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The dog (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from extinct gray wolves, and the gray wolf is the dog's closest living relative. The dog was the first species to be domesticated by humans. Experts estimate that hunter-gatherers domesticated dogs more than 15,000 years ago, which was before the development of agriculture. Due to their long association with humans, dogs have expanded to a large number of domestic individuals and gained the ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet that would be inadequate for other canids.

The dog has been selectively bred over millennia for various behaviors, sensory capabilities, and physical attributes. Dog breeds vary widely in shape, size, and color. They perform many roles for humans, such as hunting, herding, pulling loads, protection, assisting police and the military, companionship, therapy, and aiding disabled people. Over the millennia, dogs became uniquely adapted to human behavior, and the human–canine bond has been a topic of frequent study. This 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 1Puggle puppy (from Puppy)
Image 2A dog's teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 3An 1897 illustration showing a range of European dog breeds (from Dog breed)
Image 4German Spitz puppy (from Puppy)
Image 5The dog diverged from a now-extinct population of wolves 27,000–40,000 years ago immediately before the Last Glacial Maximum, when much of the mammoth steppe was cold and dry. (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 6An extinct Turnspit dog, 1800 (from Dog type)
Image 7Petroglyph depicting two dogs hunting – Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 8Newborn Welsh Springer Spaniels (from Puppy)
Image 9Bison surrounded by grey wolf pack (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 10Skeleton 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 11The 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 12Diagram of a wolf skull with key features labelled (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 13Dog knee (from Dog anatomy)
Image 14St. Bernard puppy (from Puppy)
Image 15Newborn Basenji puppies (from Puppy)
Image 16Reduction in size under selective breeding – grey wolf and chihuahua skulls (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 17Australian Cattle Dog puppy (from Puppy)
Image 18Lateral view of a dog skeleton (from Dog anatomy)
Image 19The dog's retina shows the optic disc and the eye's vasculature. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 20Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Dog breed)
Image 21Cart dogs, c. 1900; different in appearance but doing the same work (from Dog type)
Image 22President Lyndon B. Johnson with a basket of puppies in 1966 (from Puppy)
Image 23The 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 24A labradoodle puppy and a Golden Retriever puppy playing together. (from Puppy)
Image 25Chihuahua mix and purebred Great Dane (from Dog breed)
Image 26Golden Retriever puppy (from Puppy)
Image 27Watercolor 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 28Chihuahua puppy (from Puppy)
Image 29A wolf mandible diagram showing the names and positions of the teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 30West Highland White Terrier puppies (from Puppy)
Image 31Basenji puppy (from Puppy)
Image 32Basset Hound (from Puppy)
Image 33Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 34Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw opened (from Dog anatomy)
Image 35Frontal view of a dog skull (from Dog anatomy)
Image 36Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw closed (from Dog anatomy)
Image 37NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin with his dogs Jake and Scout (from Dog behavior)
Image 38"Five different types of dogs", c. 1547. (from Dog breed)
Image 39Montage showing the morphological variation of the dog. (from Dog breed)
Image 40Montage showing the coat variation of dogs. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 41Jack Russell Terrier puppy (from Puppy)
Image 42The nose of a dog (from Dog anatomy)
Image 43Mandible of the oldest recognised dog discovered in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany, and dated 14,200 years old (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 44Two Shih Tzu puppies (from Puppy)
Image 45Mammoth bone dwelling, Mezhirich site, Ukraine (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 46Bloodhound puppy (from Puppy)
Image 47Scent-rolling (from Dog behavior)
Image 48Cave wolf skull, Natural History Museum, Berlin (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 49Example of a dog making prolonged eye contact with a human (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 50Sled dogs, 1833 (from Dog type)
Image 51Schematic 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 52A 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 53Tesem, an ancient Egyptian sight-hound (from Dog breed)
Image 54A little mongrel puppy on the shore, on Halong Bay (from Puppy)
Image 55The 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 56A mongrel puppy (from Puppy)
Image 57Cavapoo puppy (from Puppy)
Image 58A dog's whiskers (from Dog anatomy)
Image 59External 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)

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

... that Mack Trucks adopted the Bulldog as its corporate logo after World War I British soldiers nicknamed the Mack AC the "Bulldog", a reference to the model's tenacity and stub nose?
... that ancient Greek philosopher Xenophon thought the alopekis was part dog, part fox?
... that Bothie was the only dog to "set paw" on both the North and South poles?
... that Watchdog created a fact-checking app within 36 hours of its founding?
... that after decades of being a central hub for river dredging operations, Stony Island's population was reduced to a caretaker and his two dogs?
... that in 2021, Alabama state representative Steve McMillan sponsored a bill that later became law allowing restaurants to have outdoor dining areas for dogs?

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 past Olympic mascots include several bears named Misha, Coal, Howdy and Hidy, and dogs Cobi and Waldi ?
...that the dog called the Miniature Fox Terrier (or Mini Foxie) originated in Australia?
...that the Brown Dog affair, an Edwardian-era vivisection cause célèbre, led to massive riots?
...that in addition to human spaceflight, there have been many animals in space, including monkeys, apes, mice, dogs, guinea pigs, frogs, rats, cats, tortoises, fish, newts, insects, snails, spiders and nematodes?

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

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