# data[].attributes.headline
Dibuja cinco de estos íconos en tu marco en tu diario. Generalización va en el centro.

# data[].attributes.subject
Dibuja cinco de estos íconos en tu marco en tu diario. Generalización va en el centro.

# data[].attributes.headline
Draw five of these icons on your frame in your journal. Big Idea goes in the center.

# data[].attributes.subject
Draw five of these icons on your frame in your journal. Big Idea goes in the center.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Short Stories for Kids - Living and Non Living things

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ocean Life Storytime | Learn Fun Facts About Humpback Whales | Circle Time with Khan Academy Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ready to learn some paw-some dog facts? Then you're in the right place! Join National Geographic Kids as we get the lowdown on our fur-tastic friends...

Dog facts!

1. Dogs are the most popular pet on the planet!

A third of ALL households around the world have a dog. These playful, friendly, loyal animals make great companions, but they can also be fierce and tough protectors, or intelligent helpers.

2. They evolved from a now-extinct species of wolf.

Dogs were the first animal domesticated (tamed) by humans, over 20,000 years ago! As they evolved from wolves, their skulls, teeth and paws shrank, and they became more docile and obedient.

FUN FACT!

Evidence from fossils suggests that five types of dog had evolved by the Bronze Age, around 4500BC. These were mastiffs, wolf-type dogs, dogs similar to greyhounds, pointing dogs and herding dogs. Bow wow!

3. They can learn over 100 words and gestures!

Dogs are thought to be as smart as two-year-old children (and much easier to train!), so many owners teach them commands and tricks.

4. Dog noses are at least 40x more sensitive than ours!

These clever canines have an incredible sense of smell - allowing them to follow scent trails days after they were left. Amazingly, bloodhounds' sense of smell is so spot on that it can be used as evidence in court!

FUN FACT!

Dogs also have fantastic hearing! They can detect high-pitched noises and spot sounds from much further away than humans can.

5. Many work as assistance dogs, helping humans!

Many dogs are trained to work as guide dogs, helping blind people get around safely. Others are assistance dogs, who keep their owners calm and safe, while some brave hounds are search and rescue dogs, who help human rescuers save people from danger.

WEIRD BUT TRUE!

Some working dogs are trained to use their super senses to sniff out explosives and illegal goods, or alert humans to potentially dangerous health issues. Wow!

6. They only sweat from their paws, and have to cool down by panting.

The sweat is much oilier than humans', and it contains lots of chemicals that only other dogs can detect. Weirdly, it also makes many dog paws smell of cheesy crisps!

7. They can be right or left-pawed!

Like humans, most dogs have a dominant hand - or in their case, paw! To figure out which one it is, you can conduct a simple science experiment ...

Watch a dog moving from standing still to walking forwards. Do they start walking with their left leg, or their right? Watch several times, noting down the starting leg each time, and see if there's a pattern. Many dogs will often lead with the same leg - their dominant one!

Ancient breeds like the Saluki lived in the lavish palaces of Egyptian royalty! The pampered pooches had their own servants, were decked out in jewelled collars, and ate only the finest meats.

WEIRD BUT TRUE!

Dead rulers were often buried with their doggy pals, as they believed the hounds would protect them from harm in the afterlife.

9. Dogs use body language to express their feelings.

From their ears to their eyebrows, shoulders, and tail, dogs often use signals and smells, rather than sound, to communicate! Their posture makes a big difference, too.

Next time you see a dog interacting with a person or other dog, pay close attention. Are they shrinking themselves down small, or standing up big and tall? What do you think they're trying to say?

10. Owning a dog is a BIG responsibility!

Just like humans, dogs have feelings and needs, and they have to be taken care of properly. They need regular walking, healthy food, a clean, cosy place to sleep and lots and lots of love and affection! Make sure you and your family think carefully before you get a dog (or any pet!) to make sure you have the time and means to take one on.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dog facts for kids! | National Geographic Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sink your teeth into 10 awesome dog facts from Nat Geo Kids! Find out about dogs' super senses, training talents, and more...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fish are vertebrates (vertebrates have backbones) that live in water. They breathe using special organs called gills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Meet the Animals 12 min | Ocean Animals for Kids | Crocodile, Shark, Turtle, and More

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Speedie DiDi - Educational Videos for Toddlers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sea Animals for Kids | Sea Creatures for Kids | Learn Sea Animals for Children with Speedie DiDi

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dolphin Facts for Kids | Classroom Edition Animal Learning Video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A police dog (also called a K-9) is a dog trained to help police and other law enforcement people. German Shepherds are the most common breed, but other breeds are also used. If a police dog is killed in duty, it is usually given a full police funeral. K-9s are often given their own ballistic vests, and some are given their own police IDs and badges.

