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Golden Retriever
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DOG, DOMESTIC,
common name for Canis familiaris, a species
of the DOG FAMILY Canidae. Generally considered the first domesticated
animal, the dog has coexisted with human beings as a working partner
and household pet in all eras and cultures since the days of the
cave dwellers. It is generally believed that the direct ancestor
of the domestic dog is the wolf, originally found throughout Europe,
Asia, and North America. Remains of a dog estimated to be 10,500
years old have been found in Idaho.
Like other members of the dog family, C. familiaris exhibits
great genetic variability; selective breeding by humans and the
process of natural evolution have resulted in the development of
more than 200 breeds of the species found throughout the world today.
The breeds differ sharply in appearance, function, and size. Weights
vary from that of the smallest companion dogs (about 681 g/1.5
lb) to that of the huge working breeds (about 91 kg/200
lb); heights, usually measured from the shoulders, range from about
20 cm (8 in) to about 94 cm (37 in). Litter sizes vary correspondingly.
Gestation time in all breeds is nine weeks; although toy dogs generally
produce no more than two puppies, the larger breeds may have litters
of up to ten.
The breeds can be conveniently classified in groups; such
classifications, and the breeds recognized within them, vary slightly
from country to country. In the U.S., the AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB or
AKC, officially recognizes more than 140 breeds classified in 7
groups; from time to time, as certain unofficially recognized breeds
from the Miscellaneous Class become established, they are promoted
to official status.
Standards of desired sizes, colors, and conformation for each
breed are drawn up by committees elected by members of the various
kennel clubs specializing in each breed. In the U.S. these standards
are then approved by the AKC. The standards, issued since 1929,
represent an ideal dog and are used as guides for breeders and dog-show
judges in evaluating the degree of quality of each dog. Standards
may differ from country to country—not all dogs are developed
to serve the same purposes or are judged according to the same rules.
| DOGS RECOGNIZED BY AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB |
| WORKING DOGS |
| Akita |
Alaskan Malamute |
Anatolian Shepherd |
| Bernese Mountain Dog |
Boxer |
Bullmastiff |
| Doberman Pinscher |
Giant Schnauzer |
Great Dane |
| Great Pyrenees |
GreaterSwiss Mountain Dog |
Komondor |
| Kuvasz |
Mastiff |
Newfoundland |
| Portuguese Water Dog |
Rottweiler |
Saint Bernard |
| Samoyed |
Siberian Husky |
StandardSchnauzer |
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| HERDING DOGS |
| Australian Cattle Dog |
Australian Shepherd |
Bearded Collie |
| Belgian Malinois |
Belgian Sheepdog |
Belgian Tervuren |
| Border Collie |
Bouvierdes Flandres |
Briard |
| Canaan Dog |
Cardigan Welsh Corgi |
Collie |
| German Shepherd Dog |
Old English Sheepdog |
Pembroke Welsh Corgi |
| Puli |
ShetlandSheepdog |
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| TERRIERS |
| Airedale Terrier |
American Staffordshire Terrier |
Australian Terrier |
| Bedlington Terrier |
Border Terrier |
Bull Terrier |
| Cairn Terrier |
DandieDinmont Terrier |
Irish Terrier |
| Kerry Blue Terrier |
Lakeland Terrier |
Manchester Terrier (Standard) |
| Miniature Bull Terrier |
Miniature Schnauzer |
Norfolk Terrier |
| Norwich Terrier |
Scottish Terrier |
Sealyham Terrier |
| Skye Terrier |
Smooth Fox Terrier |
Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier |
| Staffordshire Bull Terrier |
Welsh Terrier |
West Highland White Terrier |
| Wire Fox Terrier |
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| TOY DOGS |
| Affenpinscher |
BrusselsGriffon |
CavalierKing Charles Spaniel |
| Chihuahua |
Chinese Crested |
English Toy Spaniel |
| Havanese |
Italian Greyhound |
Japanese Chin |
| Maltese |
Manchester Terrier (toy variety)* |
MiniaturePinscher |
| Papillon |
Pekingese |
Pomeranian |
| Poodle(toy variety)* |
Pug |
Shih Tzu |
| Silky Terrier |
Yorkshire Terrier |
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| NONSPORTING DOGS |
| American Eskimo Dog (standard, miniature, and toy) |
Bichon Frise |
Boston Terrier |
| Bulldog |
Chinese Shar-Pei |
Chow Chow |
| Dalmatian |
Finnish Spitz |
French Bulldog |
| Keeshond |
Lhasa Apso |
Löwchen |
| Poodle(standard and miniature) |
Schipperke |
Shiba Inu |
| Tibetan Spaniel |
Tibetan Terrier |
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| HOUNDS |
| Afghan Hound |
AmericanFoxhound |
Basenji |
| Basset Hound |
Beagle |
Black and Tan Coonhound |
| Bloodhound |
Borzoi |
Dachshund |
| English Foxhound |
Greyhound |
Harrier |
| Ibizan Hound |
Irish Wolfhound |
Norwegian Elkhound |
| Otterhound |
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen |
Pharaoh Hound |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback |
Saluki |
Scottish Deerhound |
| Whippet |
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| SPORTING DOGS |
| American Water Spaniel |
Brittany |
Chesapeake Bay Retriever |
| Clumber Spaniel |
Cocker Spaniel |
Curly-Coated Retriever |
| English Cocker Spaniel |
English Setter |
English Springer Spaniel |
| Field Spaniel |
Flat-Coated Retriever |
German Shorthaired Pointer |
| German Wirehaired Pointer |
Golden Retriever |
Gordon Setter |
| Irish Setter |
Irish Water Spaniel |
Labrador Retriever |
| Pointer |
Sussex Spaniel |
Vizsla |
| Weimaraner |
Welsh Springer Spaniel |
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon |
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| AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB MISCELLANEOUS CLASS |
| Jack Russell Terrier |
Plott Hound |
PolishLowland Sheepdog |
| SpinoneItaliano |
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*
Not a separate breed.
