Dogs are animals that are member of the
genus Canis and has been domesticated for
thousands of years.
Dog History: Today's domesticated
dog is a descendant / subspecies of the
Dog Size: Dogs come in a variety
of shapes and sizes. The smallest dog breeds
weigh just a few pounds, while the largest
dog breeds can weigh up to 250 lbs! While
dog breeds may appear quite different, anatomically
they are all the same. All dogs have 321
bones and 42 permanent teeth.
Other Names for Dogs: Canine, Pooch,
Mongrels, Mutts, Hound, Pup, Puppies, Man's
Best Friend, Canid,
Dog in Foreign
Arabic: Kalb / Kilaab
Hebrew: Kalba’ / Kalbta’
Bosnian: Pas / Kucka
Bulgarian: Kuce / Pes
Catalan: Gos / Ca / Gossa
Corsican: Cane / Ghjacaru
Czech: Pes/ Fena
Esperanto: Hundo / Virhundo /
Estonian: Koer/ Peni
Gaelic: Cù / Madadh
German: Hund / Rüde / Hündin
Greek: Skílos / Kíon
Hindi: Kutta / Kutti
Hungarian: Kutya / Eb
Irish: Madra / Gadhar / Madadh
Korean: Gae / Gyeon / Gu
Latvian: Suns / Kuce
Lithuanian: šuo / šuva m /
Low Saxon: Hund/ Köter
Luxembourg: Hond / Mupp / ,
Malay: Anjing / Asu
Maltese: Kelb / Kelba
Middle Dutch: Hont
Middle English: Dogge
Middle High German: Hunt
Middle Low German: Hund
Middle Welsh: Ci
Nahuatl: Chichi / Itzcuintli
Nepali: Kukur / Kukurni
Norwegian: Hund / Bikkje
Old Church Slavonic: Pisu
Old English: Hund / Docga
Old French: Chen / Chien
Old High German: Hunt
Old Irish: Cú / Matad
Old Norse: Hundr / Grey/ Bikkja
Old Prussian: Sunis
Old Saxon: Hund
Polish: Pies / Suka
Portuguese: Cão / Cadela /
Punjabi: Pa / Kutta
Romanian: Câine/ Cîine / Câini
Russian: Sobáka / Pjos / Psína
Sardinian: Cani / Cane / Perru
Serbian: Pas / Kucka / Kuce
Slovakian: Pes / Suka
Slovenian: Pes / Psica
Somali: Eey/ Ey
Swedish: Hund / Hynda
Thai: Maa / Sùnák
Turkish: Köpek / It
Urdu: Kutta / Kalb / Sag
West Frisian: Hûn
Yiddish: Hunt / Hint
Western Apache: Góshé
Dog Breeds: There is little agreement
on the actual number of recognized dog breeds.
Designer breeds have developed over the years,
but they are not usually recognized as official
breeds. The AKC (American Kennel Club) recognizes
more than 150 breeds.
Diet: Dogs are classifieds as carnivores,
but they will healthily digest a variety of
foods, including vegetables and grains.
Did You Know?
In 2001 it was
estimated there were 4 million dogs
in the world!
Senses: Dogs have an exceptional sense
of smell, the sensitivity varies from breed to
breed, but it is by far their most developed sense.
They use their sense of smell to identify people,
pets, their environment, prey and much more. Dogs
have good vision, they are able to easily notify
motion or movement in their line of sight, and
there night vision is superior to that of humans.
A dogs sense of taste is not overly developed,
they rely on their sense of smell to determine
if they like something.
Behavior: Dogs are invaluable to humans
in the western world. Dogs have been known to
perform a variety of tasks and fill many roles
for people, such as hunting, herding, pulling
loads, protection, assisting police and military,
companionship, and assisting disabled or handicapped
Communication: Dogs communicate using
body movements and vocalizations. They can express
dominance and submission using their body position.
They can vocialize to express fear, excitement
or a number of other emotions.
Dogs also express themselves using their ear
postion, eyes, mouth, nose, head, and tail. They
are really very expressive animals.
Dog Gestation: Dogs carry
their young 56 to 72 days.
Did You Know?
Dogs are said
to sleep an average of 10 hours
Birth: An average dog litter consists
of 6 puppies, but litter sizes can vary from breed
Sexual Maturity: Dogs are sexually mature
between 6-12 months of age.
Life Span: The life span of dogs vary from
breed to breed, in general small dogs tend to have
longer life spans than large breeds. The average
dog life span is 10 - 14 years.
Social Structure: The basic unit of canine
social structure is the pack. Like many animal
social grouping, there is usually a "pecking
order". Some dogs breeds are more social
than others, dogs will assert dominance over other
dogs, problems may occur when two "alpha
dogs" are in the same pack. Some dog behavior
specialists suggest that dogs see their owners
as parts of their pack.
Athleticism: The athleticism of dogs varires
from breed to breed. Some of the hunting, sporting
and working dog breeds are quite athletic and