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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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Boston Terrier with a black brindle coat

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

The Boston Terrier ranked as the 24th most popular breed in registrations with the American Kennel Club in 2022. (Full article...)

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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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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. Charles 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 1Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Dog breed)
Image 2External 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 3The 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 4Example of a dog making prolonged eye contact with a human (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 5Puggle puppy (from Puppy)
Image 6Schematic 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 7German Spitz puppy (from Puppy)
Image 8Cart dogs, c. 1900; different in appearance but doing the same work (from Dog type)
Image 9NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin with his dogs Jake and Scout (from Dog behavior)
Image 10A mongrel puppy (from Puppy)
Image 11A labradoodle puppy and a Golden Retriever puppy playing together (from Puppy)
Image 12Tesem, an ancient Egyptian sight-hound (from Dog breed)
Image 13Dog knee (from Dog anatomy)
Image 14Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw opened (from Dog anatomy)
Image 15Chihuahua mix and purebred Great Dane (from Dog breed)
Image 16Mandible of the oldest recognised dog discovered in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany, and dated 14,200 years old (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 17A wolf mandible diagram showing the names and positions of the teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 18Two Shih Tzu puppies (from Puppy)
Image 19Lateral view of a dog skeleton (from Dog anatomy)
Image 20Map 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 21Cavapoo puppy (from Puppy)
Image 22Reduction in size under selective breeding – grey wolf and chihuahua skulls (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 23Frontal view of a dog skull (from Dog anatomy)
Image 24"Five different types of dogs", c. 1547. (from Dog breed)
Image 25Bloodhound puppy (from Puppy)
Image 26Golden Retriever puppy (from Puppy)
Image 27The dog's retina shows the optic disc and the eye's vasculature. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 28Newborn Welsh Springer Spaniels (from Puppy)
Image 29The 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 30Mammoth bone dwelling, Mezhirich site, Ukraine (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 31Bison surrounded by grey wolf pack (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 32Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 33Jack Russell Terrier puppy (from Puppy)
Image 34Cave wolf skull, Natural History Museum, Berlin (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 35Montage showing the morphological variation of the dog. (from Dog breed)
Image 36Basset Hound (from Puppy)
Image 37The nose of a dog (from Dog anatomy)
Image 38A dog's teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 39The 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 40President Lyndon B. Johnson with a basket of puppies in 1966 (from Puppy)
Image 41Chihuahua puppy (from Puppy)
Image 42Australian Cattle Dog puppy (from Puppy)
Image 43The 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 44A little mongrel puppy on the shore, on Halong Bay (from Puppy)
Image 45Montage showing the coat variation of dogs. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 46Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw closed (from Dog anatomy)
Image 47A dog's whiskers (from Dog anatomy)
Image 48A 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 49Skeleton 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 50Basenji puppy (from Puppy)
Image 51West Highland White Terrier puppies (from Puppy)
Image 52Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphic depiction of an ʻīlio (Hawaiian Poi Dog) (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 53Petroglyph depicting two dogs hunting – Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 54Diagram of a wolf skull with key features labelled (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 55Sled dogs, 1833 (from Dog type)
Image 56Watercolor 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 57An 1897 illustration showing a range of European dog breeds (from Dog breed)
Image 58An extinct Turnspit dog, 1800 (from Dog type)
Image 59St. Bernard puppy (from Puppy)
Image 60A cavapoo and maltipoo running back while playing fetch (from Dog behavior)
Image 61Newborn Basenji puppies (from Puppy)

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

... that the collapse of Cloghan Castle in County Cork, Ireland, was said to have been caused by the barking of a ghostly black dog?
... that Pietro Badoer was banished twice, poisoned one of his three wives, but declined an offer for a coup to make him doge?
... that Pinky & Pepper Forever is a graphic novel that follows two anthropomorphic dog girlfriends through hell?
... that dogs have much more sensitive noses and ears than humans, but have trouble distinguishing red from green?
... that the poor of ancient Rome were compared to dogs by the Roman writer Martial?
... that Ripken wore a GoPro on his back while retrieving used bats and tees at major sporting events?

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 American president Lyndon Johnson owned two Beagles named Him and Her?
...that the domestic dog's health is possibly one of the best-studied areas in veterinary medicine?
...that the word "terrier" comes from the Latin terra, meaning "earth"?
...that Moose, a Jack Russell Terrier who played Eddie on the popular sitcom Frasier, was given away by his original owner because he was too active for them?

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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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