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Dog
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This article is about the domestic dog. For related species known as
"dogs", see Canidae. For other uses, see Dog (disambiguation).
Domestic dogs
Temporal range: At least 14,200 years ago – present[2]
Collage of Nine Dogs.jpg
Selection of the different breeds of dog
Conservation status
Domesticated
Scientific classificatione
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Subfamily: Caninae
Tribe: Canini
Genus: Canis
Species: C. lupus
Subspecies: C. l. familiaris[1]
Trinomial name
Canis lupus familiaris[1]
Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms
Canis familiaris Linnaeus, 1758[3][4]
Contents
1 Terminology
2 Taxonomy
3 Origin
4 Biology
4.1 Anatomy
4.1.1 Size and weight
4.1.2 Senses
4.1.3 Coat
4.1.4 Tail
4.1.5 Differences from wolves
4.2 Health
4.2.1 Lifespan
4.3 Reproduction
4.3.1 Neutering
4.4 Inbreeding depression
5 Intelligence, behavior, and communication
5.1 Intelligence
5.2 Behavior
5.3 Communication
6 Ecology
6.1 Population
6.2 Competitors and predators
6.3 Diet
6.4 Range
7 Breeds
8 Roles with humans
8.1 Early roles
8.2 As pets
8.3 Work
8.4 Sports and shows
8.5 As food
8.6 Health risks to humans
8.7 Health benefits for humans
8.8 Shelters
9 Cultural depictions
9.1 Mythology and religion
9.2 Literature
9.3 Art
9.4 Education and appreciation
10 See also
10.1 Lists
11 Notes
12 Bibliography
13 Further reading
14 External links
Terminology
The term dog typically is applied both to the species (or subspecies)
as a whole, and any adult male member of the same.
An adult female is a bitch.
An adult male capable of reproduction is a stud.
An adult female capable of reproduction is a brood bitch, or brood
mother.
Immature males or females (that is, animals that are incapable of
reproduction) are pups or puppies.
A group of pups from the same gestation period is called a litter.
The father of a litter is a sire. It is possible for one litter to have
multiple sires.
The mother of a litter is a dam.
A group of any three or more adults is a pack.
Taxonomy
Further information: Canis lupus dingo § Taxonomic debate – dog,
dingo, and New Guinea singing dog
In 1758, the Swedish botanist and zoologist Carl Linnaeus published
in his Systema Naturae the binomial nomenclature – or the two-word
naming – of species. Canis is the Latin word meaning "dog",[21] and
under this genus he listed the dog-like carnivores including
domestic dogs, wolves, and jackals. He classified the domestic dog
as Canis familiaris, and on the next page he classified the wolf as
Canis lupus.[3] Linnaeus considered the dog to be a separate
species from the wolf because of its cauda recurvata - its upturning
tail which is not found in any other canid.[22]
Origin
Main article: Origin of the domestic dog
The origin of the domestic dog includes the dog's evolutionary
divergence from the wolf, its domestication, and its development
into dog types and dog breeds. The dog is a member of the genus
Canis, which forms part of the wolf-like canids, and was the first
species and the only large carnivore to have been domesticated.[14]
[27] The dog and the extant gray wolf are sister taxa, as modern
wolves are not closely related to the population of wolves that was
first domesticated.[14]
Biology
Skull of a dog
Domestic dogs have been selectively bred for millennia for various
behaviors, sensory capabilities, and physical attributes.[17] Modern
dog breeds show more variation in size, appearance, and behavior
than any other domestic animal.[17] Dogs are predators and
scavengers; like many other predatory mammals, the dog has
powerful muscles, fused wrist bones, a cardiovascular system that
supports both sprinting and endurance, and teeth for catching and
tearing.
