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 a 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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The Small Međimurje Dog, also known as Međi, or locally well known as Štakoraš ("Ratter"), is a breed of dog native to Croatia. It has been bred for over a hundred years in northwestern Croatia, in Međimurje area mostly. It is found in rural yards as a guard dog and hunter for harmful rodents. The breed is currently recognized by national kennel clubs of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Netherlands, Finland, and the Czech Republic. The breed is currently not recognized by the FCI. The unofficial FCI classification of the breed is FCI Group 1 Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs) Section 1 / Sheepdogs, without working trial. (Full article...)

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A yellow Labrador Retriever fetching a stick from a beach.

Retrievers, such as this Labrador Retriever, are a type of gun dog bred to retrieve downed birds from water or land. Although spaniels and some pointing breeds routinely retrieve game, retrievers are skilled in finding game, and 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. A soft mouth refers to the willingness of the dog to carry game without damaging it. Retrievers are often selected as family pets, and many suburban dogs end up retrieving newspapers and sticks like this dog.

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A Belgian Malinois police dog during a demonstration in England

A police dog, also known as a K-9 (phonemic abbreviation of canine), is a dog that is trained to assist police and other law enforcement officers. Their duties may include searching for drugs and explosives, locating missing people, finding crime scene evidence, protecting officers and other people, and attacking suspects who flee from officers. The breeds most commonly used by law enforcement are the German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Bloodhound, Dutch Shepherd, and Labrador Retriever. In recent years, the Belgian Malinois has become the leading choice for police and military work due to their intense drive, focus, agility, and smaller size, though German Shepherds remain the breed most associated with law enforcement.

Police dogs are used on a federal and local level for law enforcement purposes in many parts of the world. They are often assigned to what in some nations is referred to as a K-9 Unit, with a specific handler, and must remember several verbal cues and hand gestures. Initial training for a police dog typically takes between eight months and a year, depending on where and how they are trained, and for what purpose. Police dogs often regularly take training programs with their assigned handler to reinforce their training. In many countries, intentionally injuring or killing a police dog is a criminal offense. (Full article...)

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

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

Did you know (auto-generated) -

... that Bothie was the only dog to "set paw" on both the North and South poles?
... that Phil Fletcher as Hacker T. Dog caused Lauren Layfield to make the "most famous snort" in the United Kingdom in 2016?
... that Palmire Dumont, a pioneer of LGBT nightlife in "Gay Paree", was among the first members of the French Bulldog-Owners Club and met other bulldog owners in her lesbian bar?
... that Winston Churchill was often portrayed as a bulldog, but his personal pet dog during the Second World War was a poodle?
... that the character Dogpool was portrayed by "Britain's ugliest dog"?
... that Ethan Hawke and Devery Jacobs smoked CBD while filming the Reservation Dogs episode "Elora's Dad"?

More did you know... -

...that Tillamook Cheddar (pictured), a Jack Russell Terrier from Brooklyn, New York, is the world's most successful and widely shown animal artist?
...that grape and raisin toxicity is a potential cause of acute renal failure in dogs?
...that Able Seaman Just Nuisance is the only dog to have been officially enlisted in the Royal Navy?
...that the Moscow Water Dog, developed as a water rescue dog, preferred to bite drowning people instead of saving them?

...that Joan Ingpen and her pet dachshund Williams were the founding partners of the Ingpen & Williams classical music talent agency?
...that London will soon have a Walk of Fame for dogs?
...that wolf collars with long spikes, now widely adopted by the BDSM community, were originally used on dogs to protect them from attacks by wolves?
...that in his 1915 Kentucky gubernatorial campaign, Augustus O. Stanley advocated a one dollar tax for every dog a person owned?
...one reason for the African Wild Dog name controversy is that endangered African Wild Dogs are being confused with feral domestic dogs?

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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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