What kind of animal is a dog? What do dogs eat?

For many people, dogs are part of the family, companions and guardians, always ready to play games or keep their owners safe at night.

Dogs play an important role in many human lives, not only as pets, but as working dogs, helping solve crimes, serving as our eyes when we cannot see, and herding sheep on farms.

Dogs are known as "man's best friend," and for good reason. Dogs improve our lives in many ways.

What kind of animal is a dog?

Dogs are mammals.

                           Dogs, like all mammals, are hairy, lung-breathing, warm-blooded animals, and lay babies (but not eggs!), and female dogs produce milk to feed their babies.

 

Dog family

Dogs belong to the mammal family called Canidae.

Canidae are also known as the dog family. Other members of the Canidae include foxes and jackals.

There are over 30 species in the dog family. When zoologists talk about "dogs," they can refer to any animal in the family, not just the dogs we keep as pets.

 

Dog word

Male dogs are called hounds, females are female dogs, and young dogs are called puppies or "dogs".

 

Female dogs usually give birth to several puppies in turn. Together, the cubs are called "garbage".

Domestic dog

Dogs that we keep as pets are called domestic dogs.

                                                                     Livestock are animals that can live alongside humans. Many livestock, such as cats and guinea pigs, are kept as pets.

 

Livestock are not just pets. Cows, sheep, camels, and horses are examples of livestock. They are all bred to live with humans and improve our lives in some way.

Dogs were first domesticated 15,000 years ago. They were the first domesticated animals.

 

What do dogs eat?

Dogs are omnivores. (Omnivores are animals that eat both meat and plants.) Dogs eat a variety of foods, including meat, vegetables, and grains.

Domestic dogs generally eat dog food specifically designed for all their needs.

A dog is a wolf (kind of)

The first domestic dogs were wolves domesticated by humans.

Over thousands of years, their descendants have become less ferocious wolves and more like today's domestic dogs...but they are still the same species!

good! Most zoologists (scientists who study animals) consider domestic dogs and gray wolves to be the same species!

The scientific name for domestic dogs and gray wolves is Canis lupus.

House dogs are a subspecies or type of gray wolf. To demonstrate this, zoologists add the word Canis lupus farmers to the end of the scientific name.

Not all zoologists consider domestic dogs and gray wolves to be the equal species. Some believe that domestic dogs are so different from their wild ancestors that the scientific name Canis should be considered a familiar distinct species.

Wild at heart

Even today, dogs still have many of their wild ancestral instincts.

Like wolves, dogs are very social animals. Just today, the "pack" of the dog is the human being who lives with it!

As a herd animal, dogs are an excellent means of communication. They use a variety of facial expressions and gestures to communicate how they feel.

When the dog is happy or excited, it wags its tail. When afraid, put the tail between the legs and sniff. An angry dog   will show its teeth and growl.

Dogs also communicate with each other through smell. Dogs have two odor-producing glands (known as anal glands) under their tails. This is why dogs sniff each other in the area when they meet. It's their way of saying "Hello?"

Dog intelligence

Like most social animals, dogs are very intelligent. Although not on par with dolphins and primates, dogs are geniuses compared to many animals!

Social animals such as dogs must be intelligent to work in teams to hunt and protect themselves from predators.

Dogs can learn new things quickly and learn to sit, lie down, find objects, and even go to the toilet outside. This is one of the main reasons dogs make great pets.

Scientists have found that the average dog is as intelligent as a two-year-old child. It is based on the number of recognizable words. The average dog can learn 165 words!

Why do dogs roll before going to bed?

Have you ever seen your dog do one lap before going to bed? Their wild ancestors used to do this to level grass and make well-hidden bedding of the perfect size.

This behavior also scares snakes and other biting animals, causing dogs to spin around before defecating.

 

Dog sense

 

The wild ancestors of dogs would have relied on their senses to find food. No one opened dog food cans for them!

Dogs have a good sense of smell and listening. His eyesight is good too. They can't see as closely as we do, but they can better sense movement and change of direction.

Dogs don't see colors like we do. Instead, they see mainly grays, blues, and yellows. Dogs are color blind when it comes to distinguishing between red and green.

Have you ever seen a dog's eyes glow when illuminated by a ray of light at night? The light is produced by a part of the dog's eye called tapetum lucidum.

This reflecting increases the amount of light captured by the dog's eye. This and other adaptations give the dog excellent night vision.

Unfortunately, there is no tapetum lucidum in the human eye.

A dog's sense of smell is 100,000 times more sensitive than a human! This means they can smell a lot that we can't. Dogs can follow scents for miles. Their wet nose also helps absorb odors.

Dogs also have more sensitive hearing than human. They can hear up to 10 times better than humans and can hear much higher pitched sounds.

Dogs have 18 muscles that move their ears! This will help you move your ears to hear sounds coming from a specific direction. Dogs' ears are also used for communication.