Portal:Dogs

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The dog (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from an extinct population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. The dog was the first species to be domesticated by humans, over 14,000 years ago and before the development of agriculture. Experts estimate that due to their long association with humans, dogs have gained the ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet that would be inadequate for other canids.

Dogs have been bred for desired behaviors, sensory capabilities, and physical attributes. Dog breeds vary widely in shape, size, and color. They have the same number of bones (with the exception of the tail), powerful jaws that house around 42 teeth, and well-developed senses of smell, hearing, and sight. Compared to humans, dogs have an inferior visual acuity, a superior sense of smell, and a relatively large olfactory cortex. They perform many roles for humans, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, companionship, therapy, aiding disabled people, and assisting police and the military.

Communication in dogs includes eye gaze, facial expression, vocalization, body posture (including movements of bodies and limbs), and gustatory communication (scents, pheromones, and taste). They mark their territories by urinating on them, which is more likely when entering a new environment. Over the millennia, dogs became uniquely adapted to human behavior; this adaptation includes being able to understand and communicate with humans. As such, the human–canine bond has been a topic of frequent study, and dogs' influence on human society has given them the sobriquet of "man's best friend". (Full article...)

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A sable and white Papillon

The Papillon (French pronunciation: [papijɔ̃], French for 'butterfly[-eared]'), also called the Continental Toy Spaniel, is a breed of dog, of the spaniel type. One of the oldest of the toy spaniels, it derives its name from its characteristic butterfly-like look of the long and fringed hair on the ears. A Papillon with dropped ears is called a Phalene. (Full article...)

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Credit: Herwig Kavallar

The Labrador Retriever ("Labrador" or "Lab" for short), is a retriever, and is the most popular breed of dog (by registered ownership) in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The breed is friendly, intelligent, energetic and good natured, making them excellent companions and working dogs. Labrador Retrievers are known to be one of the fastest-learning breeds of dog and respond well to praise and positive attention. The steady temperament of Labs and their ability to learn quickly make them an ideal breed for assistance dogs as well as search and rescue, detection, and therapy work.

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Thirteen states of the United States have designated an official state dog breed. Maryland was the first state to name a dog breed as a state symbol, naming the Chesapeake Bay Retriever in 1964. Pennsylvania followed the year after, naming the Great Dane as its official breed. Dog breeds are mostly affiliated with the states that they originated in. North Carolina chose the Plott Hound as it was the only dog breed indigenous to the state.

Other official state dogs also are indigenous to their state, including the Boston Terrier (Massachusetts) and the Alaskan Malamute (Alaska). Pennsylvania selected the Great Dane not because of its origin, but because it was introduced by early settlers in the state to be used as a hunting and working dog; it was chosen over the Beagle, which was also proposed around the same time. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various dog-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A mongrel puppy (from Puppy)
Image 2An 1897 illustration showing a range of European dog breeds (from Dog breed)
Image 3A wolf mandible diagram showing the names and positions of the teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 4Chihuahua mix and purebred Great Dane (from Dog breed)
Image 5Golden Retriever puppy (from Puppy)
Image 6Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Dog breed)
Image 7The difference in body size between a Cane Corso (Italian mastiff) and a Yorkshire Terrier is over 30-fold; both are members of the same species. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 8NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin with his dogs Jake and Scout (from Dog behavior)
Image 9A dog's whiskers (from Dog anatomy)
Image 10West Highland White Terrier puppies (from Puppy)
Image 11Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw closed (from Dog anatomy)
Image 12President Lyndon B. Johnson with a basket of puppies in 1966 (from Puppy)
Image 13The Greenland dog carries 3.5% genetic material inherited from a 35,000-year-old wolf from the Taymyr Peninsula, Arctic Siberia. (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 14Dog knee (from Dog anatomy)
Image 15Puggle puppy (from Puppy)
Image 16Tesem, an ancient Egyptian sight-hound (from Dog breed)
Image 17Lateral view of a dog skeleton (from Dog anatomy)
Image 18Mandible of the oldest recognised dog discovered in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany, and dated 14,200 years old (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 19Example of a dog making prolonged eye contact with a human (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 20Basset Hound (from Puppy)
Image 21Chihuahua puppy (from Puppy)
Image 22Reduction in size under selective breeding – grey wolf and chihuahua skulls (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 23Cavapoo puppy (from Puppy)
Image 24Newborn Welsh Springer Spaniels (from Puppy)
Image 25Bloodhound puppy (from Puppy)
Image 26Cave wolf skull, Natural History Museum, Berlin (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 27Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 28"Five different types of dogs", c. 1547. (from Dog breed)
Image 29A labradoodle puppy and a Golden Retriever puppy playing together (from Puppy)
Image 30Sled dogs, 1833 (from Dog type)
Image 31German Spitz puppy (from Puppy)
Image 32Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphic depiction of an ʻīlio (Hawaiian Poi Dog) (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 33A drawing by Konrad Lorenz showing facial expressions of a dog - a communication behavior. X-axis is aggression, y-axis is fear. (from Dog behavior)
Image 34Montage showing the coat variation of dogs. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 35Bison surrounded by grey wolf pack (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 36A cavapoo and maltipoo running back while playing fetch (from Dog behavior)
Image 37External anatomy (topography) of a typical dog: 1. Head 2. Muzzle 3. Dewlap (throat, neck skin) 4. Shoulder 5. Elbow 6. Forefeet 7. Croup (rump) 8. Leg (thigh and hip) 9. Hock 10. Hind feet 11. Withers 12. Stifle 13. Paws 14. Tail (from Dog anatomy)
Image 38A little mongrel puppy on the shore, on Halong Bay (from Puppy)
Image 39Two Shih Tzu puppies (from Puppy)
Image 40A dog's teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 41Diagram of a wolf skull with key features labelled (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 42Basenji puppy (from Puppy)
Image 43Australian Cattle Dog puppy (from Puppy)
Image 44Watercolor tracing made by archaeologist Henri Breuil from a cave painting of a wolf-like canid, Font-de-Gaume, France, dated 19,000 years ago (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 45Mammoth bone dwelling, Mezhirich site, Ukraine (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 46The dog's retina shows the optic disc and the eye's vasculature. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 47Montage showing the morphological variation of the dog. (from Dog breed)
Image 48An extinct Turnspit dog, 1800 (from Dog type)
Image 49Schematic anatomy of the ear. In dogs, the ear canal has a "L" shape, with the vertical canal (first half) and the horizontal canal (deeper half, ending with the eardrum) (from Dog anatomy)
Image 50The difference in overall body size between a Cane Corso (Italian mastiff) and a Yorkshire terrier is over 30-fold, yet both are members of the same species. (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 51Petroglyph depicting two dogs hunting – Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 52The dog diverged from a now-extinct population of wolves 27,000–40,000 years ago immediately before the Last Glacial Maximum, when much of the mammoth steppe was cold and dry. (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 53Cart dogs, c. 1900; different in appearance but doing the same work (from Dog type)
Image 54Jack Russell Terrier puppy (from Puppy)
Image 55Map depicting possible phylogeographic origins of dingoes, New Guinea singing dogs, and Island Southeast Asian and Oceanian dogs, based on recent genetic evidence (Fillios & Taçon, 2016) (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 56The nose of a dog (from Dog anatomy)
Image 57Newborn Basenji puppies (from Puppy)
Image 58Skeleton of a dog:
1. Cranium
2. Maxilla
3. Mandible
4. Atlas
5. Axis
6. Scapula
7. Spine of scapula
8. Humerus
9. Radius
10. Ulna
11. Phalanges
12. Metacarpal bones
13. Carpal bones
14. Sternum
15. Cartilaginous part of the rib
16. Ribs
17. Phalanges
18. Metatarsal bones
19. Tarsal Bones
20. Calcaneus
21. Fibula
22. Tibia
23. Patella
24. Femur
25. Ischium
26. Pelvis
(from Dog anatomy)
Image 59St. Bernard puppy (from Puppy)
Image 60Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw opened (from Dog anatomy)
Image 61Frontal view of a dog skull (from Dog anatomy)

