dog at the end of each bath.

9.You must not cut long hairs in front of the eyes of certain dogs like for example the English shepherds because you are taking the risk of making them blind.

Hogwash! While this is sometimes a mark of 'beauty' for certain breeds to have a big clump of hair covering their eyes, there's nothing better for the clear vision of your pet than to liberate the veil before its eyes, by cutting its famous toupee.

10. Dogs are men best friends.

Is the dog man best friend? Sometimes yes, sometimes no! The board of directors of public health says that dog bites occurs no less than 117,000 times each year in Quebec and 67.7 percent of the victims are children under ten years of age. In the vast majority of cases, the biting dog is the family dog or the dog of a family friend and many times the neighbor's dog. This is a very sad reality.