Physical characteristics
Skeleton of a domestic dog
Like most predatory mammals, the dog has powerful muscles, a cardiovascular system that supports both sprinting and endurance, and teeth for catching, holding, and tearing.
The dog's ancestral skeleton provided the ability to run and leap. Their legs are designed to propel them forward rapidly, leaping as necessary, to chase and overcome prey. Consequently, they have small, tight feet, walking on their toes; their rear legs are fairly rigid and sturdy; the front legs are loose and flexible, with only muscle attaching them to the torso.
Although selective breeding has changed the appearance of many breeds, all dogs retain the basic ingredients from their distant ancestors. Dogs have disconnected shoulder bones (lacking the collar bone of the human skeleton) that allow a greater stride length for running and leaping. They walk on four toes, front and back, and have vestigial dewclaws (dog thumbs) on their front legs and sometimes on their rear legs. In some cases, these claws are missing due to surgery, the rear dewclaws sometimes being removed to prevent the possibility of their being ripped off, or catching on something and breaking, especially in dogs with loose dewclaws. This practice is illegal in some countries.
The dog's ancestor was about the size of a Dingo, and its skeleton took about 10 months to mature. Today's toy breeds have skeletons that mature in only a few months, while giant breeds such as the Mastiffs take 16 to 18 months for the skeleton to mature. Dwarfism has affected the proportions of some breeds' skeletons, as in the Basset Hound.
These characteristics and basic structure also help when competing in dog shows or contests.
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Morphology of a dog: carnivorous domestic mammal raised to perform various tasks for humans. Ear: organ of hearing.
Nape: back of the neck.
Neck: part of a dog that connects the head to the trunk.
Withers: part of the dog between the back, the neck and the shoulders.
Back: upper part of a dog's trunk.
Hip: joint connecting the rear leg to the pelvis.
Rump: hindquarters of a dog.
Buttock: fleshy part under the tail.
Tail: extension of the spinal column.
Thigh: upper part of the rear leg.
Leg: lower part of the rear leg.
Hock: point of the part of the rear leg below the knee.
Cannon bone: part of the rear leg behind the knee.
Hind leg: rear limb.
Belly: lower part of the abdomen.
Chest: lower part of the thorax.
Wrist: joint between the paw and the rest of the rear leg.
Fore leg: front limb.
Breast: front of the body of a dog.
Shoulder: joint that connects the foreleg to a dog's body.
Cheek: part on the side of the head of a dog.
Mouth: entrance to the digestive tract.
Tip of nose: nose of a dog.
Nose: front of the head of a dog, just above the nose.
Eye: sight organ.
Fore head: upper part of the dog's face. |
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© Copyright 2000-2007 Chinaroad Löwchen. All Rights Reserved.
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| Internal anatomy of a dog: carnivorous domestic mammal raised to perform various tasks for humans. Encephalon: seat of the intellectual capacities of a dog.
Spinal column: important part of the nervous system.
Stomach: part of the digestive tract between the esophageus and the intestine.
Spleen: hematopoiesis organ that produces lymphocytes.
Kidney: blood-purifying organ.
Rectum: last part of the intestine.
Bladder: pocket in which urine collects before being eliminated.
Penis: copulative male sexual organ.
Testicle: sperm-producing male sexual organ.
Intestine: last part of the digestive tract.
Liver: bile-producing digestive gland.
Heart: blood-pumping organ.
Lung: respiratory organ.
Trachea: tube that carries air to the lungs.
Esophageus: last part of the digestive tract.
Larynx: part of a dog's throat that contains the vocal cords. |
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