Brief History Of The Dog from Paws For Pet Gifts

Brief History Of The Dog

All dogs (canines) that we know today derive from the Gray Wolf. The domestic dog has become one of the most widely kept companion and working animal in human history. The word "dog" may also mean the male of a canine species, whilst the word “bitch” is used to describe the female.

It is generally believed, that it was in central Asia some 15,000 years ago, the Gray Wolf was first domesticated, the early dogs performed many roles for people, such as hunting, herding, protection, rodent control, and pulling sleds in remote areas.

In modern times certain breeds have been trained to help people with disabilities, whilst other breeds trained for search and rescue in damaged buildings etc, and for finding drugs and weapons in airports.

Sports have been created for our enjoyment using dogs, for example racing and sledging.

There are now more than 150 different dog breeds they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. The smallest recorded dog (a Yorkshire Terrier) was only 3 ¾ inches in length, and the largest (a English Mastiff ) was over 8 feet long.

Owners and breeders now display their dogs in breed conformity shows.

Today the most popular vocation for the dog is as companions or pets. The most popular description of the dog is as ‘Mans best friend’ although it is wise to remember that all dogs derived from a wild animal.