Dog History

The dog is part of a family of similar animals that include wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals and wild hunting dogs such as the Dingo and African Wild Hunting Dog, who all share common characteristics. Many of these wild dogs have been claimed to be the domsetic dog's wild ancestor but the exact origins of the dog and domestication history of the dog are uncertain.

Paleontologists and archaeologists have determined that Miacis, a weasel-like animal, is the ancestor of the canids as well as other families such as bears, racoons, civets, hyaenas and cats. From Miacis evolved Cynodictis, a dog-like animal from which later evolved the dog family.

All canids share common characteristics - they bear live young, have similar dental structures, walk on their toes rather than the soles of their feet, and are homeothermic (able to maintain their body temperature at a constant level).

The domestic dog has been represented in art for many years with the earliest being sculptures of dogs found in Iraq and dating back to 6500 BC. Dog bones have been discovered dated at around 8300 BC in the USA, 7500 BC in the UK with similar finds in Czechoslovakia. One thing is certain, the domestic dog spread rapidly all over the world.

The dog's natural hunting instincts have been used by humans over the years to hunt a variety of prey in different environments and this led to the development of different groups of dogs, and ultimately to different dog breeds .

Dog Breed

There are many breeds of dog and each dog breed has different characteristics and care requirements. Dog breeds are categorised by group of similar dog breeds.

Browse our dog breeds pages by selecting the appropriate dog breed group, or by using our alphabetical index below to find profiles of a range of dog breeds.

Dog Breeds By Group : Hounds, Working Dogs, Terriers, Gundogs, Utility, Toy, Non-sporting Dog