Last updated on March 22nd, 2023 at 11:14 pm

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How Many Bones Does Your Dog Have? ANSWERED!

Most pet lovers often ask this question, how many bones do dogs have? But to answer that, there is no specific number of dogs’ bones because it depends on the length of their tails. For example, dogs with long tails will have more bones than dogs with small tails. When we talk about how many bones a dog can have, the dog’s size doesn’t matter. But surprisingly, dogs have more bones than humans. Let’s move forward to find the answer.  

Short Answer:

The common number of bones that dogs have, is between 319 to 321 bones in their bodies. However, it mainly depends on the length of the tail. The longer the tail the more bones he or she will have.

How Many Bones Do Dogs Have? 

As mentioned at the start, the number of bones in dogs depends on the tail length. But overall, dogs have between 319 to 321 bones in their body. More importantly, the number of bones remains the same regardless of the dog’s size. For example, toy poodles and Great Danes both have the same number of bones.  

Why Do Dogs Have More Bones Than Humans?  

Humans have 206 bones, and dogs have between 319 and 321. Now you might be wondering, why do dogs have more bones? Dogs usually have disconnected shoulder bones, providing them with a great range of motion. Moreover, they don’t have a collarbone.  

Ideally, the dog’s skeleton gets mature in 3 to 18 months. But this maturation depends on the size of the dogs. For example, for small dogs breeds like Poodles, the skeleton matures within few months. On the other hand, larger dog breeds like Great Danes have 15 to 18 months of maturation.  

Let’s answer the question of why do dogs have more bones than humans. Dogs have four legs and four paws. More importantly, each of them contains bones to protect their organs and support their body weight.  

Moreover, these bones help them support muscles in running, running in another direction, stopping quickly, and jumping. As mentioned earlier, dogs have disconnected shoulder bones so that they can take longer strides.  

How to Take Care of Your Dog’s Bones?  

Now, you get an answer to how many bones are in a dog’s body. The next question is, what should you do to take care of them? If you want to prevent your dogs from health issues when they get old, you need to ensure that they have healthy bones. If you want bones to grow and maintain good health, feed high-quality food to your dogs so that they get the required nutrition.  

Taking your dog for a walk and exercise can also help bones stay strong and healthier for a long time. Along with calcium and Vitamin C, dogs also need Vitamin D to help bones function well. Vitamin K is also essential for growing strong bones.  

Some people prefer supplements for bones growth. But it’s not a good practice, supplements can work well, but too much consumption can be bad for the overall health of dogs. For example, too much calcium can cause bone abnormalities in dogs.  

Final Words 

Now you have an answer to how many bones a dog has and why they have more bones than humans. Moreover, we have shared some tips to take care of your dog’s bones. If you have any other questions about dogs’ bones, you can ask in a comment section.  

Vet Approved
This article is vet-approved showing accurate information about dogs’ bones.