Portal:Dogs

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The dog (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated descendant of the gray 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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Dog on point

The German Shorthaired Pointer or Deutsch Kurzhaar is a German breed of continental pointing dog of Braque type. It originated in the nineteenth century in what is now Germany. It is of medium size, and is an all-purpose gun dog suitable for hunting and retrieving on both land and water. It may also be kept as a companion dog. (Full article...)

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Retrievers, such as this Labrador Retriever, are a type of gun dog bred to retrieve downed birds from water or land. Although spaniels and some pointing breeds routinely retrieve game, retrievers are skilled in finding game, and are distinguished in that non-slip retrieval is their primary function. As a result, retriever breeds are bred for "soft" mouths and a great willingness to please, learn, and obey. A soft mouth refers to the willingness of the dog to carry game without damaging it. Retrievers are often selected as family pets, and many suburban dogs end up retrieving newspapers and sticks like this dog.

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A mongrel, mutt, or mixed-breed dog is a dog that does not belong to one officially recognized breed, including those that result from intentional breeding. Although the term mixed-breed dog is sometimes preferred, many mongrels have no known purebred ancestors.

Crossbreed dogs, and "designer dogs", while also a mix of breeds, differ from mongrels in being intentionally bred. At other times, the word mongrel has been applied to informally purpose-bred dogs such as curs, which were created at least in part from mongrels, especially if the breed is not officially recognized. (Full article...)

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

Image 1Mandible of the oldest recognised dog discovered in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany, and dated 14,200 years old (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 2A little mongrel puppy on the shore, on Halong Bay (from Puppy)
Image 3Newborn Basenji puppies (from Puppy)
Image 4Watercolor 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 5Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 6Skeleton 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 7Petroglyph depicting two dogs hunting – Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 8Sled dogs, 1833 (from Dog type)
Image 9A labradoodle puppy and a Golden Retriever puppy playing together (from Puppy)
Image 10Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Dog breed)
Image 11The nose of a dog (from Dog anatomy)
Image 12Newborn Welsh Springer Spaniels (from Puppy)
Image 13Cavapoo puppy (from Puppy)
Image 14Montage showing the coat variation of dogs. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 15The 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 16Frontal view of a dog skull (from Dog anatomy)
Image 17President Lyndon B. Johnson with a basket of puppies in 1966 (from Puppy)
Image 18Diagram of a wolf skull with key features labelled (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 19External 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 20The dog diverged from a now-extinct population of wolves 27,000–40,000 years ago, before or during the Last Glacial Maximum, when much of the mammoth steppe was cold and dry. (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 21West Highland White Terrier puppies (from Puppy)
Image 22Bison surrounded by grey wolf pack (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 23Two Shih Tzu puppies (from Puppy)
Image 24The 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 25The 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 26Reduction in size under selective breeding – grey wolf and chihuahua skulls (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 27A wolf mandible diagram showing the names and positions of the teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 28Jack Russell Terrier puppy (from Puppy)
Image 29A 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 30Chihuahua mix and purebred Great Dane (from Dog breed)
Image 31Basset Hound (from Puppy)
Image 32Mammoth bone dwelling, Mezhirich site, Ukraine (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 33Puggle puppy (from Puppy)
Image 34Basenji puppy (from Puppy)
Image 35German Spitz puppy (from Puppy)
Image 36Dog knee (from Dog anatomy)
Image 37Schematic 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 38The dog's retina shows the optic disc and the eye's vasculature. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 39NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin with his dogs Jake and Scout (from Dog behavior)
Image 40Montage showing the morphological variation of the dog. (from Dog breed)
Image 41Cart dogs, c. 1900; different in appearance but doing the same work (from Dog type)
Image 42A mongrel puppy (from Puppy)
Image 43Australian Cattle Dog puppy (from Puppy)
Image 44Cave wolf skull, Natural History Museum, Berlin (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 45Lateral view of a dog skeleton (from Dog anatomy)
Image 46An extinct Turnspit dog, 1800 (from Dog type)
Image 47An 1897 illustration showing a range of European dog breeds (from Dog breed)
Image 48Golden Retriever puppy (from Puppy)
Image 49"Five different types of dogs", c. 1547. (from Dog breed)
Image 50Example of a dog making prolonged eye contact with a human (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 51A dog's teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 52Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphic depiction of an ʻīlio (Hawaiian Poi Dog) (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 53Tesem, an ancient Egyptian sight-hound (from Dog breed)
Image 54Chihuahua puppy (from Puppy)
Image 55A dog's whiskers (from Dog anatomy)
Image 56St. Bernard puppy (from Puppy)
Image 57Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw opened (from Dog anatomy)
Image 58Bloodhound puppy (from Puppy)
Image 59A cavapoo and maltipoo running back while playing fetch (from Dog behavior)
Image 60Map 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 61Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw closed (from Dog anatomy)

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

... that 23 tons of dog food were once stolen from the Malibu Feed Bin?
... that after U.S. Navy pilot Royce Williams engaged in a solo dogfight with seven Soviet MiG-15s during the Korean War, he was ordered never to tell anyone about it?
... that ancient Roman gynecologists believed that menstrual blood could be used to drive dogs insane?
... that Aox Inc., a maker of computer expansion cards, was named after the founders' dog?
... that Babydog is "a fixture in West Virginia politics"?
... that Karen B. Westerfield Tucker, who both edited and contributed to The Oxford History of Christian Worship, also served as a dog show judge?

More did you know... - show different entries

...that Mancs the Hungarian rescue dog is commemorated by a statue (pictured) in his hometown Miskolc?
...that the sting of the rainforest shrub Dendrocnide moroides can cause severe and prolonged pain and has been reported to kill dogs, horses and humans?
...that Dogs Trust, a British animal welfare charity, provided AA wardens with pistols to painlessly euthanise animals injured in road accidents?
...that according to legend, the relics of Saints Ferreolus and Ferrutio were discovered in 370 by a military tribune whose dog chased a fox into a cave near present-day Besançon, France?

...that Ramy Brooks, a competitor in the 1,049 mi 2006 Iditarod dog sled race across Alaska, is one of the few Native Alaskans competing in the event?
...that the Caucasian Shepherd Dog is generally a low activity dog, seemingly lethargic when not working, but extremely agile and convincing when it feels that its family is threatened?
...that the Battle of Garibpur fought between India and Pakistan preceded the official start of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and was the first battle where dog fighting occurred over East Pakistan?
...that George E. Studdy was a British artist best remembered for his creation of Bonzo the dog, a fictional character, in the early 1920s?

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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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