Portal:Dogs

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The dog (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated descendant of wolves. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. Dogs and the modern gray wolf share a common ancestor. Dogs were the first species to be domesticated over 14,000 years ago, before the development of agriculture, though genetic studies suggest the domestication process may have begun over 25,000 years ago. 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 chemical 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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1.5-year-old black Scottish Terrier

The Scottish Terrier (Scottish Gaelic: Abhag Albannach; also known as the Aberdeen Terrier), popularly called the Scottie, is a breed of dog. Initially one of the highland breeds of terrier that were grouped under the name of Skye Terrier, it is one of five breeds of terrier that originated in Scotland, the other four being the modern Skye, Cairn, Dandie Dinmont, and West Highland White terriers. They are an independent and rugged breed with a wiry outer coat and a soft dense undercoat. The first Earl of Dumbarton nicknamed the breed "the diehard". According to legend, the Earl of Dumbarton gave this nickname because of the Scottish Terriers' bravery, and Scotties were also the inspiration for the name of his regiment, The Royal Scots, Dumbarton's Diehard. Scottish Terriers were originally bred to hunt vermin on farms.

They are a small breed of terrier with a distinctive shape and have had many roles in popular culture. They have been owned by a variety of celebrities, including the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose Scottie Fala is included with FDR in a statue in Washington, D.C., as well as by the 43rd president, George W. Bush. They are also well known for being a playing piece in the board game Monopoly. Described as territorial, feisty dogs, they can make a good watchdog and tend to be very loyal to their family. Healthwise, Scottish Terriers can be more prone to bleeding disorders, joint disorders, autoimmune diseases, allergies, and cancer than some other breeds of dog, and there is a condition named after the breed called Scotty cramp. They are also one of the more successful dog breeds at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show with a best in show in 2010. (Full article...)

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Credit: Paul Englefield

A Border Collie correctly maneouvring through weave poles in dog agility. Border Collies are an extremely intelligent breed with an instinctive desire to work. They are also extremely energetic and require a lot of attention, but are very responsive to training. They are better off in a household that can provide them with plenty of exercise and a job to do.

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Drafting (also known as carting) is an activity or dog sport in which a dog (usually a large breed) pulls a cart or wagon filled with supplies, such as farm goods, camping equipment, groceries or firewood, but sometimes pulling people. (Full article...)

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

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

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

... that Jilly Cooper published volumes of nature diaries, as well as compilations of journalism and other non-fiction?
... that Lambrini Girls have described their January 2025 debut album Who Let the Dogs Out as "a party for pissed off, gay, angry sluts"?
... that the winner of the seventeenth series of Britain's Got Talent was the first individual woman to win the show without a dog?
... that the character Dogpool was portrayed by "Britain's ugliest dog"?
... that the author of Sugar Dog Life ended up buying and raising a cactus after drawing one in the manga?
... that Stan Brakhage's film Sirius Remembered shows the decomposition of the corpse of his family's dog?

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 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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