Intro to Dogs

Intro to Dogs
(Canis lupus familiaris)
Early Dogs
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Ancestors of the dog
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Miacis-appeared 40 or
50 million years ago
Cynodictis-appeared 25
million years ago
Tomarctus-appeared ½
million years ago
Modern dog-appeared
11,000 years ago
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All modern dogs can
be traced back to the
grey wolf
Old Views of Dogs
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Stone-age people trained dogs to track game
Ancient Egyptians raised “Saluki” ( noble one) for
hunting
Lots of breeds claim to be oldest, but we do know that
hounds are quite old
Many ancient civilizations associated the dog with death
and the afterlife.
Considered an unclean animal
This idea changed during the time of the Roman
Empire…became pets
In Japan, dogs owned by royalty were given their own
servant.
Modern Dog
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7 Major Groups
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The sporting dog
The hound dog
The terrier dog
The working dog
The herding dog
The toy dog
The nonsporting dog
400 breeds developed within last 100-250 years
AKC (the American Kennel Club) recognizes 129
breeds in the 7 groups
Uses of Dogs
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Historically used for work. Older breeds
come from specific jobs they were bred to
do. Ex. Terriers
Now most dogs are kept as pets
Some still working dogs
Sled dogs
 Police dogs
 Service dogs
 Herding Dogs
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Dog/Human Relationships
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Dogs, like humans, are highly social
creatures.
Loyalty and devotion to people stem back
to the pack relationship.
“Man’s Best Friend”
Terminology
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The word dog:
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Refers to any mammal belonging to the family
“canidae”. Wolves, foxes, coyotes
Derived from the Old English docga, a "powerful
breed of canine".
The French dogue and Spanish dogo are borrowings
from English
The English word hound is a cognate of the German
Hund and Dutch hond which, though referring to a
specific breed in English, means "dog" in general in
German and Dutch
Features
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Intelligence
Sight
Hearing
Smell
Carnivore or Omnivore
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Contrary to popular belief, dogs can actually eat
vegetables and grains.
Gulp eaters
Readily vomit
Foods dogs should not eat
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Chocolate
Onions
Grapes and raisins
Some types of gum
Some sweeteners (artificial sugar)
Macadamia nuts
Cooked bones
Vegan Dogs??
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Dogs can live on a vegetarian diet. Wild
dogs do this when no meat is available.
Meat provides essential amino acids (Lcarnitine) and helps repair muscles. Ex.
Dogs that run the Iditarod are fed a diet
of 40% meat. This AA can be found also
in nuts, seeds, beans, and some
vegetables.
Plants Dangerous to Dogs
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Plants such as caladium, dieffenbachia and philodendron
will cause throat irritations that will burn the throat going
down as well as coming up.
Hops are particularly dangerous and even small
quantities can lead to malignant hyperthermia.
Amaryllis, daffodil, English ivy, iris, and tulip (especially
the bulbs) cause gastric irritation and sometimes central
nervous system excitement followed by coma, and, in
severe cases, even death.
Ingesting foxglove, lily of the valley, larkspur and
oleander can be life threatening because the
cardiovascular system is affected. Equally life
threatening is the yew which affects the nervous system.
If any of these plants are ingested, get the dog to a
veterinarian immediately.
Bad Household Items
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Many household cleaners such as ammonia,
bleach, disinfectants, drain cleaner, soaps,
detergents, and other cleaners, mothballs and
matches are dangerous to dogs, as are
cosmetics such as deodorants, hair coloring, nail
polish and remover, home permanent lotion,
and suntan lotion.
Zinc toxicity, mostly in the form of the ingestion
of US pennies minted after 1982, is commonly
fatal in dogs where it causes a severe hemolytic
anemia.
Lifespan
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Large breeds live ~ 7-8 years
Medium Breeds ~ 13-14 years
Small/Toy Breeds ~ 20 years