Portal:Dogs

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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. Dogs were the first species to be domesticated over 14,000 years ago, 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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Tricolour Beagle

The Beagle is a breed of scent hound, similar in appearance to the much larger foxhound. The beagle was developed primarily for hunting rabbit or hare, known as beagling. Possessing a great sense of smell and superior tracking instincts, the beagle is the primary breed used as a detection dog for prohibited agricultural imports and foodstuffs in quarantine around the world. The beagle is a popular pet due to its size and amiable temperament.

The modern breed was developed in Great Britain around the 1830s from several breeds, including the Talbot Hound, the North Country Beagle, the Southern Hound, and possibly the Harrier. Beagles have been depicted in popular culture since Elizabethan times in literature and paintings and more recently in film, television, and comic books. (Full article...)

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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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The Polynesian Dog refers to a few extinct varieties of domesticated dogs from the islands of Polynesia. These dogs were used for both companionship and food and were introduced alongside poultry and pigs to various islands. They became extinct as a result of the crossbreeding that occurred after European breeds of dogs were introduced. Modern studies done on the DNA of the Polynesian dogs indicate that they descended from the domesticated dogs of Southeast Asia and may have shared a remote ancestor with the dingo. (Full article...)

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

Image 1German Spitz puppy (from Puppy)
Image 2NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin with his dogs Jake and Scout (from Dog behavior)
Image 3Schematic 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 4The nose of a dog (from Dog anatomy)
Image 5The 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 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 7Puggle puppy (from Puppy)
Image 8Two Shih Tzu puppies (from Puppy)
Image 9Golden Retriever puppy (from Puppy)
Image 10Tesem, an ancient Egyptian sight-hound (from Dog breed)
Image 11Cavapoo puppy (from Puppy)
Image 12A little mongrel puppy on the shore, on Halong Bay (from Puppy)
Image 13Reduction in size under selective breeding – grey wolf and chihuahua skulls (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 14Bison surrounded by grey wolf pack (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 15Petroglyph depicting two dogs hunting – Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 16Australian Cattle Dog puppy (from Puppy)
Image 17Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 18Mandible of the Bonn–Oberkassel dog from the oldest dog-human co-burial dated 14,200 years old (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 21Basset Hound (from Puppy)
Image 22Sled dogs, 1833 (from Dog type)
Image 23A cavapoo and maltipoo running back while playing fetch (from Dog behavior)
Image 24Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphic depiction of an ʻīlio (Hawaiian Poi Dog) (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 25Frontal view of a dog skull (from Dog anatomy)
Image 26Map 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 27An extinct Turnspit dog, 1800 (from Dog type)
Image 28Skeleton 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 29Cart dogs, c. 1900; different in appearance but doing the same work (from Dog type)
Image 30St. Bernard puppy (from Puppy)
Image 31Example of a dog making prolonged eye contact with a human (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 32A dog's teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 33Chihuahua puppy (from Puppy)
Image 34Dog knee (from Dog anatomy)
Image 35West Highland White Terrier puppies (from Puppy)
Image 36A 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 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 38Bloodhound puppy (from Puppy)
Image 39Diagram of a wolf skull with key features labelled (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 40A labradoodle puppy and a Golden Retriever puppy playing together (from Puppy)
Image 41President Lyndon B. Johnson with a basket of puppies in 1966 (from Puppy)
Image 42Jack Russell Terrier puppy (from Puppy)
Image 43Montage showing the morphological variation of the dog. (from Dog breed)
Image 44Cave wolf skull, Natural History Museum, Berlin (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 45Boxer and Labrador Mix (from Dog breed)
Image 46Lateral view of a dog skeleton (from Dog anatomy)
Image 47Newborn Basenji puppies (from Puppy)
Image 48Basenji puppy (from Puppy)
Image 49The dog's retina shows the optic disc and the eye's vasculature. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 50Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Dog breed)
Image 51Mammoth bone dwelling, Mezhirich site, Ukraine (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 52A mongrel puppy (from Puppy)
Image 53Montage showing the coat variation of dogs. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 54A wolf mandible diagram showing the names and positions of the teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 55Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw closed (from Dog anatomy)
Image 56A dog's whiskers (from Dog anatomy)
Image 57External 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 58The 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 59Chihuahua mix and purebred Great Dane (from Dog breed)
Image 60"Five different types of dogs", c. 1547. (from Dog breed)
Image 61Newborn Welsh Springer Spaniels (from Puppy)
Image 62Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw opened (from Dog anatomy)

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

... that Time paid Alfred Wertheimer $3,000 to use a picture of Elvis Presley singing to a dog?
... 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 Hannah Fry used mathematics to compare Elizabeth II's Christmas messages with the lyrics of Snoop Dogg?
... that Berenice Olmedo once sold products made from dog carcasses at a flea market?
... that John Boyer was forced to train his own guide dog because the training program could not support people who were both blind and deaf?
... that the theme from Curb Your Enthusiasm, a former ringtone of Steven Spielberg, has been used as the backing to a Snoop Dogg song?

More did you know... - show different entries

...that Mancs the Hungarian rescue dog is commemorated by a statue (pictured) in his hometown Miskolc?
...that the sting of the rainforest shrub Dendrocnide moroides can cause severe and prolonged pain and has been reported to kill dogs, horses and humans?
...that Dogs Trust, a British animal welfare charity, provided AA wardens with pistols to painlessly euthanise animals injured in road accidents?
...that according to legend, the relics of Saints Ferreolus and Ferrutio were discovered in 370 by a military tribune whose dog chased a fox into a cave near present-day Besançon, France?

...that the original Rin Tin Tin was named for a puppet called Rintintin that French children gave to the American soldiers for good luck?
...that the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska covers about 1,100 miles (1,760 km)?
...that the dog to win the first three Westminster Kennel Club Dog Shows was a Smooth Fox Terrier named Warren Remedy?
...that the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (World Canine Organization) was founded in 1911 and has 80 member countries?

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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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