A dog is inextricably linked with man for many thousands of years. Over time, this pet has become indispensable, and now we can not imagine life without dogs.
Nowadays, a dog is not just an animal that acts as a protector and watchman, but a close, loyal and faithful friend, bringing joy to its owner.
It is known that all the advantages and disadvantages are laid in a dog from childhood, therefore this publication is devoted primarily to puppies.
In this book you will find useful information on how to choose a puppy, how to care for him and feed him. The book also contains recommendations for raising a puppy and the initial methods of training.
A separate chapter is devoted to diseases of dogs, everyone who has acquired a puppy is required to know the symptoms and treatment methods. Also here is an approximate list of necessary vaccinations and the dates in which they need to be carried out.
If you are going to breed dogs, you will find useful information about pregnancy and childbirth, as well as about caring for newborn puppies.
Many people who decide to get a dog do not know what breed to choose, what requirements this or that breed of dog makes for the content. This book gives a brief description of the most common dog breeds and recommendations for caring for them and raising them.
The mysterious story of the origin of the dog, rooted in the distant millennia. One thing is certain: her ancestor was an ancient wolf-like progenitor, as evidenced by the numerous fossil remains discovered by paleozoologists everywhere on Earth. Scientists suggest that as a result of divergence, the descendants of the canine ancestor formed independent species.
Most dog experts are inclined to believe that the ancestors of the modern dog were primarily wolves, jackals and coyotes, as indicated by the same set of chromosomes, as well as the ability of these animals to produce prolific offspring when interspecific.
It is likely that this proximity is due to the fact that in different historical periods the wolf’s blood repeatedly “surged” to the canine family. So, the English zoologist C. Thorne is inclined to believe that the Central Asian wolf - Cards lupus arabs, Chinese - Canis lupus chanco participated in the origin of European breeds; the wolves of North America participated in the development of Eskimo dogs, and the dogs of New Guinea and Pariah India carry the genes of the Indian wolf Canis lupus paipes. Another theory - the modern dog came from an extinct primitive, whose remains have not yet been found.
Judging by archaeological excavations, the domestication of wild canids occurred in the Stone Age, 15-10 thousand years BC, when people got their livelihood by hunting and had just invented a bow and arrow.
Man with his mind, work, patience, love and care from yesterday's enemy - a predator created a first friend. This event about the development of human civilization was no less important than the construction of steam engines or the discovery of electricity.
Images of animals on ancient cultural monuments testify to the long-standing friendship of man and dog. They are found on the walls of caves where primitive people lived, on the frescoes of Egypt, in the tombs of the pharaohs, on mosaics of Rome, engravings of the Middle Ages. The Persians in the book "Wendidad", (VI century BC. E.) A whole chapter is devoted to the description of proper care for the dog.
It also says: “If someone hits one of those dogs that serve in a herd, house, or of those that are learned, that soul will depart in torment and disease from this world to the underworld.” Millennium dog culture is known in India, where the art of healing sick animals - veterinary medicine was born.
Depending on climatic conditions, household needs, peculiarities of national taste and traditions, each people bred its own breeds of dogs. Modern cynologists suggest that breeding of dog breeds began about 14 thousand years ago in China, and not only workers, but also decorative ones. One of the oldest breeds is the African basenji, the image of which is more than 6 thousand years old. In Egyptian frescoes, you can see dogs resembling mastiffs, greyhounds, saluki. Ancient Greek authors describe 17 breeds, especially noting British dogs to track the beast. In medieval treatises on dogs, 20 breeds are already mentioned.
At the time of the great Swedish naturalist C. Linnaeus (1707-1778), who tried to create one of the first scientifically based classification of dogs, there were about a hundred of them. It is believed that there were about 2,000 breeds in the world, today there are just over 400. There is hardly any other species with such a variety of external forms, behavior, and even physiological characteristics.