Coat
Main article: Coat (dog)
Tail
See also: Docking
There are many different shapes for dog tails: straight, straight up,
sickle, curled, or cork-screw. As with many canids, one of the
primary functions of a dog's tail is to communicate their emotional
state, which can be important in getting along with others. In some
hunting dogs, however, the tail is traditionally docked to avoid
injuries.[40] In some breeds, such as the Braque du Bourbonnais,
puppies can be born with a short tail or no tail at all.[41]
The Saarloos wolfdog carries more gray wolf DNA than any other
dog breed[42]
Despite their close genetic relationship and the ability to inter-
breed, there are a number of diagnostic features to distinguish the
gray wolves from domestic dogs. Domesticated dogs are clearly
distinguishable from wolves by starch gel electrophoresis of red
blood cell acid phosphatase.[43] The tympanic bullae are large,
convex and almost spherical in gray wolves, while the bullae of
dogs are smaller, compressed and slightly crumpled.[44] Compared
with equally sized wolves, dogs tend to have 20% smaller skulls and
30% smaller brains.[45]:35 The teeth of gray wolves are also
proportionately larger than those of dogs.[46] Dogs have a more
domed forehead and a distinctive "stop" between forehead and
nose.[47] The temporalis muscle that closes the jaws is more robust
in wolves.[5]:158 Wolves do not have dewclaws on their back legs,
unless there has been admixture with dogs that had them.[48] Most
dogs lack a functioning pre-caudal gland and enter estrus twice
yearly, unlike gray wolves which only do so once a year.[49] So-
called primitive dogs such as dingoes and Basenjis retain the yearly
estrus cycle.[50]
Dogs generally have brown eyes and wolves almost always have
amber or light colored eyes.[51] The skin of domestic dogs tends to
be thicker than that of wolves, with some Inuit tribes favoring the
former for use as clothing due to its greater resistance to wear and
tear in harsh weather.[52] The paws of a dog are half the size of
those of a wolf, and their tails tend to curl upwards, another trait
not found in wolves.[53] The dog has developed into hundreds of
varied breeds, and shows more behavioral and morphological
variation than any other land mammal.[54]
Health
Main article: Dog health
There are many household plants that are poisonous to dogs (and
other mammals) including begonia, Poinsettia and aloe vera.[55]
Lifespan
Further information: Aging in dogs
Mixed-breed dogs such as this terrier have been found to run faster
and live longer than their pure-bred parents (see Heterosis).
In 2013, a study found that mixed breeds live on average 1.2 years
longer than pure breeds, and that increasing body-weight was
negatively correlated with longevity (i.e. the heavier the dog the
shorter its lifespan).[62]
The typical lifespan of dogs varies widely among breeds, but for
most the median longevity, the age at which half the dogs in a
population have died and half are still alive, ranges from 10 to 13
years.[63][64][65][66] Individual dogs may live well beyond the
median of their breed.
The breed with the shortest lifespan (among breeds for which there
is a questionnaire survey with a reasonable sample size) is the
Dogue de Bordeaux, with a median longevity of about 5.2 years, but
several breeds, including miniature bull terriers, bloodhounds, and
Irish wolfhounds are nearly as short-lived, with median longevities
of 6 to 7 years.[66]
Reproduction
Main article: Canine reproduction
Inbreeding depression
A common breeding practice for pet dogs is mating between close
relatives (e.g. between half- and full siblings).[83] Inbreeding
depression is considered to be due largely to the expression of
homozygous deleterious recessive mutations.[84] Outcrossing
between unrelated individuals, including dogs of different breeds,
results in the beneficial masking of deleterious recessive mutations
in progeny.[85]
Behavior
Main article: Dog behavior
See also: Dog behavior § Behavior compared with other canids
Dog behavior is the internally coordinated responses (actions or
inactions) of the domestic dog (individuals or groups) to internal
and/or external stimuli.[94] As the oldest domesticated species,
with estimates ranging from 9,000–30,000 years BCE, the minds of
dogs inevitably have been shaped by millennia of contact with
humans. As a result of this physical and social evolution, dogs, more
than any other species, have acquired the ability to understand and
communicate with humans, and they are uniquely attuned to human
behaviors.[18] Behavioral scientists have uncovered a surprising set
of social-cognitive abilities in the domestic dog. These abilities are
not possessed by the dog's closest canine relatives nor by other
highly intelligent mammals such as great apes but rather parallel
some of the social-cognitive skills of human children.[95]
Communication
Main article: Dog communication
Dog communication is how dogs convey information to other dogs,
how they understand messages from humans, and how humans
translate the information that dogs are transmitting.[103]:xii
Communication behaviors of dogs include eye gaze, facial
expression, vocalization, body posture (including movements of
bodies and limbs) and gustatory communication (scents,
pheromones and taste). Humans communicate to dogs by using
vocalization, hand signals and body posture.
Ecology
Population
In 2013, an estimate of the global dog population was between 700
million[104] and 987 million.[105] Although it is said that the "dog is
man's best friend",[106] this refers largely to the ~20% of dogs that
live in developed countries. In the developing world, dogs are more
commonly feral or communally owned, with pet dogs uncommon.
