Good articleDog has been listed as one of the Natural sciences good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.
Did You Know Article milestones
DateProcessResult
September 20, 2004Featured article candidateNot promoted
December 16, 2004Peer reviewReviewed
May 21, 2006Featured article candidateNot promoted
July 25, 2007Good article reassessmentDelisted
November 11, 2008Peer reviewReviewed
February 17, 2009Good article nomineeNot listed
March 15, 2011Good article nomineeNot listed
March 15, 2021Good article nomineeNot listed
October 19, 2024Good article nomineeListed
Did You Know A fact from this article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "Did you know?" column on December 5, 2024.
The text of the entry was: Did you know ... that dogs (example pictured) have much more sensitive noses and ears than humans, but have trouble distinguishing red from green?
Current status: Good article

Health conditions

Currently the disorders listed are selected by users based on preference/belief rather than based on any authoritative source. I personally don't think elbow dysplasia is very common or notable for example. I do have a tertiary source: [1] although it has so many conditions listed it might be exhaustive/too much. Other options would be one of these studies: [1] [2] [3] although these tend to ignore notable conditions such as gastric dilatation volvulus Traumnovelle (talk) 06:57, 13 September 2024 (UTC) Traumnovelle (talk) 06:57, 13 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

chondrodysplasia (dwarfism) and dachshund and corgi

This claim is dubious and almost certainly untrue. Chondrodysplasia causes more than just shortened legs and the health effects would be disadvantageous to any working breed. Historical depictions of dachshunds including a taxidermied specimen show a lack of the trait. It is certainly a modern trait bred for appearance and show. I am unaware of what the source states but I am looking for one which dates when the condition first started being bred for. Traumnovelle (talk) 20:24, 12 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Traumnovelle: The cited source seems reliable.[4] It says:

Selective breeding has dwarfed the size of the Dachshund’s skeleton, reducing the limb bones and enlarging the joints. [...] Dwarfing, on the other hand, retains all of the skeleton’s normal anatomical relationships, but reduces the lengths of the long limb bones and enlarges the joints. [...] Both dwarfism and miniaturization are natural occurences, which have been accentuated through our intervention in dog breeding. (pp. 38-39, cited range) [...] For the last 100 years they [Dachshunds] have been bred as “earth dogs,” the standard size being willing and able to follow badgers and foxes to earth, with the miniature version doing the same with rabbits. (p. 184, "Dachshunds") [...] Watch your ankles when you are near a Cardigan Welsh Corgi. This robust working dog is an instinctive “heeler,” which originally drove livestock by nipping at its heels; it was built low enough to the ground to avoid flailing hooves. (p. 229, "Cardigan Welsh Corgi")

Here are some other sources on Dachshunds:
  • "This means that for the longest time, domestic dogs had the potential for dwarfism, which was independently maintained and nurtured by breeders all over the world. Originally, they were shaped for specific jobs like flushing out burrowing animals. Later on, breeders would have kept imposing strong evolutionary pressure on their animals to meet the conditions set by dog-breeding associations."[5]
  • "The Dachshund’s long body, short legs and flexible spine make it ideal for wriggling into tight spaces to follow badgers and other burrowing, according to the author of “Dachshunds for Dummies.” The breed’s short legs give it other advantages, such as the ability to move briskly through thick brush, to dig holes and to catch and follow a scent due to its closeness to the ground."[6]
  • "The Dachshund Club of America claims that the dachshund dog breed was born in Germany when foresters in the 18th or 19th century were seeking out a dog breed that could fearlessly fight badgers. The dachshund has the perfect conformation for the task. His short paddle-shaped legs could effectively dig while his long, low-to-the ground body could easily access the burrows. The rest is offered by a dachshund’s courageous, temperament, loud bark (so hunters could easily locate him) and well-developed senses, which make him particularly suitable for the task. There is also belief that this breed’s long, sturdy tail must have worked as a “handle” to pull these fellows out of the burrow."[7]
  • This explanation goes back at least to Will Judy's 1925 The Dog Encyclopedia.
Rjjiii (talk) 23:04, 12 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I would say that source doesn't support the claim: 'dwarfism has been selectively used for some types where short legs are advantageous'. Being bred smaller is different to being bred for dwarfism. Dwarfism is not advantageous for a hunting breed and I've found mention in a study that working Dachshunds have lower rates of IVDD, a disease that is often caused by chondrodysplasia and for which Dachshunds make up the plurality of cases. I wouldn't put any weight into what the author of 'Dachshunds for Dummies' writes and fancier clubs should be disregarded, they promote all manner of ahistoric rubbish to promote their breeds.
'Funquist and Henricson state that wire-haired dachshunds are less often affected because they are used in hunting.'[2]
Although I'm unable to find a veterinary source that directly contradicts the idea it can quite easily be proven false by just looking at historical depictions of dachshunds which show dogs that are quite clearly not chondrodysplastic like the modern breed. Traumnovelle (talk) 00:18, 13 October 2024 (UTC) Traumnovelle (talk) 00:18, 13 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I still don't believe the issue is addressed. Working dogs were bred to have shorter legs but they certainly weren't bred to have dwarfism, same for brachycephaly, it is a modern trait bred for appearance and style. It impairs function so the idea it was introduced to improve function is dubious. Traumnovelle (talk) 01:46, 13 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Traumnovelle: What time period are you thinking this change occurred where dachshunds began to be bred for dwarfism (rather than just a small size)? If I come across sources on the general topic, I'll try to post back here. "advantageous" really was a step beyond the cited the source, but I think the material in the article is now summarizing what the cited source says. Rjjiii (talk) 02:32, 13 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Actually nevermind the issue is addressed, my apologies. Traumnovelle (talk) 04:55, 13 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It's all good, Rjjiii (talk) 16:32, 13 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

