Dogs are simply incredible creatures. Our relationship with our furry friends has endured for over 15 000 years, and shows little sign of flagging.

But I wonder how many people truly appreciate just how incredible our best friends really are.Keep reading, and prepare to be amazed!

1. Bionic Ears - Dogs can pick up sounds at over 35,000 vibrations a second. When you consider that the human ear hears at 20, 000 vibrations per second, that means dogs hear 75% better than us.

2. It’s a Dog’s Life - It may amaze you to hear that the longest dog lifespan on record is an incredible 29 years and 5 months. Unfortunately, few dogs get close to that milestone. Most live 10 to 15 years, although with improvements to veterinary medicine it’s not that unusual these days for a dog to reach 20.

3. Seeing in the Dark - Despite common belief, dogs can actually see in color. And while our color perception may be better, dogs have much better night vision than us, assisted by special reflective layers.

4. Military Dogs - Humans have bred and trained dogs to do all sorts of jobs, including many duties in the military. The Romans used them to good effect in their military campaigns, they supported medieval knights in battle, and served with distinction in both world wars. Today, they perform some very important tasks, like bomb detection, in armies all over the world.

5. Bite Power - A dog’s main weapons are its teeth and jaws, and impressive weapons they are too. Those razor sharp fangs can do serious damage to an enemy, and that jaw delivers a bite force of 200 pounds per square inch.

6. Nose Prints - A dog’s nose produces a print that is as unique as a human fingerprint.

7. Canine Anatomy - Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, so it seems extraordinary that their anatomy is almost identical. All dogs have 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth - although there are obviously variations to the size and shape of bones.

8. Dogs at Rest - While cats may be the champion sleepers of the animal world, dogs are not that far behind. A puppy sleeps about 22 hours a day in the first few weeks of its life.

9. Tuning In - A dog’s ears have twice as many muscles as humans giving them the ability to swivel their ears to better capture sounds.

10. Our Friend the Dog - America’s love affair with dogs shows no sign of waning. Every year millions of puppies are born in the US, and an estimated 35% of households have at least one dog.So there you have it, some amazing facts about out amazing canine friends.

There’s plenty more about dog facts, dog care, types of dogs and other useful dog advice at dogsanddogtraining.com