The Basics

1. The word dog is believed to come from the old English word docga, which was a particular canine breed.
2. Dogs are often referred to as ‘man’s best friend’ because of their long history of being companion animals to humans over thousands of years.
3. It is estimated that there are around five hundred million dogs in the world, with the United States being the country that is home to the most.
4. There are hundreds of different breeds of dog, many of them specialising in particular tasks such as hunting, security, and assisting those with a disability such as blindness.
5. In canine terminology, a male is usually known as a dog, and a female a bitch. A puppy usually refers to a dog or bitch who is less than one year old.
6. A group of offspring is called a litter, with the mother being called the dam and the father the sire.
7. Most breeds today are relatively new - usually no more than a few hundred years old, and some much more recent. They have generally been created by selective breeding, choosing the dogs and bitches with particular traits to breed with each other.
8. The average lifespan of a dog is around twelve years, however some breeds sadly don’t live this long, whereas others enjoy much longer lives.
9. In England in the fourteenth century, dog actually referred to a particular type of hound, which was the word used to describe all domesticated canines. Over time however, the word dog took over as referring to any breed, whereas hound specifically related to hunting dogs.
10. Although dogs have always been kept for working purposes, today it is more common to keep a dog for companionship. Whereas in times gone past, this practice would have been reserved for the rich and the social elite, today many people take up the opportunity to welcome a dog into their family life.

A Poodle