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The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a carnivorous mammal ascribed to the genus Canis (canidae family). With domestication he distinguished himself from his predecessor, the wolf, of which he represents a neotenic form (although there is still some divergence in this regard) and with respect to which he has less sharp canines, longer intestines, and is devoid of sharp claws .

The dog is extremely variable in its biological characteristics, due to the selection made by nature (from the areas of origin) and above all by man (his life partner since prehistoric times). The weight can vary from 700 g to 90 kg. It has a menstrual cycle repeated twice a year (unlike wolves that have only one period of estrus) and this characteristic is partly due to man to facilitate breeding and selection.

The sense of smell

The main distinctive feature of the dog is the sense of smell, derived from its prehistoric activity as a hunter. A fundamental part of his odor recognition process is the conformation of his nose (the nose) but above all the very rich internal mucosa, able to distinguish only one molecule of one substance out of millions. The nose in the dog represents the terminal end of the nose of the same. The imprint of the convolutions that distinguish it is specific to the individual and, like the fingerprints of the human being, can be used as an effective recognition system.

Evolutionarily, it was believed (starting from the studies of Konrad Lorenz) that the dog could descend from the wolf or the jackal, or both, which would have given rise to different primitive breeds, from which the many current forms would have derived.

The most recent studies based on genetics, supported by paleontological insights, have led to the validation of the recognition of the gray wolf (Canis lupus lupus) as the ancestor of the domestic dog, recognized as a subspecies (Canis lupus familiaris). The hypotheses on the domestication process are still uncertain. One of the most accredited hypotheses is that of the spouses Ray and Lorna Coppinger, biologists, who propose the theory of a "natural domestication" of the wolf, a natural selection of subjects less skilled in hunting, but at the same time less fearful of humans, who would begin to follow the first groups of nomadic hunters, feeding on the remains of their meals, but unwittingly providing a precious "sentinel" service, later settling near the first settlements, and giving way to a surprising cohabitation between two species of predators, with mutual benefits.

Some of these "wild dogs" would later be approached and adopted into the human community (village dogs, the "pariah dogs" that are still found today in some societies, "all over the village", tolerated for their role as scavengers and of predators of small pests), giving way to a perfect example of coevolution. Almost certainly, as also demonstrated by the studies of Dimitri Belayev, the natural selection based on character attitudes to domestication has caused the appearance of physical changes (from the reduction of the skull volume, to the shortening of the teeth, but also the appearance of characters such as patches white on the coat and rolled-up tails).

The first differentiation between the various local "races" is to be attributed to the various wolf subspecies that were domesticated almost simultaneously in different parts of the world, in equally dissimilar geographic and climatic situations. We can get an idea of ​​their appearance if we take into consideration the "modern" breeds gathered in group 5 of the FCI classification International Cynological Federation (spitz and primitive type dogs, in fact). The first dogs were certainly versatile workers, able to perform multiple tasks, from the village guard to the hunting aid, from the transport of small loads to the management of the first herds of the nascent pastoralism.

Over time, man has selected many different breeds and varieties of dogs, to help him in his many activities: therefore there are today breeds of shepherd, hunting, guard, companion, racing and others.

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