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Dog
MAMMAL
WRITTEN BY: Constance B. Vanacore
LAST UPDATED: Jan 24, 2019 See Article History
Alternative Title: Canis lupus familiaris
Dog, (Canis lupus familiaris), domestic mammal of the family Canidae (order
Carnivora). It is a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and is related to
foxes and jackals. The dog is one of the two most ubiquitous and most popular
domestic animals in the world (the cat is the other). For more than 12,000 years it
has lived with humans as a hunting companion, protector, object of scorn or
adoration, and friend.

cat; dog; pet ownership

cat; dog; pet ownership
A look at the personality traits and nurturing styles of �cat people� and �dog
people.�
Displayed by permission of The Regents of the University of California. All rights
reserved.
The dog evolved from the gray wolf into more than 400 distinct breeds. Human beings
have played a major role in creating dogs that fulfill distinct societal needs.
Through the most rudimentary form of genetic engineering, dogs were bred to
accentuate instincts that were evident from their earliest encounters with humans.
Although details about the evolution of dogs are uncertain, the first dogs were
hunters with keen senses of sight and smell. Humans developed these instincts and
created new breeds as need or desire arose.

dog: types
dog: types
A look at the differences and similarities between various types of dogs.
� MinuteEarth
Dogs are regarded differently in different parts of the world. Characteristics of
loyalty, friendship, protectiveness, and affection have earned dogs an important
position in Western society, and in the United States and Europe the care and
feeding of dogs has become a multibillion-dollar business. Western civilization has
given the relationship between human and dog great importance, but, in some of the
developing nations and in many areas of Asia, dogs are not held in the same esteem.
In some areas of the world, dogs are used as guards or beasts of burden or even for
food, whereas in the United States and Europe dogs are protected and admired. In
ancient Egypt during the days of the pharaohs, dogs were considered to be sacred.

Dogs have played an important role in the history of human civilization and were
among the first domesticated animals. They were important in hunter-gatherer
societies as hunting allies and bodyguards against predators. When livestock were
domesticated about 7,000 to 9,000 years ago, dogs served as herders and guardians
of sheep, goats, and cattle. Although many still serve in these capacities, dogs
are increasingly used for social purposes and companionship. Today dogs are
employed as guides for the blind and disabled or for police work. Dogs are even
used in therapy in nursing homes and hospitals to encourage patients toward
recovery. Humans have bred a wide range of different dogs adapted to serve a
variety of functions. This has been enhanced by improvements in veterinary care and
animal husbandry.

German shepherd (Alsatian).

German shepherd (Alsatian).
� Sally Anne Thompson/Animal Photography
READ MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Chemoreception enables animals to respond to chemicals that can be tasted and
smelled in their environments. Many of these chemicals affect behaviours such as
food preference and defense.
chemoreception: Dogs
Humans often employ the ability of dogs to learn specific odours in order to locate
odour sources. Thus, dogs can be trained to help find missing or suspect persons by
the odour associated with the person�s clothing. Dogs can also be trained to
locate�

Origin And History Of Dogs

Ancestry
Paleontologists and archaeologists have determined that about 60 million years ago
a small mammal, rather like a weasel, lived in the environs of what are now parts
of Asia. It is called Miacis, the genus that became the ancestor of the animals
known today as canids: dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes. Miacis did not leave
direct descendants, but doglike canids evolved from it. By about 30 to 40 million
years ago Miacis had evolved into the first true dog�namely, Cynodictis. This was a
medium-size animal, longer than it was tall, with a long tail and a fairly brushy
coat. Over the millennia Cynodictis gave rise to two branches, one in Africa and
the other in Eurasia. The Eurasian branch was called Tomarctus and is the
progenitor of wolves, dogs, and foxes.

The timing and location of dog domestication is less clear and has been a matter of
significant debate, but there is strong genetic evidence that the first
domestication events occurred somewhere in Central Asia before 15,000 years ago.
Some genetic studies have suggested that wolves were domesticated 16,300 years ago
to serve as livestock in China. Other genetic studies, however, have suggested that
dog domestication began as early as 18,800�32,100 years ago in Europe or that early
dogs dating from about 12,000 to 14,000 years ago came from a small strain of gray
wolf that inhabited what is now India. Thereafter this wolf�known as Canis lupus
pallipes�was widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.
However, one genetic study that compared the DNA of dogs and wolves inhabiting
areas thought to have been centres of dog domestication suggests that dogs and
modern wolves belong to separate lineages that share a common ancestor. It is also
possible that some of the dogs of today descended not from the wolf but rather from
the jackal. These dogs, found in Africa, might have given rise to some of the
present native African breeds. A genetic study examining the migration of dogs to
the Americas revealed evidence that dogs did not accompany the first humans to the
New World more than 15,000 years ago; the study suggested that dogs came to the
Americas only 10,000 years ago.