What can police dogs do?

A police dog may be trained to do one special thing, or a few different things. Common K-9 jobs include:

Searching for drugs (for example, in prisons or during arrests)

Searching for explosives

Searching for crime scene evidence

Chasing and holding suspects

Making suspects less likely to fight police because of fear that the dog will be released (this is called "bark and hold" - the dog barks aggressively to scare the suspect while its handler holds its leash)

Protecting police officers

Specialized police dogs

There are also specialized police dogs, who are used only for a specific job because they have special skills or training for that job. For example:

Sentry and attack dogs find and catch suspects or enemies. They also provide security for important areas.

Search and rescue dogs (SAR) find missing people, people who are running from the police, or missing objects. Bloodhounds are often used for this task because they are very good at sniffing out and following scents from people or objects.

Detection or explosive-sniffing dogs sniff out illegal drugs and explosives. In many countries, beagles are used in airports to sniff people's baggage for items that are not permitted. Because beagles act and look very friendly, they do not worry most passengers.

Arson dogs are trained to pick up on traces of accelerants (things that would start or worsen a fire) at sites of suspected arson.

Cadaver dogs are trained to sniff out decomposing bodies. Dogs' noses are so sensitive that they are even able to smell bodies that are under running water Important work was done by Dr. Debra Komar at the University of Alberta, along with the RCMP Civilian Search Dog Association in this area. As a result, training techniques were developed, and cadaver-sniffing dogs now have near 100% accuracy rates. Her research has been published in the Journal of Forensic Anthropology.

Popular breeds

Different breeds of police dogs tend to be good at different things. However, any good police dog should be intelligent, aggressive, strong, and have a good sense of smell. Many police dogs are male and unneutered (because neutering can make a dog less aggressive). However, there are female police dogs, which are used for rescue, tracking, and locating bombs and drugs. German Shepherd Dogs and Belgian Malinois are the most commonly used; however, other dog breeds (and their specialties) include:

American Pitbull Terrier (skilled at search and rescue/tracking, attack dogs, and finding bombs and drugs)

Beagle (good at locating bombs and drugs. Used worldwide.)

Belgian Malinois (often used for protection, attack dogs, finding IEDs, finding evidence and drugs, prisoner transport, and human tracking.)

Bloodhound (very good at tracking and identifying things by their smell; used for tracking and locating bombs, drugs, and evidence.)

Doberman Pinscher (used as a protection and attack dog)

Dutch Shepherd (also used as a protection and attack dog)

Springer Spaniel (good at locating bombs and drugs)

German Shepherd Dog (often used for protection, attack dogs, ground-based tracking, air-based tracking, and finding dead bodies, drugs, evidence, and IEDs)

German Shorthaired Pointer (good at ground-based tracking and air-based tracking, as well as finding drugs and evidence)

Labrador Retriever (skilled at locating bombs and drugs)

Related Pages

Images for kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A police dog (also called a K-9) is a dog trained to help police and other law enforcement people. German Shepherds are the most common breed, but other breeds are also used. If a police dog is killed in duty, it is usually given a full police funeral.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris) are domesticated mammals, not natural wild animals. They were originally bred from wolves. Dogs are sometimes called "canines," which comes from the Latin word for dog - canis. Sometimes people also use "dog" to describe other canids, such as wolves.

A baby dog is called a pup or puppy. A dog is called a puppy until it is about one year old. Domesticated dogs have been bred by humans for a long time and were probably the first animals to be domesticated. Domesticated dogs eat both meat and vegetables, often mixed together with other ingredients and sold in stores as dog food.

Today, some dogs are used as pets while others are used to help humans do their work. Dogs are popular pets because they are usually playful, friendly, and listen well to humans. Thirty million dogs in the United States are registered as pets. Dogs are sometimes referred to as "man's best friend" because they are kept as domestic pets and are usually loyal and like being around humans. Dogs often have jobs, including police dogs, army dogs, service dogs, fire dogs, messenger dogs, hunting dogs, herding dogs, or rescue dogs.

Appearance and behavior

Dogs have four legs and make a "bark," "woof," or "arf" sound. Different kinds of dogs have different kinds of fur. Dogs often chase cats, and most dogs will fetch a ball or stick.

Dogs can smell and hear better than humans, but cannot see well in color. Their eye structure helps dogs to see better in dim light than humans can. They can also see further around before moving their eyes than a human can.

