Portal:Dogs

The Dogs Portal

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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Boston Terrier with a black brindle coat

The Boston Terrier is a breed of dog originating in the United States of America. It was accepted in 1893 by the American Kennel Club as a non-sporting breed. The dogs are small and compact, with a short tail and erect ears.

The Boston Terrier ranked as the 23rd-most registered breed with the American Kennel Club in 2024. (Full article...)

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Purebred dogs, such as these Airedale Terriers, may participates in conformation dog shows with its owner or handler. Dog shows (and the related sport of Junior Handling for children and young people) are a popular activity; a single show, the 2006 Crufts dog show alone had 143,000 spectators, with 24,640 purebred dogs entered, representing 178 different breeds from 35 different countries.

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A photograph of Charles Cruft, published in 1902

Charles Alfred Cruft (28 June 1852 – 10 September 1938) was a British showman who founded the Crufts dog show. Cruft first became involved with dogs when he began to work at Spratt's, a manufacturer of dog biscuits. He rose to the position of general manager, and whilst working for Spratt's in France he was invited to run his first dog show at the 1878 Exposition Universelle. After running dog shows in London for four years, he ran his first Cruft's dog show in 1891, and continued to run a further 45 shows until his death in 1938, as well as running two cat shows in 1894 and 1895. He was involved in a range of dog breed clubs, including that for Schipperkes, Pugs and Borzois. He and his wife upheld a story that they never owned a dog, and instead owned a cat, however Cruft admitted to owning at least one Saint Bernard in his memoirs, published posthumously. (Full article...)

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

Image 1The 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 2Puggle puppy (from Puppy)
Image 3Cave wolf skull, Natural History Museum, Berlin (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 4A wolf mandible diagram showing the names and positions of the teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 5Montage showing the coat variation of dogs. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 6Montage showing the morphological variation of the dog. (from Dog breed)
Image 7An 1897 illustration showing a range of European dog breeds (from Dog breed)
Image 8Diagram of a wolf skull with key features labelled (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 9Reduction in size under selective breeding – grey wolf and chihuahua skulls (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 10Chihuahua puppy (from Puppy)
Image 11Newborn Welsh Springer Spaniels (from Puppy)
Image 12Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 13Frontal view of a dog skull (from Dog anatomy)
Image 14Map 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 15Newborn Basenji puppies (from Puppy)
Image 16Golden Retriever puppy (from Puppy)
Image 17Cavapoo puppy (from Puppy)
Image 18External 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 19A labradoodle puppy and a Golden Retriever puppy playing together (from Puppy)
Image 20Tesem, an ancient Egyptian sight-hound (from Dog breed)
Image 21Cart dogs, c. 1900; different in appearance but doing the same work (from Dog type)
Image 22Basset Hound (from Puppy)
Image 23The dog's retina shows the optic disc and the eye's vasculature. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 24St. Bernard puppy (from Puppy)
Image 25Example of a dog making prolonged eye contact with a human (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 26Bloodhound puppy (from Puppy)
Image 27The 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 28German Spitz puppy (from Puppy)
Image 29Dog knee (from Dog anatomy)
Image 30A little mongrel puppy on the shore, on Halong Bay (from Puppy)
Image 31Bison surrounded by grey wolf pack (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 32Australian Cattle Dog puppy (from Puppy)
Image 33A cavapoo and maltipoo running back while playing fetch (from Dog behavior)
Image 34A dog's whiskers (from Dog anatomy)
Image 35Boxer and Labrador Mix (from Dog breed)
Image 36An extinct Turnspit dog, 1800 (from Dog type)
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 38Basenji puppy (from Puppy)
Image 39Lateral view of a dog skeleton (from Dog anatomy)
Image 40West Highland White Terrier puppies (from Puppy)
Image 41A mongrel puppy (from Puppy)
Image 42Petroglyph depicting two dogs hunting – Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 43Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphic depiction of an ʻīlio (Hawaiian Poi Dog) (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 44Chihuahua mix and purebred Great Dane (from Dog breed)
Image 45The 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 46Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Dog breed)
Image 47Skeleton 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 48Sled dogs, 1833 (from Dog type)
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 50Schematic 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)

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

... that Naughty Dog's first published game was initially planned to be distributed locally in Ziploc bags?
... that actor Darcy Grey sold "posh dog food" on weekends?
... that Josiah Mtekateka, the first indigenous Malawian Anglican bishop, began his career as a priest's dog keeper?
... that around 8% of the human genome consists of DNA acquired from viruses through a process known as endogenization?
... that children's author Mary Chalmers owned ten cats and a Pomeranian dog, whose poses helped her draw illustrations for her books?
... that the first dogs in space returned to Earth with a parachute?

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 Snuppy the Afghan Hound is the world's first cloned dog?
...that 217 Dalmatians were used in the filming of 101 Dalmatians?
...that former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King owned several Irish Terriers (all named Pat), and had séances to "communicate" with the dogs after their death?
...that the Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog breed in the USA, with the Yorkshire Terrier and German Shepherd Dog being second and third?

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

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