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. 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 possess a superior sense of smell and hearing, but inferior visual acuity. Dogs 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 have 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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Orange and white Pointer

The Pointer, sometimes called the English Pointer, is a medium-sized breed of pointing dog developed in England. Pointers are used to find game for hunters, and are considered by gundog enthusiasts to be one of the finest breeds of its type; however, unlike most other hunting breeds, its purpose is to point, not retrieve game.

The popular belief is that the Pointer descends from the Old Spanish Pointer that was brought to England from Spain with returning soldiers at the beginning of the 18th century. Once in England, they were crossed with local dog breeds to improve the breed's hunting abilities. (Full article...)

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Credit: Doug Noon

A team of fourteen mixed-breed dogs mushing. Mushing is a general term for a sport or transport method powered by dogs, and includes carting, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled on snow. The term is thought to come from the French word marche, or go, run, the command to the team to commence pulling. "Mush!" is rarely used in modern parlance, however; "Hike!" is more common in English.

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A Labradoodle is bred from a Labrador Retriever and a poodle.

Dog crossbreeds (sometimes called designer dogs) are dogs which have been intentionally bred from two or more recognized dog breeds. They are not dogs with no purebred ancestors, but are not otherwise recognised as breeds in their own right, and do not necessarily breed true.

Dog crossbreeds are combinations of lineages of the domestic dog; they are distinguished from canid hybrids, which are interspecific crosses between Canis species (wolves, coyotes, jackals, etc.). (Full article...)

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

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

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

... that the Greyster is a type of sled dog favored especially for dryland racing like canicross and bikejoring?
... that the Isle of Dogs Pumping Station was nicknamed the Temple of Storms?
... that Šediváčkův long is considered one of Europe's most challenging dog sled races, with teams climbing more than 7,500 metres (24,600 feet) during the event?
... that New Zealand's election mascot Orange Guy has a pet dog named Pup?
... that Lài dogs were instrumental in the Vietnamese Lam Sơn uprising against Ming China in 1418–1428?
... that the author of Sugar Dog Life ended up buying and raising a cactus after drawing one in the manga?

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 past Olympic mascots include several bears named Misha, Coal, Howdy and Hidy, and dogs Cobi and Waldi ?
...that the dog called the Miniature Fox Terrier (or Mini Foxie) originated in Australia?
...that the Brown Dog affair, an Edwardian-era vivisection cause célèbre, led to massive riots?
...that in addition to human spaceflight, there have been many animals in space, including monkeys, apes, mice, dogs, guinea pigs, frogs, rats, cats, tortoises, fish, newts, insects, snails, spiders and nematodes?

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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, Barrocal Algarvio, 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, Saint Miguel Cattle 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, Villano de las Encartaciones, Villanuco de Las Encartaciones, White Shepherd, White Swiss Shepherd Dog, Xiasi Dog More stubs...
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