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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 the extinct Pleistocene wolf; 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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American Staffordshire Terrier at a dog show

The American Staffordshire Terrier, also known as the AmStaff, is a medium-sized, short-coated American dog breed recognized by the American Kennel Club, but not the United Kennel Club, which instead allows American Staffordshire Terriers to be registered under the American Pit Bull Terrier breed.

The height of an American Staffordshire Terrier is 18–19 in (46–48 cm) tall and weighs between 40–70 lb (18–32 kg). The American Kennel Club (AKC) describes the breed as "confident, smart and good-natured". American Staffordshire Terriers are not to be confused with American Pit Bull Terriers, though the American Pit Bull Terrier has similar ancestry they are two distinct breeds. It also should not be confused with the "Staffy" Staffordshire Bull Terrier of the United Kingdom. (Full article...)

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Credit: Paul Englefield

A Border Collie correctly maneouvring through weave poles in dog agility. Border Collies are an extremely intelligent breed with an instinctive desire to work. They are also extremely energetic and require a lot of attention, but are very responsive to training. They are better off in a household that can provide them with plenty of exercise and a job to do.

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A dog show is an animal show, an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a breed show, is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.

Dog shows can be in the means of evaluating dogs for breeding purposes. A conformation championship from a recognised national kennel club is generally considered as an indication of merit. Many breeders consider championships a prerequisite for breeding. Some critics argue that the shows can encourage selective breeding of traits and lower genetic diversity. (Full article...)

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

Image 1Basset Hound (from Puppy)
Image 2The 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 3A 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 4Australian Cattle Dog puppy (from Puppy)
Image 5St. Bernard 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 7The 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 8A dog's whiskers (from Dog anatomy)
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 10Two Shih Tzu puppies (from Puppy)
Image 11Example of a dog making prolonged eye contact with a human (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 12Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 13Chihuahua mix and purebred Great Dane (from Dog breed)
Image 14A wolf mandible diagram showing the names and positions of the teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 15Bison surrounded by grey wolf pack (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 16A little mongrel puppy on the shore, on Halong Bay (from Puppy)
Image 17The dog's retina shows the optic disc and the eye's vasculature. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 18Ancient Hawaiian petroglyphic depiction of an ʻīlio (Hawaiian Poi Dog) (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 19Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw closed (from Dog anatomy)
Image 20A labradoodle puppy and a Golden Retriever puppy playing together. (from Puppy)
Image 21External 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 22Frontal view of a dog skull (from Dog anatomy)
Image 23The nose of a dog (from Dog anatomy)
Image 24A cavapoo and maltipoo running back while playing fetch (from Dog behavior)
Image 25Petroglyph depicting two dogs hunting – Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 26Puggle puppy (from Puppy)
Image 27Jack Russell Terrier puppy (from Puppy)
Image 28Newborn Welsh Springer Spaniels (from Puppy)
Image 29An 1897 illustration showing a range of European dog breeds (from Dog breed)
Image 30Chihuahua puppy (from Puppy)
Image 31An extinct Turnspit dog, 1800 (from Dog type)
Image 32Tesem, an ancient Egyptian sight-hound (from Dog breed)
Image 33President Lyndon B. Johnson with a basket of puppies in 1966 (from Puppy)
Image 34Mandible of the oldest recognised dog discovered in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany, and dated 14,200 years old (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 35Diagram of a wolf skull with key features labelled (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 36Lateral view of a dog skull, jaw opened (from Dog anatomy)
Image 37Reduction in size under selective breeding – grey wolf and chihuahua skulls (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 38Scent-rolling (from Dog behavior)
Image 39Cart dogs, c. 1900; different in appearance but doing the same work (from Dog type)
Image 40West Highland White Terrier puppies (from Puppy)
Image 41Mammoth bone dwelling, Mezhirich site, Ukraine (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 42NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin with his dogs Jake and Scout (from Dog behavior)
Image 43Basenji puppy (from Puppy)
Image 44Sled dog types, sketched in 1833 (from Dog breed)
Image 45Bloodhound puppy (from Puppy)
Image 46Montage showing the morphological variation of the dog. (from Dog breed)
Image 47Newborn Basenji puppies (from Puppy)
Image 48German Spitz puppy (from Puppy)
Image 49Sled dogs, 1833 (from Dog type)
Image 50Cavapoo puppy (from Puppy)
Image 51"Five different types of dogs", c. 1547. (from Dog breed)
Image 52A dog's teeth (from Dog anatomy)
Image 53Skeleton 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 54The 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 55Montage showing the coat variation of dogs. (from Dog anatomy)
Image 56Lateral view of a dog skeleton (from Dog anatomy)
Image 57Golden Retriever puppy (from Puppy)
Image 58A mongrel puppy (from Puppy)
Image 59Watercolor 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 60Dog knee (from Dog anatomy)
Image 61Cave wolf skull, Natural History Museum, Berlin (from Domestication of the dog)
Image 62Map 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)

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

... that Norwegian footballer Tuva Hansen and her dog have received millions of views on several TikTok videos?
... that according to legend, dogs who travelled through a passage between Piper's Hole in Tresco and Piper's Hole in St Mary's emerged without most of their fur?
... that after the 2023 New York City parking garage collapse, a robotic dog named Digidog was deployed by the New York City Fire Department?
... that the Church of the Immaculate Conception was rededicated as a shrine in 1954, 100 years after the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was defined?
... that French designer Martine Bedin compared her Super Lamp design to "a small dog that I could carry with me"?
... that the private members' club George has a bespoke menu for pet 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...
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