Paleontologist Mietje Germonpré examined samples of canines, found in 7 caves in the Ardennes (including Goyet, Belgium). One of 32,000 years old earns the title 'prehistoric dog'. Domestication happened here very early, and that applies to different times and multiple places in the world.

Canis lupus familiaris has been for centuries a domesticated subspecies of the wolf as a security guard, tracker and hunter, is shepherding and pull animal and companionship to man. A dog can live for 15 years with proper care.

hondenkar768x431A man hears frequencies between 20 - 20,000 Hz, a dog at least 15 to 50,000 Hz. They can still hear at 25 meters frequencies around 1 to 2 Hz and three -dimensional (direction).
A dog can see colors, but unlike humans, he does not see red but experiences that as (dark) green. His field of vision is about 240 degrees wide (ours approx. 140°). He looks less sharp than man, he is focused on seeing movement.
Man has about 10 cm² olfactory epithelium, dog average of 100 cm² (30 cm² (French bulldog) to 169 cm² (German shepherd)). He smells around a million times better than humans, and in 'stereo '. So the dog knows or smell comes from right or from the left. 

A human has 5 million odor receptors, a dog (depending on the type) 125 to 300 million. A person can remember up to 50,000 different fragrances on average. Girls can smell better than boys. Dogs sweat through the nose and foot pads. (The tongue has no sweat glands.)


Based on their characteristics, our race selected lots of species for various tasks.
They manage to transform bone into manure in one day.


hondenkarPull dogs were harnessed in front of the by the farmer pushed barrow.
Bakery, dairy and other farmers used large breeds like Bouviers, Great Danes, German Shepherds, Groenendaler, Dutch shepherds, Pyrenean mountain dogs, Mountain Dogs and Siberian Huskies or the now extinct ‘Matin Belgian' to pull dog carts with hay, drivers.. but also barges and even ploughs.
For sleds more dogs are steered.
The Flemish Pull Dogs Association still gives friendly demos with Swiss Mountain Dog, the Bernese Mountain Dog and Broholmer.

To detect game or chase there are barking (Braque, beagles) or silent (beagle, basset) bred hounds. Spaniels, setters and pointers are used to pinpoint where wildlife (birds) lurks, retrievers to retrieve shot game. Greyhounds are fast enough to catch a prey. Terriers and dachshunds to get rabbits and foxes out of their holes.
Terriers and the Coton de Tulear are also good rat catchers.

Dogs with a strong defensive behavior, and territoriality are good watchers: Bouvier, German Shepherds and Rottweilers, Great Danes, boxers.
The black and white border collie is a medium sheepdog that is good at herding cattle and moving flocks.

Besides useful guide dogs, detection dogs, drug dogs, explosives dogs are fighting dogs a product of man. Even as a weapon of war, and laboratory animal we abuse them. And yet it is still our best friend.

We usually find it strange that in some countries there is also eaten dog. According to multiple sources would our ancestors, the Celts, dogs also have had on the menu.

With the Incas as at the Romans puppies had not only as a sacrifice, but also culinary a good reputation.

Even in more recent times of war there is still sought after city game.

Dogs you can keep out of the garden, they hate rue.

Dog food is (like cat food) a luxury and a commercial product of the last few decades. Previously they had just what people ate, and /or the scraps from the table (potatoes, bread...) with some bones or offal.
Chocolate (especially dark) can be deadly for dogs (and horses, cats and ferrets), because their metabolism cannot convert theobromine which is herein.

An average man can bite with a power of 400 newton. An orangutan with 5x more power. So that equals an average dog with 2,000 newtons. The American alligator is bite champion with 16,460 newtons.


“Cats are smarter than dogs. Just try to get eight cats that crazy to pull a sled through the snow.“ (James Dent)
A good dog is worth two angora cats. (Yvan Audouard)