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Dog Language: Words from A Dog’s World

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  Teri Lapping  —  Grammar Tips
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If you are thinking about getting a dog, or if you already have a dog, it is important to know some of the vocabulary in the dog world. 

In this article, you will find:

Words that describe the life of a dog
Words that describe the jobs that dogs do.
Words that describe the words that dogs understand. 

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Words that Describe the Life of a Dog:

Domestic dog: A member of the genus Canis, the domestic dog is thought to have been descended from the wolf. A domestic dog has been tamed, making it acceptable to live in a human environment. Prehistoric man was the first to tame dogs. 

Purebred dog (pedigree dog): A purebred dog has a genetic line that is at least 87.5% of the same breed.

Sire: A sire is the father of a certain dog when referring to its genetic line and family tree.

Wild dog (dingo): A mammal that resembles a domestic dog but is not domesticated and it lives in packs.

Feral dog: A dog that has first been domesticated or captive and then has escaped to live in the wild.

Breed (noun): A breed refers to a group of domesticated dogs that has ancestors and traits in common.
  
Breed (verb): To breed is to intentionally promote procreation.

Breeder: A breeder is a person whose livelihood is to breed dogs.
  
Whelp (puppy): Whelping (breeding) will make whelps (puppies).

Inbreeding: Inbreeding is when dogs who are closely related genetically are mated. The puppies that are produced are then said to be inbred.

Line breeding (selective breeding): Line breeding is when two dogs are intentionally bred to create offspring that have certain desired characteristics, either behavioral or physical.

Spaying: Spaying is a surgery which prevents a female dog (called a bitch) from becoming pregnant. Also called neutering.

Castration: Castration is a surgery which removes a male dog’s testicles so that it will be infertile and will not be able to impregnate a female dog. Also called neutering.

Leash: A leash is a strap that is put on a dog to restrain or guide.

On Leash: When a dog is on leash, he is being controlled by his owner and acts in a more predictable and controlled manner towards the other dogs and humans. That is, being on leash will protect a dog from his own unexpected reactions. 

Off leash: When a dog is off-leash, he is let loose to play in a designated off-leash area, such as a park where other dogs are also not on a leash. Before going to an off-leash area, the dog should be trained and comfortable with meeting other off-leash dogs.

Pooper-Scooper: This is an important tool used to clean up after your dog.


Words that Describe the Jobs Dogs Do:

Service dog: A dog that is trained to help a person with a mental or physical disability. A service dog’s support allows the person to live more independently.

Seeing-eye dog: A dog that has been specially trained to help a person who is visually disabled or blind.

Emotional support dog: A dog that is trained to give emotional support, comfort, and companionship, with the goal of relieving depression, anxiety, and other emotional difficulties.
 
Did you know your blood pressure decreases by about 10% when you pet a dog? 

Hunting dog: A general term for a canine that accompanies hunters to accomplish a variety of tasks.

Bird dog: A dog that has been trained to hunt and retrieve birds that have been shot with a gun.

Scent hound: A dog that hunts using its sense of smell instead of its visual sense. 

Police dog: A dog that is trained to help the police by using their sense of smell to find contraband or track criminals. 

Did you know that a dog's sense of smell is many thousands of times stronger than the human sense of smell?

Rescue dog (also called a search-and-rescue dog): A dog that helps search for and rescue people.

There are many other types of dog employment, including fire dogs, dogs that can detect diseases, military dogs, herding dogs, dogs that deliver milk, dogs that find truffles, and more.


Words that Dogs can Understand.

Did you know that dogs are able to learn more than 1000 words and commands, responding correctly and consistently? 

Here are some examples of words and commands that dogs can understand:

Come. Sit. Down. Stay. Release.
 
Outside. Walk.
 
Yes. Good dog. Good boy. Good girl. 

No. Leave it. Fetch it. Bring it. Drop it. 

Treats. Dinner. 

Go to bed. 


Final Thoughts

Did you know that there are over 900 million dogs around the globe, domestic as well as wild dogs? 

Dogs are all around us, waiting to interact and become our friend. If you are thinking of bringing a dog home to join your family, trust your gut reaction and choose a dog who seems to clearly choose YOU in return. 

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