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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Blue Merle Miniature American Shepherd

The Miniature American Shepherd, frequently abbreviated MAS, is a small herding dog breed. The MAS is highly intelligent and biddable. The breed is often trained for dog sports such as herding, agility, obedience, canine freestyle, flyball, and others. The Miniature American Shepherd was recognised by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 2015 and is the club's 186th breed. In September 2019, the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) officially accepted the breed. (Full article...)

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Credit: Robert Southworth
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The American Eskimo Dog is a breed of companion dog originating in the United States (probably in New York City) in the twentieth century. It is derived from the German Spitz, the Finnish Spitz, and almost certainly the Pomeranian and Keeshond. The spitz family of Nordic dogs is one of the least altered by human husbandry and reflects most nearly the prototypical dog, from which stock all others have been derived. Archeology suggests that Neolithic dogs living with humans would today pass for spitzes.

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Stump is named Best in Show at the 2009 Westminster Dog Show.

Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee (December 1, 1998 – September 25, 2012), better known as Stump, was a male Sussex Spaniel who won Best In Show at the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Stump was the first of his breed to win that honor and, at 10 years old, the oldest dog ever to win the prize. He also won the Sporting Group at Westminster in 2004, the first such victory for his breed, and amassed 51 Best in Show awards throughout his career. One of his owners described him as "the most famous Sussex (Spaniel) that has ever lived".

Stump's breeders were Douglas Horn, Douglas Johnson, and Dee Duffy, and he was owned by Cecilia Ruggles and Beth Dowd. He was handled by Scott Sommer, who also trained 2001 Westminster Best in Show winner J.R., a Bichon Frise with whom Stump lived for most of his life. Stump became seriously ill in 2005 with a body-wide bacterial infection, infection on his heart valves, and other ailments often fatal for dogs. He was so sick that euthanasia was considered. Stump spent 19 days in hospitalization, including 12 in intensive care at Texas A&M University's Small Animal Hospital, and he ultimately survived. (Full article...)

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

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

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

... that the first dogs in space returned to Earth with a parachute?
... that a bulldog from New Zealand was trained to locate wounded soldiers on the battlefields of the Western Front in World War I and guide them back to safety?
... that Pinky & Pepper Forever is a graphic novel that follows two anthropomorphic dog girlfriends through hell?
... that Eagle-Dogtooth Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, contains part of the Experimental Lakes Area, a controlled area for conducting scientific experiments in lakes?
... that Winston Churchill was often portrayed as a bulldog, but his personal pet dog during the Second World War was a poodle?
... that French designer Martine Bedin compared her Super Lamp design to "a small dog that I could carry with me"?

More did you know... - show different entries

...that Laurence Mancuso was the founding abbot of the Eastern Orthodox monastic community of New Skete (pictured), which is known for its dog training?
...that "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog" is the most reproduced cartoon from The New Yorker magazine, and its title a phrase still used around the world?
...that the famous quote "No man who hates dogs and children can be all bad" generally attributed to Leo Rosten was actually first used in 1930 by future war correspondent Byron Darnton?
...that the expressions 'top dog' and 'underdog' may originate with the two sawyers in a saw pit?

...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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