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The dog (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated descendant of wolves. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. Dogs and the modern gray wolf share a common ancestor. Dogs were the first species to be domesticated over 14,000 years ago, before the development of agriculture, though genetic studies suggest the domestication process may have begun over 25,000 years ago. 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 possess a superior sense of smell and hearing, but inferior visual acuity. Dogs 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 chemical 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 have 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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Afghan Hound in light cream coat

The Afghan Hound is a hound distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat, and a tail with a ring curl at the end. The breed originates in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. Its local name is Sag-e Tāzī (Dari: سگ تازی) or Tāžī Spay (Pashto: تاژي سپی). Other names for this breed are Tāzī, Balkh Hound, Balochi Hound, and Barakzai Hound.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) describes the breed as among the most eye-catching of all. The Afghan Hound is an "aloof and dignified aristocrat of sublime beauty." Despite their regal appearance, the Afghan possesses an "endearing streak of silliness and a profound loyalty." (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 puppy is a juvenile dog, generally one less than 12–18 months old.

Puppies are markedly underdeveloped and dependent on their mothers at birth (displaying altriciality), but healthy puppies grow quickly and begin walking thereafter. Puppies generally weigh 250–450 grams (8–16 oz) shortly after birth, depending on the breed. (Full article...)

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

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

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

... that the 1992 edition of Beringia, with a distance of 2,044 kilometres (1,270 mi), holds the Guinness World Record for the longest sled dog race?
... that an attempt to use automated dialogue replacement in the Reservation Dogs episode "Deer Lady" failed because the voice sounded too much like Yoda?
... that a bulldog from New Zealand was trained to locate wounded soldiers on the battlefields of the Western Front in World War I and guide them back to safety?
... that a candidate in the 1968 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware took his dog on the campaign trail?
... that Hannah Fry used mathematics to compare Elizabeth II's Christmas messages with the lyrics of Snoop Dogg?
... that Ethan Hawke and Devery Jacobs smoked CBD while filming the Reservation Dogs episode "Elora's Dad"?

More did you know... - show different entries

...that the stray dogs Bummer and Lazarus (pictured) were so popular with the people of San Francisco in the 1860s that they were given special exemption from the leash laws?
...that Manuel Benito de Castro assumed the Presidency of Cundinamarca, with the condition that he would be allowed to leave Congress at a certain time to feed his dog?
...that the namesake for Hondo Dog Park in Hillsboro, Oregon, won an award for valor just weeks before being killed in the line of duty?
...that most of the dogs seen in the 2007 Thai film, Ma-Mha, were strays rescued from shelters and trained specifically for the film?

...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?