Did you know (auto-generated) - show different entries

... that Open Philanthropy has made grants to causes ranging from recession prevention to cancer vaccines for dogs?
... that Pulaski's Masterpiece, billed as the "world's most valuable dog", disappeared without a trace in 1953?
... that Pinky & Pepper Forever is a graphic novel that follows two anthropomorphic dog girlfriends through hell?
... that with only three of the six guns in his P-51 Mustang working during a dogfight, Claude J. Crenshaw managed to shoot down four enemy aircraft?
... that the dog in A Man and His Dog was modelled after Thomas Mann's real-life dog Bauschan?
... that Pietro Badoer was banished twice, poisoned one of his three wives, but declined an offer for a coup to make him doge?

More did you know... - show different entries

...that Buster, the dog of British Labour politician Roy Hattersley, earned his owner a criminal record after killing a goose in St. James's Park, London?
...that the appearance of a dog in a Hutch ad campaign doubled sales of pugs in India in 2003?
...that Bamse was a St. Bernard dog that became the heroic mascot of the Free Norwegian Forces during the Second World War?

...that the original Rin Tin Tin was named for a puppet called Rintintin that French children gave to the American soldiers for good luck?
...that the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska covers about 1,100 miles (1,760 km)?
...that the dog to win the first three Westminster Kennel Club Dog Shows was a Smooth Fox Terrier named Warren Remedy?
...that the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (World Canine Organization) was founded in 1911 and has 80 member countries?

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Stubs : Aksaray Malaklisi, Alopekis, Argentine pila dog, Armant (dog), Banjara Hound, Barbado da Terceira, Braque Dupuy, Bruno Jura Hound, Bulgarian Scenthound, Cane Lupino del Gigante, Cane Paratore, Cantabrian Water Dog, Český fousek, Faroese Sheepdog, Georgian Shepherd, German Spitz Mittel, Gończy Polski, Grand Griffon Vendéen, Himalayan Sheepdog, Hygen Hound, Indian Spitz, Japanese Terrier, Kaikadi (dog), Koyun dog, Kumaon Mastiff, Levriero Italiano, Mahratta Hound, Majorca Ratter, Montenegrin Mountain Hound, Northern Inuit Dog, Phu Quoc Ridgeback, Plummer Terrier, Porcelaine, Pyrenean Mastiff, Rampur Greyhound, Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog, Romanian Raven Shepherd Dog, Sapsali, Sarabi dog, Sardinian Shepherd Dog, Schweizer Laufhund, Segugio Italiano, Segugio Maremmano, Segugio dell'Appennino, Sinhala Hound, Slovak Cuvac, South Russian Ovcharka, St. Hubert Jura Hound, Stichelhaar, Taigan, Tazy, Telomian, Treeing Cur, Vikhan Sheepdog, Villano de las Encartaciones, Villanuco de Las Encartaciones, White Shepherd, White Swiss Shepherd Dog, Xiasi Dog More stubs...
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