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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"Water Spaniel"
(most widely accepted image of a Tweed Spaniel)

The Tweed Water Spaniel, or Tweed Spaniel, is a breed of dog extinct since the 19th century. It is best known for being involved in the early development of the modern Curly Coated Retriever and Golden Retriever breeds of dogs. They were described as generally brown, athletic dogs from the area around Berwick-upon-Tweed near the River Tweed and close to the Scottish Borders. A type of water dog, the breed was not well known outside the local area. This breed may have been created by crossing local water dogs with imported St. John's water dog, another breed which is also now extinct. (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 intelligence or dog cognition is the process in dogs of acquiring information and conceptual skills, and storing them in memory, retrieving, combining and comparing them, and using them in new situations.

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

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

... 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 Watchdog created a fact-checking app within 36 hours of its founding?
... that Pep the dog was falsely accused of murdering a cat and sent to Eastern State Penitentiary?
... that Stan Brakhage's film Sirius Remembered shows the decomposition of the corpse of his family's dog?
... that the Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard is the only U.S. cemetery reserved exclusively for coon dog burials?
... 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?

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 Lap dogs are among the oldest types of dogs?
...that the Kangal Dog has been declared a "National Cultural and Historic Treasure" by the Turkish government?
...that breed type is the basis of judging in conformation dog shows?
...that the closest relative of the Portuguese Water Dog is widely thought to be the Standard Poodle?

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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...
Other : Tag and assess "dog" articles with {{WikiProject Dogs}} banner. See also Dog breeds WikiProject to do list.

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