[52] Most of these dogs live their lives as scavengers and have
never been owned by humans, with one study showing their most
common response when approached by strangers is to run away
(52%) or respond aggressively (11%).[107] Little is known about
these dogs, or the dogs in developed countries that are feral, stray
or are in shelters, because the great majority of modern research on
dog cognition has focused on pet dogs living in human homes.[108]
Wolves kill dogs wherever they are found together.[112] One study
reported that in Wisconsin in 1999 more compensation had been
paid for losses due to wolves taking dogs than for wolves taking
livestock. In Wisconsin wolves will often kill hunting dogs, possibly
because the dogs are in the wolf's territory.[112] A strategy has
been reported in Russia where one wolf lures a dog into heavy brush
where another wolf waits in ambush.[113] In some instances,
wolves have displayed an uncharacteristic fearlessness of humans
and buildings when attacking dogs, to the extent that they have to
be beaten off or killed.[114] Although the numbers of dogs killed
each year are relatively low, it induces a fear of wolves entering
villages and farmyards to take dogs, and losses of dogs to wolves
has led to demands for more liberal wolf hunting regulations.[109]
Coyotes and big cats have also been known to attack dogs.
Leopards in particular are known to have a predilection for dogs,
and have been recorded to kill and consume them regardless of
their size.[115] Tigers in Manchuria, Indochina, Indonesia, and
Malaysia are also reported to kill dogs.[116] Striped hyenas are
known to kill dogs in Turkmenistan, India, and the Caucasus.[117]
Diet
See also: Dog food
However, the dog is not simply an omnivore. More like the cat and
less like other omnivores, the dog can only produce bile acid with
taurine, and it cannot produce vitamin D, which it obtains from
animal flesh. Also more like the cat, the dog requires arginine to
maintain its nitrogen balance. These nutritional requirements place
the dog part-way between carnivores and omnivores.[124]
Range
As a domesticated or semi-domesticated animal, the dog is nearly
universal among human societies. Notable exceptions once
included:
Gunnar Kaasen and Balto, the lead dog on the last relay team of the
1925 serum run to Nome
Domestic dogs inherited complex behaviors, such as bite inhibition,
from their wolf ancestors, which would have been pack hunters with
complex body language. These sophisticated forms of social
cognition and communication may account for their trainability,
playfulness, and ability to fit into human households and social
situations, and these attributes have given dogs a relationship with
humans that has enabled them to become one of the most
successful species on the planet today.[134]:pages95-136
Early roles
Wolves, and their dog descendants, likely derived significant
benefits from living in human camps – more safety, more reliable
food, lesser caloric needs, and more chance to breed.[137] They
would have benefited from humans' upright gait that gives them
larger range over which to see potential predators and prey, as well
as better color vision that, at least by day, gives humans better
visual discrimination.[137] Camp dogs would also have benefited
from human tool use, as in bringing down larger prey and controlling
fire for a range of purposes.[137]
Humans would also have derived enormous benefit from the dogs
associated with their camps.[138] For instance, dogs would have
improved sanitation by cleaning up food scraps.[138] Dogs may
have provided warmth, as referred to in the Australian Aboriginal
expression "three dog night" (an exceptionally cold night), and they
would have alerted the camp to the presence of predators or
strangers, using their acute hearing to provide an early warning.
[138]
It has been suggested that the most significant benefit would have
been the use of dogs' robust sense of smell to assist with the hunt.
[138] The relationship between the presence of a dog and success
in the hunt is often mentioned as a primary reason for the
domestication of the wolf, and a 2004 study of hunter groups with
and without a dog gives quantitative support to the hypothesis that
the benefits of cooperative hunting was an important factor in wolf
domestication.[139]
Human emigrants from Siberia that came across the Bering land
bridge into North America likely had dogs in their company.
Although one writer[141] even suggests that the use of sled dogs
may have been critical to the success of the waves that entered
North America roughly 12,000 years ago,[141] the earliest
archaeological evidence of dog-like canids in North America dates
from about 9,400 years ago.[134]:104[142] Dogs were an important
part of life for the Athabascan population in North America, and
were their only domesticated animal. Dogs as pack animals may
have contributed to the migration of the Apache and Navajo tribes
1,400 years ago. This use of dogs in these cultures often persisted
after the introduction of the horse to North America.[143]
As pets
Siberian Huskies are pack animals that still enjoy some human
companionship
Couple sitting on the lawn with a pet British Bulldog
A British Bulldog relaxes at a park
It is estimated that three-quarters of the world's dog population
lives in the developing world as feral, village, or community dogs,
with pet dogs uncommon.[52]
Work
Dogs have lived and worked with humans in many roles. In addition
to dogs' role as companion animals, dogs have been bred for
herding livestock (collies, sheepdogs),[159][17] hunting (hounds,
pointers),[45] and rodent control (terriers).[17] Other types of
working dogs include search and rescue dogs,[160] detection dogs
trained to detect illicit drugs[161] or chemical weapons;[162] guard
dogs; dogs who assist fishermen with the use of nets; and dogs that
pull loads.[17] In 1957, the dog Laika became the first animal to be
launched into Earth orbit, aboard the Soviets' Sputnik 2; she died
during the flight.[163][164]
As food
Main article: Dog meat
vte
Worldwide laws on killing dogs for consumption
Unknown?