Source: The American Kennel Club |
Proper food, a dry bed, sufficient exercise, and affection
are necessary to keep a dog happy and healthy. To make certain it
will please everyone and fit into the family’s lifestyle,
a dog should be selected only after a family conference has determined
the desired size and possible function of the dog, and whether it
is to be longhaired or shorthaired, male or female, mixed breed
or purebred.
Reputable kennels will inform prospective buyers if a puppy
is healthy and has had its preliminary shots, and will also guarantee
pedigree. In general, puppies should be acquired at the age of between
six and eight weeks—after they have been weaned and have
attained full psychological development—so that a bond
with human beings can effectively be made.
Food, dishes, toys, a collar and leash, and a bed should be
purchased before the arrival of a new puppy. Owners should learn
how to pick up a dog correctly: one hand under the front legs and
the other supporting the hindquarters. Puppies require daily supplementary
feedings up to the age of about 4 months. (Dogs reach full maturity
at about 2 years of age and generally live to be 12 or 13 years
old.)
All members of the family should share equally in feeding,
walking, and playing with the new dog so that it will not become
too attached to any one member of the household. All states require
that dogs wear licenses; the fee required is minimal. A license
attests that a dog has had rabies and distemper shots and states when
they were administered, and it ensures identification if a dog is
lost.
A veterinary checkup within 24 hours of purchase is necessary
to confirm a dog’s health and to set up a schedule for
vaccinations against the devastating viral diseases most common
to canines: canine distemper and rabies, which affect the nervous
system; infectious canine hepatitis, which attacks the liver; and
the highly contagious intestinal disease caused by the parvo virus,
first detected in the U.S. in 1978. Inoculations against leptospirosis,
a bacterial infection, are also essential. At the initial visit
the veterinarian will also check the dog for any anatomical defects
that might interfere with proper development, usefulness, or future
breeding, and for internal and external parasites (worms, fleas,
ticks, or lice). Annual checkups are as essential for dogs as they
are for humans.
Dogs reach sexual maturity within their first year; thereafter
the decision may be made whether females are to be spayed (removal
of the ovaries) and males castrated (removal of the testes), or
whether pets are to be bred.
There are few things a dog would rather do than please its owner.
Obedience training ensures good manners, and when correctly taught—using
the reward system and never punishment—dogs enjoy working
on the obedience exercises. Many books and manuals describe proper
basic training with step-by-step instructions. Dog-training classes,
sponsored by local kennel clubs and various community organizations,
are also available. The ideal source of instruction and information concerning
all phases of responsible dog ownership is a kennel club, where
members share their interest in and knowledge of dogs.
Purebred dogs are eligible for competition at dog shows, which
rate appearance, and field trials, which test hunting skills. In
the U.S. the AKC records pedigrees and litter registrations on each
of the recognized breeds and records points earned toward championship
titles based on wins in the conformation classes at dog shows throughout
the country. Although quarantine laws prevent dogs from other parts
of the world from competing in Great Britain, dogs may attain international
and world championships elsewhere under the rules and regulations
of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale,
the ruling body for dogs and dog shows in many countries.
The first dogs that joined forces with the cave dwellers were
used for their keen hunting instincts and abilities, as a means
of procuring food and skins for clothing, and for protection against
predators. Civilizations that subsequently developed in both the
eastern and western hemispheres depended on dogs and their cunning
in the struggle for survival. Asians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks,
and Romans used dogs as guards, companions, and hunters and in times
of war. Archaeological discoveries—cave drawings and wall
paintings, ancient artifacts and written records—verify
the role of dogs in early cultures in all parts of the world. Native Americans,
both in North and South America, had several distinct dog breeds
of their own before the first Europeans arrived.
Many great painters and sculptors managed to capture and reproduce
the beauty and spirit of dogs in their masterpieces. The English
artists Thomas Gainsborough, William Hogarth, and Sir Edwin Landseer,
perhaps the greatest of all animal painters, are notable among the
masters who routinely included pets in their family portraits and
working dogs in their outdoor hunting or pastoral scenes.
Legends and myths based on the versatility and heroism of
dogs abound; the subject of dogs is one of the most popular in world
literature—from the classics to modern comic strips.