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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The Russian Spaniel is a type of spaniel first standardised in 1951 in the Soviet Union after World War II by cross breeding English Cocker Spaniels, English Springer Spaniels and other spaniel breeds. In 1951, the standard of the Russian spaniel was adopted, the selection of dogs for breeding began to be carried out in accordance with the requirements. Physically it is similar to a Cocker Spaniel, but has a shorter, tighter coat and a longer body. Developed and used as hunting dogs, this breed does not suffer from any major health complaints other than those normally associated with spaniels. It is the only gun dog breed originated in Russia. It is used for hunting game birds (marsh, field, upland and waterfowl birds) and hares. Popular in its native Russia, the breed was only introduced overseas in the 1990s, and is not yet recognised by any major kennel clubs, but is recognised by Russian Kynological Federation. (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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A coydog is a canid hybrid resulting from a mating between a male coyote and a female dog. Hybrids of both sexes are fertile and can be successfully bred through four generations. Similarly, a dogote is a hybrid with a dog father and a coyote mother.

Such matings occurred long before the European colonization of the Americas, as melanistic coyotes have been shown to have inherited their black pelts from dogs likely brought to North America through the Bering Land Bridge 12,000 to 14,000 years ago by the ancestors of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. (Full article...)

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

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

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

... that Snoop Dogg's original lyrics about cannabis for the song "Sunday" were sung over by Ben Rector to keep the song clean?
... that Karen B. Westerfield Tucker, who both edited and contributed to The Oxford History of Christian Worship, also served as a dog show judge?
... that Joy was the sole survivor of the Romanov family's execution?
... that after the 2023 New York City parking garage collapse, a robotic dog named Digidog was deployed by the New York City Fire Department?
... that Dan Lanning, who coached his final game at Georgia in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, will face Georgia in his first game as the new head coach at Oregon?
... that the album series Jingle Cats spawned Jingle Dogs, Jingle Babies, and a Japanese video game in which "the object is to breed and care for cats, which begin to sing when they're done copulating"?

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 American president Lyndon Johnson owned two Beagles named Him and Her?
...that the domestic dog's health is possibly one of the best-studied areas in veterinary medicine?
...that the word "terrier" comes from the Latin terra, meaning "earth"?
...that Moose, a Jack Russell Terrier who played Eddie on the popular sitcom Frasier, was given away by his original owner because he was too active for them?

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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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