Like wolves, wild dogs travel in groups called packs. Packs of dogs are ordered by rank, and dogs with low rank will submit to other dogs with a higher rank. The highest-ranked dog is called the alpha male. Each dog in a pack helps and cares for others. Domesticated dogs often view their owner as the alpha male.

Origin of dogs

All dogs are descended from wolves, by domestication and artificial selection. This is known because DNA genome analysis has been done to discover this. Dogs have been bred by humans.

The earliest known fossil of a domestic dog is said to be from 31,700 years ago in Belgium. Scientists believe that dogs have lived with people for at least 30,000 years. In 2013, a study was published that showed that the skull and teeth of a canid, dated to 33,000 years ago, had characteristics closer to a dog than to a wolf, and the authors determined that "this specimen may represent a dog in the very early stages of domestication."

Another sign of domestication is that sometimes, dogs were buried together with humans. Evidence of this is a tomb in Bonn, where the remains of a man of about 50 years of age, a woman of about 25 years of age, a dog, and other artifacts were found. Radiocarbon dating showed that the human bones were between 13,300 and 14,000 years old.

Different dog breeds (kinds) have different lifespans. In general, smaller dogs live longer than larger dogs. The size and the breed of the dog change the average lifespan of a dog. Breeds such as the Dachshund usually live for fifteen years, while Chihuahuas can reach age twenty. The Great Dane, on the other hand, has an average lifespan of six to eight years; some Great Danes have lived for ten years.

Dogs and humans

Dogs are often called "man's best friend" because they fit well with human life. Dogs can serve people in many ways. For example, there are guard dogs, hunting dogs, herding dogs, guide dogs for blind people (along with other service dogs), and police dogs. These dogs sometimes help police in airports or other areas. Sniffer dogs (usually beagles) are sometimes trained for this job. Dogs were sent by Russians into outer space a few years before any human being was sent. The first dog sent up was named Laika, but she died within a few hours.

It is estimated that three-quarters of the world's dog population lives in the developing world as feral, village, or community dogs. Dogs are not usually pets in these areas.

Pet dog populations grew after World War II. In the 1950s and 1960s, dogs were kept outside more often than they tend to be today and were still used as guard dogs, children's playmates, or walking companions.

Most modern dog owners describe their pets as part of the family. It is estimated there are 77.5 million people with pet dogs in the United States.

A 2014 study using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) comparing humans and dogs showed that dogs have the same response to voices and use the same parts of the brain as humans do. This gives dogs the ability to recognize emotional human sounds, making them friendly social pets to humans.

Best dogs for kids

The best dogs for kids are ones that have calm personalities and are happy to socialize with everyone in the family.

Having a family dog can also teach children cooperation and responsibility. For example, a child can help with chores such as walking, feeding, and brushing the dog.

Here are some of the most popular dog breeds for kids:

There are at least 800 breeds (kinds) of dogs. Dogs whose parents were the same breed will also be that breed: these dogs are called purebred or pure pedigree dogs. Dogs with parents from different breeds no longer belong to one breed: they are called , mixed-breed dogs, , or . Some of the most popular breeds are sheepdogs, collies, poodles, and retrievers. It is becoming popular to breed two different breeds of dogs together and call the new dog's breed a name that is a mixture of the parents' breeds' two names. A puppy with a poodle and a pomeranian as parents might be called a Pomapoo. These kinds of dogs, instead of being called mutts, are known as designer dog breeds. These dogs are normally used for prize shows and designer shows. They can also be guide dogs.

10 interesting facts about dogs

There are hundreds of different breeds of dogs and around 400 million dogs in the world.

The dog has earned the nickname "man's best friend."

The largest breeds of dog in the world are the Great Dane, Irish wolfhound, Scottish Deerhound, Neapolitan Mastiff, English Mastiff, Anatolian shepherd, Dogue de Bordeaux, Leonberger, and Boerboel. The smallest dog breed is the Chihuahua (dog).

The oldest dog who ever lived was a cattle dog from Australia named Bluey who lived to be 29 years and 5 months old.

A dog's nose print is unique; it is similar to human fingerprints in that no two are the same.

Dalmatian puppies are born completely white and develop their spots as they grow.

Dogs dream just like humans do.

Little dogs are often called toy dogs, or lap dogs - because they're so little they look like a toy and can easily fit on your lap.

A dog is as smart as a 2-year-old child and can recognize around 150 words and gestures.

Dogs should not eat raisins, grapes, onion, chocolate, or garlic because it makes them sick.

Images for kids

In Spanish: Canis familiaris para niños