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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 an extinct 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. Experts estimate that 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 have an inferior visual acuity, a superior sense of smell, and a relatively large olfactory cortex. They 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 became 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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Tan and white Basset Hound

The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of dog in the hound family. The Basset is a scent hound that was originally bred for the purpose of hunting hare. Their sense of smell and ability to ground-scent is second only to the Bloodhound.

Basset Hounds are one of six recognized "basset"-type breeds in France. The name Basset is derived from the French word bas, meaning 'low', with the attenuating suffix -et—together meaning 'rather low'. Basset Hounds are usually bicolours or tricolours of standard hound coloration. (Full article...)

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Credit: Dave

A Komondor during the Working Group judging at the 2007 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a two-day benched conformation show that takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City every year. Dog owners from around the world come to show their dogs. Dogs are judged closely by eminent American Kennel Club (AKC) judges. It is considered by many to be America's most prestigious dog show.

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The setter is a type of gundog used most often for hunting game such as quail, pheasant, and grouse.

In the UK, the four setter breeds, together with the pointers, usually form a subgroup within the gundog group as they share a common function. However, the setter breeds each have subtle differences in head, bone and substance. (Full article...)

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

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

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

... that the Isle of Dogs Pumping Station was nicknamed the Temple of Storms?
... 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 Winston Churchill was often portrayed as a bulldog, but his personal pet dog during the Second World War was a poodle?
... that French designer Martine Bedin compared her Super Lamp design to "a small dog that I could carry with me"?
... that Mohammad Bhar, a Palestinian man with Down syndrome and autism, died following a dog attack in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war?
... that ancient Greek philosopher Xenophon thought the alopekis was part dog, part fox?

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 Ramy Brooks, a competitor in the 1,049 mi 2006 Iditarod dog sled race across Alaska, is one of the few Native Alaskans competing in the event?
...that the Caucasian Shepherd Dog is generally a low activity dog, seemingly lethargic when not working, but extremely agile and convincing when it feels that its family is threatened?
...that the Battle of Garibpur fought between India and Pakistan preceded the official start of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and was the first battle where dog fighting occurred over East Pakistan?
...that George E. Studdy was a British artist best remembered for his creation of Bonzo the dog, a fictional character, in the early 1920s?

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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...
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