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Animals

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Domestic Dog

Canis familiaris

Rhodesian ridgeback puppy

Photograph by Douglas
Segers

Domestic Dog Profile

Dogs were probably the first tame animals. They have
accompanied humans for some 10,000 years. Some
scientists assert that all dogs, domestic and wild,
share a common ancestor in the small South Asian
wolf.

Today humans have bred hundreds of
different domestic dog breeds—some of which could never
survive in the wild. Despite their many shapes and sizes
all domestic dogs, from Newfoundlands to pugs, are
members of the same species—Canis familiaris.
Although they have domestic temperaments, these dogs are
related to wolves, foxes, and jackals.

Domestic
dogs still share many behaviors with their wild
relatives. Both defend their territories and mark them
by urinating on trees, rocks, fence posts, and other
suitable sites. These scent posts serve notice to other
dogs that an animal is occupying its
territory.

Many pet dogs also bury bones or
favorite toys for future use, just as their wild
relatives sometimes bury a kill to secure the meat for
later feasts.

Dogs communicate in several ways.
Scent is one method, another is physical appearance.
Body position, movement, and facial expression often
convey a strong message. Many of these signals are
recognizable even to humans, such as the excited
tail-wagging of a happy dog or the bared teeth of an
angry or threatened animal. Vocally, dogs communicate
with a cacophony of sounds including barks, growls, and
whines.

Domestic dogs serve as more than
companions; many earn their keep by working hard. Dogs
herd livestock, aid hunters, guard homes, and perform
police and rescue work. Some special animals even guide
the blind—a poignant symbol of the dog's longstanding
role as man's best friend.

Fast Facts

Type: Mammal

Diet: Omnivore

Size: Height at the shoulder, 6 to
33 in (15 to 84 cm)

Weight: 3 to 175 lbs (1 to 79
kg)

Group name: Pack

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m)
man:

Multimedia

Domestic Dog Printable Factsheet

Video:
Pampered Pooches

Dog Features

Dog
Whisperer With Cesar Millan

Learn how renowned dog behavior expert Cesar Millan
is calming chaotic canines—and training their owners!
Only on the National Geographic Channel.

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Our
Bond With Dogs

Learn about the domesticated dog, humans' best, and
probably oldest, animal friends, in this multimedia
feature.

Learn
More

Wolf
to Woof

Learn about the evolutionary journey of the domestic
dog in this photography feature.

Learn
More

Other Dog-Family Animals

Dingo

Coyote

Wolf

African
Wild Dog

Red
Fox

Fennec
Fox

Domestic Dog range

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