References

  1. ^ Gear, Robyn (2020). "Medical disorders of dogs and cats and their nursing". In Cooper, Barabara; Mullineaux, Elizabeth; Turner, Lynn (eds.). BSAVA Textbook of Veterinary Nursing. British Small Animal Veterinary Association. pp. 532–595.
  2. ^ Verheijen, Jeannette; Bouw, J. (1982). "Canine intervertebral disc disease: A review of etiologic and predisposing factors". Veterinary Quarterly. 4 (3). Informa UK Limited: 125–134. doi:10.1080/01652176.1982.9693852. ISSN 0165-2176.

75 restricted breeds in the US is dubious

I found this claim dubious, the AKC recognises slightly more than 200 breeds so this would represent a large amount of breeds. I looked at the source, which cites the AKC, who cite this: [8] this is not a reliable source and I can spot an obvious error quite quickly. The Alsatian Shepherd is listed a banned breed. This is not a breed, the Alsatian Shepherd is an older name for the German Shepherd Dog which is later listed. Another example is the blue heeler, an alternate name for the Australian Cattle Dog. Traumnovelle (talk) 00:05, 15 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I've replaced with an MDPI source. MDPI is okay here for basic and easily verifiable facts. I chose not to focus on specifics as that would lead to a focus on whatever country/area was chosen. Traumnovelle (talk) 00:23, 15 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
@Traumnovelle That source is fine. I think it's valuable to avoid counting the breeds because it's a number that is subject to change, debatable, and easy to misinterpret. In the sense that the laws specified 75 breeds to ban, that sounds likely (e.g. banning every possible way to name any type of a bulldog as a list of "breeds"). If a source draws any kind of broad strokes on what types of breeds (my assumption is size and association with dogfighting), I think that may be useful. Rjjiii (talk) 04:03, 16 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

DYK nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by AirshipJungleman29 talk 15:00, 26 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Various types of dogs.
Various types of dogs.
Improved to Good Article status by Wolverine X-eye (talk). Number of QPQs required: 0. Nominator has fewer than 5 past nominations.

Wolverine XI (talk to me) 09:14, 20 October 2024 (UTC).[reply]

All the better for views if you ask me, but technically that hook would be about dog meat and thus it would fail WP:DYKHOOKSTYLE, so with regret I've struck it. ALT0 is available for review; might have a rummage for hooks myself. (Also, that image of 'a female dog nursing' is adorable.)--Launchballer 19:28, 21 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I'm doing a tick to make clear that this comment is not an objection, but just excerpts from the two sources verifying the hook fact. The earlier article says, "The researchers determined that dogs were probably domesticated from now-extinct wolves between 11,000 and 16,000 years ago — before humans began farming around 10,000 years ago."[9] and the more recent article pushes this timeline back further,[10] "Dogs were the first domesticated species and the only animal known to enter into a domestic relationship with people during the Pleistocene [...] dogs were domesticated in Siberia by 23,000 years ago, possibly while both people and wolves were isolated during the harsh climate of the Last Glacial Maximum. Dogs then accompanied the first people into the Americas and traveled with them as humans rapidly dispersed into the continent beginning 15,000 years ago [...] The earliest generally accepted dog dates to 15 ka (from the site of Bonn-Oberkassel, discussed below). However, claims for the existence of domestic dogs as early as 40 ka (22–28) have been made on the basis of morphological (22, 24–27), isotopic (22, 29), genetic (22, 28, 30), and contextual assessments (24, 31) of ancient canid remains. Yet, none of these potential domestication markers is fail-safe, owing to the fact that wolves and early domesticated dogs can be difficult to distinguish from each other." Rjjiii (talk) 00:49, 26 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@BorgQueen: A month has now passed and this nomination has seemingly been forgotten. Can you promote this anytime soon? I would like the hook to appear this year. Thanks, Wolverine X-eye (talk to me) 21:28, 25 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

"Female dog" or "bitch"?