No matter what their origins, all canids have certain common characteristics. They
are mammals that bear live young. The females have mammary glands, and they suckle
their offspring. The early breeds had erect ears and pointed or wedge-shaped
muzzles, similar to the northern breeds common today. Most of the carnivores have
similar dental structures, which is one way paleontologists have been able to
identify them. They develop two sets of teeth, deciduous (�baby�) teeth and
permanent teeth.
Canids walk on their toes, in contrast to an animal like the bear, which is flat-
footed and walks on its heels. Dogs, like most mammals, have body hair and are
homeothermic�that is to say, they have an internal thermostat that permits them to
maintain their body temperature at a constant level despite the outside
temperature.

Fossil remains suggest that five distinct types of dogs existed by the beginning of
the Bronze Age (about 4500 BCE). They were the mastiffs, wolf-type dogs, sight
hounds (such as the Saluki or greyhound), pointing dogs, and herding dogs.

Domestication
It is likely that wild canids were scavengers near tribal campsites at the same
time that ancient humans discovered a hunting partner in the animals that ventured
close by. In ancient Egypt, dogs were thought to possess godlike characteristics.
They were pampered by their own servants, outfitted with jeweled collars, and fed
the choicest diet. Only royalty was permitted to own purebred dogs, and upon the
death of a ruler his favourite dog was often interred with him to protect him from
harm in the afterlife.

Illustrations of dogs dating from the Bronze Age have been found on walls, tombs,
and scrolls throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Often the dogs
are depicted hunting game with their human counterparts. Statues of dogs guard the
entrances to burial crypts. In many cases these dogs clearly resemble modern
canines. Such relics are indelible testimony to the importance that humans have
given to the dog throughout the ages.

Origin of breeds
Once it became evident that dogs were faster and stronger and could see and hear
better than humans, those specimens exhibiting these qualities were interbred to
enhance such attributes. Fleet-footed sight hounds were revered by noblemen in the
Middle East, while in Europe powerful dogs such as the mastiff were developed to
protect home and traveler from harm.

Chihuahua, long-coat (left) and smooth-coat (right).

Chihuahua, long-coat (left) and smooth-coat (right).
� Sally Anne Thompson/Animal Photography
As society changed and agriculture�in addition to hunting�became a means of
sustaining life, other breeds of dogs were developed. Herding and guarding dogs
were important to farmers for protecting their flocks. At the same time, small
breeds became desirable as playthings and companions for noble families. The
Pekingese in China and fragile breeds such as the Chihuahua were bred to be
lapdogs. The terrier breeds were developed, mainly in England, to rid granaries and
barns of rodents. Pointing and retrieving breeds were selected for special tasks
related to aiding the hunter to find and capture game. Many breeds are extremely
ancient, while others have been developed as recently as the 1800s.

Physical Traits And Functions

General characteristics
Dogs come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. It is difficult to imagine that a
large Great Dane and a tiny poodle are of the same species, but they are
genetically identical with the same anatomic features. All dogs have 78
chromosomes, or 39 pairs of chromosomes (humans have 23 pairs), and one member of
each pair comes from each parent. The normal temperature (rectal) of an adult dog
is 100�102.5 �F.

PAGE 1 OF 6
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Teeth
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�in Northern America (turkeys and dogs being the exception) meant that most
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and their communities were often protected by walls or ditches; many also developed
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Chemoreception enables animals to respond to chemicals that can be tasted and
smelled in their environments. Many of these chemicals affect behaviours such as
food preference and defense.
chemoreception: Smell
In some dogs the olfactory epithelium has an area of about 170 cm2, with a total of
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only about 1�4 cm2, and the number of cells is less than 30 million. By comparison
the�
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�familiar example of animal behaviour�a dog wagging its tail�serves to illustrate
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tail, and begins swishing it from side to side. Why does this�
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�that by consistently exposing a dog to a particular sound (novel stimulus) and
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Initially, salivation was the unconditioned response, whereas the food stimulus was
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Introduction
Origin and history of dogs
Ancestry
Domestication
Origin of breeds
Physical traits and functions
General characteristics
Teeth
Digestive system
Skeletal structure
Senses
Coats
Reproduction
Sexual maturity
Reproductive cycle
Gestation and whelping
Reproductive capacity
Behaviour
Territory and range
Barking
Behavioral development
Breed-specific behaviour
Dogs as pets
Selection
Nutrition and growth
Training
Other maintenance concerns
Ailments
The breeds
Sporting dogs
Hounds
Terriers
Working dogs
Herding dogs
Toys
Non-Sporting dogs
Breed standards
Related canids
Wolves
Coyotes
Foxes
Jackals
Other wild canids

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Dog
MAMMAL
ARTICLE
MEDIA
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