Information about dogs

 Information  about dogs

• What is the origin of dogs? 

• Dogs are mammals, which archaeologists and paleontologists believe to have originated from a small animal the size of a weasel. It lived in parts of the continent of Asia about 60 million years ago and is called Miacis, but this species became extinct and some of it evolved before 30-40 million years ago.

•  The previous species evolved into a new species of animal called Cynodictis, which is an animal of medium size, with a long body, a long tail, and thick hair.

• This lineage developed It crossed thousands of years to become a new species known as Tomarctus. Which are considered the ancestors of what are known today as wolves, dogs, and foxes, and genetic evidence indicates that the origin of dogs is directly descended from the wolf class.

• How do dogs reproduce?

• The male knows that the female is ready to mate by smelling the scent of her reproductive organ. If the female accepts it, she tilts her tail to the side. 

• This is considered a message of acceptance. The male accepts this message and responds to it by mating with the female, to impregnate her. 

• The gestation period of a female dog ranges between 45 and 55 years. After a day, the female gives birth to 15 puppies on average, as it is believed that there is a direct relationship between the size of the female and the number of young she gives birth to in one pregnancy, and the baby dog ​​is called a puppy.

Dog food:

Wild dogs are considered carnivorous predatory animals. 

They feed on other animals such as deer, cattle, beaver, moose, hares, rodents, and other animals. 

Strong claws help dogs in the process of predation, in addition to having sharp and pointed teeth that enable them to From tearing meat, and long legs that enable them to chase their prey, dogs can also eat some types of fruits and herbs. 

 There are some types of foods that should not be given to domestic dogs, because they may harm their health, because their digestive system cannot digest them, The most prominent of which are chocolate, grapes, onions, garlic, nuts, and others.

Types of dogs:

Dogs are classified into 7 groups, each of which possesses a number of characteristics that distinguish it from others, and to which specific breeds of dogs belong, and these types can be summarized as follows:

Sports dogs: such as the Labrador breed of dogs, which are trained to help hunters catch their bird prey. Some of them are also trained to swim to catch waterfowl prey. This group of dogs is distinguished by having thick, water-resistant hair.

Hunting dogs: They are distinguished by their long legs that give them speed in running, a nose with a strong sense of smell that enables them to track prey, and wide vision, examples of which are the police dog breed.

Working dogs: This group includes some of the oldest breeds of dogs, and they have been trained by developing some of their abilities to help humans in many matters such as guarding, pulling carts and sleds, and their most notable features are strength and intelligence, and examples include the Boxer dog breed.

Terrier dogs: They are characterized by short legs, and they search for rodents and insects in the ground, an example of which is the Bull Terrier breed.

Toy dogs: They are small dogs that people treat as a pampered animal, and examples include the Chihuahua breed. Non-sporting dogs: all the time. Some of them have white skin with black spots. They are a companion to humans and do not have a specific function. An example is the bulldog breed.

Herding dogs: Their primary task is to guard livestock. They work side by side with humans in caring for their livestock. These dogs are distinguished by their activity, natural intelligence, quick response, and ability to be trained. An example of this type is the German Shepherd dog breed.

The average lifespan of dogs varies depending on their size. Small-sized dogs live an average lifespan of between 10-15 years, and some breeds may reach the age of 18 years. Small dogs can be considered longer-lived than larger dogs.[6] As for medium-sized dogs, The average lifespan of the dog is between 10-13 years, while large and large dogs live between 8-12 years. The dog’s health plays a role in its survival. The dog’s life expectancy may decrease if it suffers from some health problems such as obesity, cancer, and congenital diseases. And other diseases.

Methods for determining a dog’s age: 

A dog’s age can be determined by following a group of methods, the most prominent of which are the following:

 Dental examination. Very young puppies do not have teeth, while puppies whose age ranges between 4-8 weeks have sharp baby teeth, and the dog’s permanent teeth begin to appear. 

When he reaches 3-4 months, his teeth will remain bright white until his first year of life. However, if the teeth are speckled with dark spots, especially the back teeth, this means that the dog is no more than 3 years old. After this age, the dog’s teeth become yellow, and by the fifth year of his life, tartar begins to appear on the teeth, and they become less severe. 

As for dogs that are over 10 years old, tartar begins to appear on the teeth. If she is years old, her teeth will be cracked and some of them will be missing.

Hair examination: Gray or gray hair begins to appear in the dog in different areas of his body when he reaches the age of 7-10 years. In some cases, this white hair is a sign of stress or fear and not a sign of aging.

Eye examination: The eyes of older dogs become cloudy, and some discharge may appear on them, and some dogs may suffer from vision loss as they grow older.

 Hearing examination: Young dogs have a strong sense of hearing, and as the dog gets older, the strength of this sense decreases.

Body shape and muscular structure: The body shape of puppies is round and smooth, and when they grow up they will have a clear muscular structure, and these muscles decrease significantly with age, and their fat body mass may increase at the expense of muscularity, and they may lose a lot of weight and muscle strength. 

Activity and movement: It is natural for younger dogs to be more active and energetic than older dogs, which suffer from weakness and pain in the joints, which affects their movement.

The sense of smell in dogs: 

Dogs have a strong sense of smell, which enables them to detect substances at concentrations of up to one part per trillion. Humans have benefited from this distinctive characteristic, and trained dogs to be able to detect drugs, bombs, corpses, suspicious persons, and so on.

The fact that dogs have a strong sense of smell is due to a set of characteristics, which can be summarized as follows:

Humans have 6 million olfactory receptors, while dogs have 300 olfactory receptors in their noses.

 Dogs have the part of their brain dedicated to analyzing smells that is about 40 times larger than the part of their brain that humans have. 

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 ‏Dogs are attracted to new and interesting smells. When inhaling the air, dogs are able to separate the functions of breathing and smell, due to the presence of a fold of tissue in their noses that works to separate these two functions.

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 Dogs have lateral slits in their noses to get rid of carbon dioxide when they exhale, which helps them keep their sense of smell effective during inhalation and exhalation. Dogs determine the source of odors because they are able to shake their noses, as this movement helps them determine which nostril the odor has reached.

Can dogs understand body language? 

Yes, dogs can understand human body language. 

Body language is used by dogs as a means of communicating with their owners, and what indicates that dogs understand body language is their response to the commands that they are asked to carry out, and their response to non-verbal signals. 

Dogs also respond to physical gestures that humans show, such as a smile, as it vibrates. 

Their tails are in response to them, and dogs can know their owner’s mood through his body language.

 Dogs may place their tails between their feet when their owner cries. The skill of understanding body language in dogs is an innate skill that the dog does not need to learn. 

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 ‏Dogs have developed this characteristic and it has become a natural, inherited part of them. 

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 ‏It is believed Scientists believe that dogs acquired this characteristic over time thanks to the relationship they have had with humans since ancient times.