Traumnovelle, why change "female dog" to "bitch"?[11] Does that not go against MOS:JARGON, "Some topics are necessarily technical: however, editors should seek to write articles accessible to the greatest possible number of readers. Minimize the use of jargon? Rjjiii (talk) 02:40, 29 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Bitch is not a jargon term, it is a term in common parlance. I don't see how it can qualify as jargon but sobriquet doesn't. Traumnovelle (talk) 03:02, 29 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I work in the veterinary field, and "Bitch" is the correct veterinary term for a female dog. It is not derogatory when used in this context. Mediatech492 (talk) 07:23, 29 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I do not consider "bitch" jargon any more than, for example, "bull" or "cow", or "stallion" or "mare". It is not as common only because of its secondary vulgar meaning - much like "ass" often is avoided even when speaking of that animal. That said, I have no strong opinion on whether to use "bitch" or "female dog" throughout the article; the two are interchangeable. Jtrevor99 (talk) 12:12, 29 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The specific terminology of the veterinary field is jargon, by the very definition of the term. It would be highly unusual for someone outside the veterinary field to refer to a female dog as a bitch, unless making a joke or trying to get a rise out of someone. 68.71.31.171 (talk) 01:24, 2 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
It is not jargon. The term is not just used in the veterinary field: it is used in everyday vernacular by many English-speaking groups outside the US (to refer to the animal), not to mention breeders, kennels, dog shows, conservation departments, farmers, and many other specialized groups. It cannot be "jargon" when used throughout the populace. Frankly, I'm surprised anyone would try to argue that it is jargon: I've never seen anyone try to claim a term referring to the male or female of any species is jargon, except here. So let's be honest: it's likely this is a straw man argument, at least for some, who wish to remove the term because of its alternative derogatory meaning. And, I see no need to use it when it's a synonym for "female dog". But there's no compelling reason to avoid it either. Jtrevor99 (talk) 03:24, 2 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Again, the specific terminology of "specialized groups" is, by definition, jargon. 68.71.31.171 (talk) 14:00, 2 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Again, the specific terminology of "everyday vernacular" is, by definition, not jargon. Jtrevor99 (talk) 14:50, 2 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
If you read the comment that I was responding to, you will see that the word was "everyday vernacular" used by "specialized groups," not the public. 142.115.60.108 (talk) 00:57, 3 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I WROTE that comment. Read it again. You misunderstood it. Jtrevor99 (talk) 01:03, 3 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Is ewe or mare jargon? I would argue most of these terms are less commonly recognised (esp. in an urban population) but are still used in the relevant Wikipedia article instead of the queer 'females'. Traumnovelle (talk) 04:01, 2 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Just because ignorant people use a word as a derogatory term does not negate that fact that the word is correct when used in the proper context. The word "cock" has profane usage, but that does not change the fact that it means a male chicken. It also has a different, non-profane meaning in reference to firearms. One could go on with terms like "ass", "pussy" and "Jesus Christ" which have both profane and non-profane usage. Mediatech492 (talk) 05:19, 2 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Insulting members of the public by calling them "ignorant people" doesn't help your case. Wikipedia is written for the public. That's why we don't use specialized language, such as the language you use as a member of the veterinary profession. Stop looking down your nose at those of us who don't have veterinary training. 68.71.31.171 (talk) 14:00, 2 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Interesting that you are concerned about the "public" when your comments are US-centric. The term is much more commonly used outside of the US, to refer to the female animal. Jtrevor99 (talk) 14:51, 2 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Interesting that you would jump to the conclusion that my comments are US-centric. I am not American, none of my ancestors are American, and I have never lived in the United States. Regardless, the rule here is that we use a form of English understandable throughout the English speaking world, even in the United States. 142.115.60.108 (talk) 00:57, 3 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Just to note Horse and Sheep naturally introduce the respective terms and then use them. It would be easy to include into the lead as either terminology or naturally introduced. Traumnovelle (talk) 19:08, 2 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Mistaken interpretation of path to domesticity

The sentence 'the dog is a domestic animal that likely travelled a commensal pathway into domestication (i.e. dogs neither benefited nor got harmed)' does not interpret the referenced sources correctly. A commensal relationship is on in which one animal derives benefit and the other derives neither benefit nor harm. The referenced source says, "free-ranging wolves attracted to the refuse generated by human camps most likely followed a commensal pathway to domestication that was neither deliberate nor directed." In this description, the proto-dogs did benefit by being able to eat human refuse, while humans in this initial phase of the relationship were neither benefitted nor harmed. The sentence would be more accurate if it said somethin like, 'the dog is a domestic animal that likely travelled a commensal pathway into domestication (i.e. dogs benefited from eating the refuse of human camps while humans neither benefitted nor got harmed)' 2600:1702:4E34:4F8F:F10F:D998:C340:997B (talk) 03:26, 31 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I've done a slightly reworded version of your suggestion. Thanks for catching that. For less-watched pages, you can also used the template listed at Wikipedia:Edit requests to propose suggestions to locked articles, Rjjiii (talk) 23:03, 8 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 4 November 2024

Here’s a submission that follows Wikipedia’s edit request guidelines:

---

    • Edit Request**
  • Section:* "Senses" under "Anatomy and Physiology"

Suggested Text Addition: Add the following paragraph after the sentence: "This sense of smell is the most prominent sense of the species; it detects chemical changes in the environment, allowing dogs to pinpoint the location of mating partners, potential stressors, resources, etc."