1the laws vary internally and/or they include exceptions for
ritual/religious slaughter
Dog meat is consumed in some East Asian countries, including
Korea, China[135] and Vietnam,[136] a practice that dates back to
antiquity.[169] It is estimated that 13–16 million dogs are killed and
consumed in Asia every year.[170] In China, debates have ensued
over banning the consumption of dog meat.[171] Following the Sui
and Tang dynasties of the first millennium, however, people living
on the plains of northern China began to eschew eating dogs. This is
likely due to the spread of Buddhism and Islam, two religions that
forbade the consumption of certain animals, including dogs. As
members of the upper classes shunned dog meat, it gradually
became a social taboo to eat it, despite the fact that the general
population continued to consume it for centuries afterward.[172]
Other cultures, such as Polynesia and pre-Columbian Mexico, also
consumed dog meat in their history. However, Western, South
Asian, African, and Middle Eastern cultures, in general, regard
consumption of dog meat as taboo. In some places, however, such
as in rural areas of Poland, dog fat is believed to have medicinal
properties – being good for the lungs for instance.[173] Dog meat is
also consumed in some parts of Switzerland.[174] Proponents of
eating dog meat have argued that placing a distinction between
livestock and dogs is western hypocrisy, and that there is no
difference with eating the meat of different animals.[175][176][177]
[178]
In Korea, the primary dog breed raised for meat, the nureongi (누렁
이), differs from those breeds raised for pets that Koreans may keep
in their homes.[179]
Citing a 2008 study, the U.S. Center for Disease Control estimated in
2015 that 4.5 million people in the USA are bitten by dogs each
year.[181] A 2015 study estimated that 1.8% of the U.S. population
is bitten each year.[182] In the 1980s and 1990s the US averaged 17
fatalities per year, while since 2007 this has increased to an
average of 31.[183] 77% of dog bites are from the pet of family or
friends, and 50% of attacks occur on the property of the dog's legal
owner.[183]
A Colorado study found bites in children were less severe than bites
in adults.[184] The incidence of dog bites in the US is 12.9 per
10,000 inhabitants, but for boys aged 5 to 9, the incidence rate is
60.7 per 10,000. Moreover, children have a much higher chance to
be bitten in the face or neck.[185] Sharp claws with powerful
muscles behind them can lacerate flesh in a scratch that can lead
to serious infections.[186]
In the UK between 2003 and 2004, there were 5,868 dog attacks on
humans, resulting in 5,770 working days lost in sick leave.[187]
In the United States, cats and dogs are a factor in more than 86,000
falls each year.[188] It has been estimated around 2% of dog-related
injuries treated in UK hospitals are domestic accidents. The same
study found that while dog involvement in road traffic accidents
was difficult to quantify, dog-associated road accidents involving
injury more commonly involved two-wheeled vehicles.[189]
The health benefits of dogs can result from contact with dogs in
general, and not solely from having dogs as pets. For example, when
in the presence of a pet dog, people show reductions in
cardiovascular, behavioral, and psychological indicators of anxiety.
[202] Other health benefits are gained from exposure to immune-
stimulating microorganisms, which, according to the hygiene
hypothesis, can protect against allergies and autoimmune diseases.
The benefits of contact with a dog also include social support, as
dogs are able to not only provide companionship and social support
themselves, but also to act as facilitators of social interactions
between humans.[203] One study indicated that wheelchair users
experience more positive social interactions with strangers when
they are accompanied by a dog than when they are not.[204] In
2015, a study found that pet owners were significantly more likely
to get to know people in their neighborhood than non-pet owners.
[205]
Cultural depictions
Jewish law does not prohibit keeping dogs and other pets.[221]
Jewish law requires Jews to feed dogs (and other animals that they
own) before themselves, and make arrangements for feeding them
before obtaining them.[221]
Literature
In Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, when the disguised Odysseus
returns home after 20 years he is recognized only by his faithful dog,
Argos, who has been waiting for his return.
Art
Main article: Cultural depictions of dogs in Western art
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dogs in art.
Cultural depictions of dogs in art extend back thousands of years to
when dogs were portrayed on the walls of caves. Representations of
dogs became more elaborate as individual breeds evolved and the
relationships between human and canine developed. Hunting
scenes were popular in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Dogs
were depicted to symbolize guidance, protection, loyalty, fidelity,
faithfulness, watchfulness, and love.[224]