Draft:Outline of dogs

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to dogs:

The dog (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf; the gray wolf is the dog's closest living relative. The dog was the first species to be domesticated by humans. Experts estimate that hunter-gatherers domesticated dogs more than 15,000 years ago, which was before the development of agriculture. Due to their long association with humans, dogs have expanded to a large number of domestic individuals and gained the ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet that would be inadequate for other canids.

What type of things are dogs?[edit]

Dogs can be described as all of the following:

Domesticated animal –
Pet –

Biological classification[edit]

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species: Canis lupus
Subspecies: Canis lupus familiaris and Canis lupus dingo

Types of dogs[edit]

By breed[edit]

Dog breed

By function[edit]

Dog type (list) – dog type refers to the grouping of dogs by their function.

Companion dog: primarily provide companionship.

Guard dog: watch for and guard against unwanted or unexpected people or animals.
- Fighting dog: fight and sometimes kill other dogs or animals.

Hunting dog: assists humans in hunting game.
- Gun dog: assists gun hunters in finding or retrieving game.
  - Flushing dog/Spaniel: assists hunters by flushing game.
    - Springer Spaniel^{[disambiguation needed]}/Cocker Spaniel: flush birds.
    - Water Spaniel: flush game from the water.
  - Pointer: assists hunters by pointing it's muzzle towards game.
    - Setter: silently locate game by scent.
  - Retriever: assist in retrieving game.
    - Bird dog: assists in both hunting and retrieving game.
    - Water dog: flush and retrieve game from water.
- Hound: assist humans in tracking.
  - Scenthound: assist humans by tracking scent.
    - Coonhound: track and follow game on land and in trees.
    - Foxhound: track and follow game for long distances on land.

Sighthound: assist humans by spotting and chasing down prey.

- Terrier: locate game that lives underground.
  - Fell Terrier: hold or kill game that lives underground.
  - Hunt Terrier: locate game and flush or kill game that lives underground.