> "In addition to detecting environmental cues, a dog's highly developed olfactory system can recognize specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with various human diseases. This ability allows trained dogs to identify conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and even infectious diseases like COVID-19, making them valuable as non-invasive diagnostic aids. Studies have shown that dogs’ disease-detection capabilities often match or exceed the sensitivity of some electronic diagnostic methods."

Source: 1. Jendrny et al. (2021). "Canine olfactory detection and its relevance to medical detection." *BMC Infectious Diseases*, 21:838. DOI: [10.1186/s12879-021-06523-8](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-021-06523-8). This study reviews dogs' ability to detect specific diseases through VOCs and discusses diagnostic accuracy that is sometimes greater than electronic methods.

This addition highlights the functional and diagnostic significance of the canine olfactory system, enhancing the existing information in the "Senses" section. Aliceev (talk) 00:54, 4 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

 Not done - 1, we can't accept LLM (that is, AI) generated text, and 2, the idea that dogs can detect COVID is a controversial medical claim and would require very strong sourcing. - MrOllie (talk) 01:06, 4 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Should "Canis lupus" come first?

The very beginning of the intro says "The dog (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris) is...." From what I can tell, both from this article's Taxonomy section and from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS; itis.gov), Canis lupus familiaris is the accepted classification. Some experts disagree, preferring Canis familiaris, but apparently the accepted one is Canis lupus familiaris. Shouldn't the latter come first at the beginning of the intro? DKMell (talk) 04:09, 14 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

ITIS actually lists both forms. I can see that by looking at the taxonbar at the bottom of the page. From there I can also see that a majority of the more well respected taxa databases seem to prefer C. familiaris to C. l. familiaris. So no, I can't support this suggestion. - UtherSRG (talk) 12:22, 14 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Agreed. The article once cited Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History by the widely respected paleontologists Wang & Tedford, with both classifications given on Page 1. Unfortunately, it is no longer referenced in this article. 14.2.200.245 (talk) 11:06, 4 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Typo fix

I'm not meeting requirements to edit semi-protected articles, so I write here that someone else can do a minor-edit fix:

At the "Competitors" paragraph have a look at last words. "[...]the kagu, in New Caledonia.[162]". The linked word "kagu" needs to be edited to have an uppercase K-letter. Ayniar (talk) 11:17, 20 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Ayniar just did it, thanks for pointing that out! Gaismagorm (talk) 11:53, 20 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I've undone this. Kagu uses lowercase. Traumnovelle (talk) 20:32, 20 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Ah okay, my bad! Gaismagorm (talk) 01:18, 21 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

poorly worded statement about pet/feral dog percentage

In the article it says: "In developed countries, around 20% of dogs are kept as pets, while 75% of the population in developing countries largely consists of feral and community dogs."

To me, this reads as potentially implying that 80% of dogs in developed countries are free-ranging, which is clearly wrong.

Suggestion: Flag as needing a citation or just plain remove it. SophiaBZhou (talk) 22:52, 27 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I disagree with that; however, the source clearly states 'If one assumes that all of the pet dogs in developed countries
are restricted they would represent 17–24% of the dogs worldwide' which instead means that 17-24% of dogs worldwide are from developed countries. Traumnovelle (talk) 23:04, 27 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Temporal range in Infobox?

The top of the infobox says "Temporal range: 0.0142–0 Ma". without any clarification. The link sends the reader to year, which is just confusing. Something needs to be fixed. ypn^2 00:45, 5 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

It sends the reader to the section of year that describes what the abbreviation Ma means, and right below it is "Late Pleistocene to present" with a citation that should give more information. It's a little more obvious in articles like Coelacanth where the geological age is placed first and the time period bar is actually visible. Reconrabbit 01:30, 5 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Which Is is?

This article says the domestication of dogs began around 14,000 years ago. The article on the domestication of dogs says it happened over 30,000 years ago. Which is it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.241.240.42 (talk) 03:12, 5 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 20 February 2025

I would like to add a couple things about dog breeds! Dgcatcowchicken (talk) 18:25, 20 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Annh07 (talk) 18:32, 20 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Dog
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