Portal:Dogs

The Dogs Portal

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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A red Basenji with white markings

The Basenji (/bəˈsɛndʒi/) is a breed of hunting dog created from stock that originated in Central Africa, including in the Republic of the Congo and other adjacent tropical African countries. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale places the Basenji in the Spitz and "primitive types" categories, while the American Kennel Club classifies it as a hound. The breed does not bark in the traditional manner of most dogs, rather vocalising in an unusual, yodel-like "talking" sound, due to its unusually-shaped larynx. This trait earns the Basenji its nickname of "barkless" dog, a similar feature seen and heard in the New Guinea singing dog.

Basenjis are athletic small dogs that can run up to 30 to 35 miles per hour (48 to 56 km/h), and share many distinctive traits with the pye or pariah dog types of the Indian subcontinent. In addition to their uniquely similar vocalisations, the Basenji, the Australian dingo and the aforementioned New Guinea singing dog all only come-into estrus once per year, as does the Tibetan Mastiff; other dog breeds may have two or more breeding seasons each year. Basenjis lack a distinctive odor, or "dog smell". (Full article...)

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Credit: Sally Eller

A Standard Poodle in "working clip" retrieving a mallard. Retrievers were bred primarily to retrieve birds or other prey and return them to the hunter without damage. Although spaniels and some pointing breeds routinely retrieve game, and many retrievers are skilled in finding game, retrievers 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. Poodles, though developed as hunting dogs, are most commonly used as companions.

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Coon hunters in Virginia, circa 1907

Coon hunting is the practice of hunting raccoons, most often for their meat and fur. It is almost always done with specially bred dogs called coonhounds, of which there are six breeds, and is most commonly associated with rural life in the Southern United States. Coon hunting is also popular in the rural Midwest. Most coon hunts take place at night, with the dogs being turned loose, trailing and putting the raccoon up a tree without human assistance. Once the raccoon is in the tree, with the dog at the base, it is referred to as "treed", with "treeing" being the active verb form.

In addition to meat or fur hunts, there are also competition hunts to demonstrate the speed and skill of the dog. In these the raccoons are not killed, but are treed and released. Some of the largest competition hunts are the Grand American, Autumn Oaks, and Leafy Oaks. Coon hunting has been recorded in such books as Where the Red Fern Grows and popularized in stories and songs recorded by Jerry Clower, Jimmy Martin and others. In Alabama, there is a cemetery specifically for the burial of coon dogs. (Full article...)

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

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

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

... that Mohammad Bhar, a Palestinian man with Down syndrome and autism, died following a dog attack in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war?
... that the dog Private Chesty was demoted from private first class for willful destruction of government property?
... that the 2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game between Baylor and Gonzaga was the first since 2005 to feature the top two overall seeds of the NCAA tournament?
... that Pinky & Pepper Forever is a graphic novel that follows two anthropomorphic dog girlfriends through hell?
... that children's author Mary Chalmers owned ten cats and a Pomeranian dog, whose poses helped her draw illustrations for her books?
... that Eagle-Dogtooth Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, contains part of the Experimental Lakes Area, a controlled area for conducting scientific experiments in lakes?

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 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, 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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