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{{Taxonomy|image = Second dog with a bone.jpg|kingdom = Animalia|phylum = Chordata|subphylum = Vertebrata|class = Mammalia|order = Carnivora|suborder = Caniformia |family = Canidae|genus = Canis|species = lupus|sub = C. l. familiaris (Domesticated dog)}}

{{Taxonomy

|image=Second dog with a bone.jpg

|kingdom=Animalia

|phylum=Chordata

|subphylum=Vertebrata  

|class=Mammalia

|order=Carnivora

|suborder=Caniformia

|family=Canidae  

|genus=Canis

|species=C. lupus

|sub=C. l. familiaris

|pop=525 million (2012 est.)

}}

'''Dogs''' are one of the most well-known domesticated [[species]], with archaeological and historical records showing that they have lived in a mutually beneficial relationship with humans for thousands of years.

The dog (''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a mammal of the family Canidae, order Carnivora, and the principal animal companion to mankind.  With domestication many breeds have been created, from small to very-large, bearing coats of hair either short or long, shaggy or soft, smooth or curly, in colors either solid or mixed from white to brown to black.  In addition, breeds have been specifically created to hunt game, act as guards, shepherd flocks of livestock, hunt for missing persons, or act as service animals in preventing anxiety, aiding in seizures, or as guides for the blind.

Offspring are called ''pups'' (or ''puppies'') until around a year old. The collective noun for a group of offspring is a ''litter''.  

The domestication of the dog by man has ancient origins. The oldest dog fossil remains in a human settlement have been found in a Natufian tomb,<ref>https://www.nature.com/articles/276608a0</ref> and date back to 11,000-12,000 years ago, but it is assumed that the origin of the relationship between the two species lies far behind time, claimed to be between 19,000 and 36,000 years ago. The study of a skull of "dog-like canine" found in the Altai mountains in Siberia has led to the hypothesis that the various modern dog breeds do not have a single common progenitor, but derive from different distinct processes of domestication of wolves in different areas of the world.<ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21829526</ref>

Research has shown that it is probable that the first settlers of the [[America]]s brought dogs of some sort with them. The case in [[Australia]] is not so clear. The [[dingo]] was not found in [[Tasmania]], evidence that it was introduced to Australia after Tasmania became an island after the last Ice Age. It was introduced to Australia either in a subsequent wave of immigration or by Asian visitors.

In 2012 a “best guess” estimate of the world-wide population of dogs was 525 million.<ref>https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201209/how-many-dogs-are-there-in-the-world</ref>

 

The word "dog" has an uncertain origin; it has its roots in the Middle English word ''docga'' sometime prior to the 12th century.<ref>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dog</ref>  The German word ''hund'' (“hound”), which means the same animal, has a slightly-better provenance, as it may be derived from the Greek root “kýon” (''κύων, σκύλος'')<ref>https://www.etymonline.com/word/*kwon-</ref>;  this root is common to all Indo-European languages including Sanskrit and Vedic (''çuan''), and gave rise to the Latin ''canis''.  

== Scientific details ==

== Scientific details ==