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 is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf; the gray wolf is the dog's closest living relative. The dog was the first species to be domesticated by humans. Experts estimate that hunter-gatherers domesticated dogs more than 15,000 years ago, which was before the development of agriculture. Due to their long association with humans, dogs have expanded to a large number of domestic individuals and gained the ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet that would be inadequate for other canids.

The dog has been selectively bred over millennia for various behaviors, sensory capabilities, and physical attributes. Dog breeds vary widely in shape, size, and color. They perform many roles for humans, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, assisting police and the military, companionship, therapy, and aiding disabled people. Over the millennia, dogs became uniquely adapted to human behavior, and the human–canine bond has been a topic of frequent study. This influence on human society has given them the sobriquet of "man's best friend". (Full article...)

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A blue Australian Cattle Dog

The Australian Cattle Dog, or simply Cattle Dog, is a breed of herding dog developed in Australia for droving cattle over long distances across rough terrain. This breed is a medium-sized, short-coated dog that occurs in two main colour forms. It has either red or black hair distributed fairly evenly through a white coat, which gives the appearance of a "red" or "blue" dog.

As with dogs from other working breeds, the Australian Cattle Dog is energetic and intelligent with an independent streak. It responds well to structured training, particularly if it is interesting and challenging. It was originally bred to herd by biting, and is known to nip running children. It forms a strong attachment to its owners, and can be protective of them and their possessions. It is easy to groom and maintain, requiring little more than brushing during the shedding period. The most common health problems are deafness and progressive blindness (both hereditary conditions) and accidental injury. (Full article...)

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Credit: Elf

A yellow Labrador Retriever correctly negotiating weave poles at a dog agility competition. Similar to a slalom, weave poles are a series of upright poles, each about 3 feet (1 m) tall and spaced about 20 inches (50 cm) apart, through which the dog weaves. It is one of the most difficult obstacles for a dog to master. It varies from 5 to 12 poles at one time. The dog must always enter with the first pole to his left and must not skip poles.

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Dog behavior is the internally coordinated responses of individuals or groups of domestic dogs to internal and external stimuli. It has been shaped by millennia of contact with humans and their lifestyles. As a result of this physical and social evolution, dogs have acquired the ability to understand and communicate with humans. Behavioral scientists have uncovered a wide range of social-cognitive abilities in domestic dogs. (Full article...)

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

Image 1President Lyndon B. Johnson with a basket of puppies in 1966 (from Puppy)
Image 2Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 3The 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 4Basset Hound (from Puppy)
Image 5Cavapoo puppy (from Puppy)
Image 6St. Bernard puppy (from Puppy)
Image 7The dog's retina shows the optic disc and the eye's vasculature. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 8Chihuahua mix and purebred Great Dane (from Dog breed)
Image 9Tesem, an ancient Egyptian sight-hound (from Dog breed)
Image 10Frontal view of a dog skull (from Dog anatomy)
Image 11Montage showing the morphological variation of the dog. (from Dog breed)
Image 12A dog's whiskers (from Dog anatomy)
Image 13Cart dogs, c. 1900; different in appearance but doing the same work (from Dog type)
Image 14Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphic depiction of an ʻīlio (Hawaiian Poi Dog) (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 15Two Shih Tzu puppies (from Puppy)
Image 16A wolf mandible diagram showing the names and positions of the teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 17Australian Cattle Dog puppy (from Puppy)
Image 18Bison surrounded by grey wolf pack (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 19Mammoth bone dwelling, Mezhirich site, Ukraine (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 20Chihuahua puppy (from Puppy)
Image 21West Highland White Terrier puppies (from Puppy)
Image 22The 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 23Lateral view of a dog skeleton (from Dog anatomy)
Image 24German Spitz puppy (from Puppy)
Image 25Newborn Basenji puppies (from Puppy)
Image 26"Five different types of dogs", c. 1547. (from Dog breed)
Image 27Sled dogs, 1833 (from Dog type)
Image 28A little mongrel puppy on the shore, on Halong Bay (from Puppy)
Image 29Basenji puppy (from Puppy)
Image 30Map 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 31A 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 32Jack Russell Terrier puppy (from Puppy)
Image 33An extinct Turnspit dog, 1800 (from Dog type)
Image 34A cavapoo and maltipoo running back while playing fetch (from Dog behavior)
Image 35Golden Retriever puppy (from Puppy)
Image 36Montage showing the coat variation of dogs. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 37Bloodhound puppy (from Puppy)
Image 38A labradoodle puppy and a Golden Retriever puppy playing together. (from Puppy)
Image 39The 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 40Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw closed (from Dog anatomy)
Image 41Petroglyph depicting two dogs hunting – Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 42The nose of a dog (from Dog anatomy)
Image 43Schematic 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 44Dog knee (from Dog anatomy)
Image 45Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Dog breed)
Image 46Reduction in size under selective breeding – grey wolf and chihuahua skulls (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 47Diagram of a wolf skull with key features labelled (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 48Scent-rolling (from Dog behavior)
Image 49An 1897 illustration showing a range of European dog breeds (from Dog breed)
Image 50Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw opened (from Dog anatomy)
Image 51A dog's teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 52Mandible of the oldest recognised dog discovered in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany, and dated 14,200 years old (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 53External 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 54The 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 55Cave wolf skull, Natural History Museum, Berlin (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 56NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin with his dogs Jake and Scout (from Dog behavior)
Image 57A mongrel puppy (from Puppy)
Image 58Puggle puppy (from Puppy)
Image 59Newborn Welsh Springer Spaniels (from Puppy)
Image 60Watercolor 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 61Skeleton 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 62Example of a dog making prolonged eye contact with a human (from Domestication of the dog)

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

... that ancient Roman gynecologists believed that menstrual blood could be used to drive dogs insane?
... that according to legend, dogs who travelled through a passage between Piper's Hole in Tresco and Piper's Hole in St Mary's emerged without most of their fur?
... that Aox Inc., a maker of computer expansion cards, was named after the founders' dog?
... that after decades of being a central hub for river dredging operations, Stony Island's population was reduced to a caretaker and his two dogs?
... that Stan Brakhage's film Sirius Remembered shows the decomposition of the corpse of his family's dog?
... that the dog in A Man and His Dog was modelled after Thomas Mann's real-life dog Bauschan?

More did you know... - show different entries

...that Tillamook Cheddar (pictured), a Jack Russell Terrier from Brooklyn, New York, is the world's most successful and widely shown animal artist?
...that grape and raisin toxicity is a potential cause of acute renal failure in dogs?
...that Able Seaman Just Nuisance is the only dog to have been officially enlisted in the Royal Navy?
...that the Moscow Water Dog, developed as a water rescue dog, preferred to bite drowning people instead of saving them?

...that Snuppy the Afghan Hound is the world's first cloned dog?
...that 217 Dalmatians were used in the filming of 101 Dalmatians?
...that former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King owned several Irish Terriers (all named Pat), and had séances to "communicate" with the dogs after their death?
...that the Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog breed in the USA, with the Yorkshire Terrier and German Shepherd Dog being second and third?

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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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