The Dog Encyclopedia for Kids

The Dog Encyclopedia for Kids — page 3 — History of Domesticated Dogs stronger in dogs than wolves Dogs want to work with humans more than wolves do They are more interested in what humans are doing Also dogs aren’t as good at solving problems by themselves compared with wolves Instead dogs look to humans for help All dogs today are related to wolves Some scientists think that between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago dogs split from wolves This split likely happened because of humans There are a couple ideas as to how this started One idea is that people took wolf puppies for pets Over time these wolves became domesticated Domesticated means to change from being wild to living with and helping people Another idea is that friendly wolves spent more time with humans than unfriendly wolves The friendly wolves unfriendly wolves The friendly wolves may have gotten food from may have gotten food from humans This would give them an advantage over unfriendly ones Getting food unfriendly ones Getting food easily could help them survive easily could help them survive and have babies Then over and have babies Then over time the friendly wolves became domesticated They wanted to be around people No matter which idea is right some wolves started changing right some wolves started changing They began to get the characteristics They began to get the characteristics that people see in dogs today They that people see in dogs today They developed floppy ears and curly developed floppy ears and curly tails They also started developing tails They also started developing different coat colors Scientists think these changes are connected to friendliness In fact scientists see friendliness as one genetic trait that’s

The Dog Encyclopedia for Kids — page 4 — People started to breed dogs for specific purposes Some people wanted a dog that could pull a heavy load for them or protect cattle Others wanted a good hunting dog or a small companion There are more than 340 dog breeds today By late 2020 the American Kennel Club AKC acknowledged 195 of these breeds The AKC is an organization that keeps a list of many purebred dogs Purebred dogs come from one breed Many other dogs aren’t purebred Instead they are a combination of multiple breeds Dogs and wolves have the same ancestors

The Dog Encyclopedia for Kids — page 5 — Herding dogs Dogs in the herding group have been bred to help move animals They do this by running barking and making eye contact with livestock in order to get the animals from one spot to another For example corgis are small but they nip at cattle’s feet to get them moving Today most herding dogs don’t live on farms However they still have an instinct to herd whatever is around them Sometimes they will run circles around people to try and round them up German shepherd dog

The Dog Encyclopedia for Kids — page 6 — Border collie

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