Muscles
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Most dogs are built
for endurance, not speed, and their muscles reflect this.
The
muscles, collectively, are the largest organ system in the
dog's body.
Although the dog's muscles are not quite as well-built as
his close cousin, the wolf, some breeds have been bred to
run faster than thirty miles an hour!
The Tongue
The tongue is one of the most important muscles in the
dog's body. It serves several purposes. They are:
1. Helping food get to the throat
2. Cleaning its coat
2. Panting
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1. Gluteas and muscles which move the hip joint
2. Latissimus dorsi
3. Brachiocephalicus (neck muscles)
4. Muscles which move the shoulder
5. Triceps (extends elbow)
6. Extensors of foot
7. Pectorals
8. Muscles which flex the hip to move the leg forward
9. Biceps femoris and muscles which extend the leg
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What does panting do?
A dog panting is similar in function to a human
sweating. Panting helps lower the dog's body temperature
by the evaporative action of moving cool air over the
tongue. The result is a cooler dog....provided the air is
cooler than the dog. Dogs left in hot parked cars with
poor ventilation don't no benefit from panting because the
air is warmer than the dog.
So if you see your dog panting heavily, make sure she has
plenty of fresh, cool air and clean, cool water in her
bowl. After all, if you were hot, you'd want a fan and a
nice glass of ice water, right?
Skeleton and
Teeth
A dog's skeleton is formed so the dog can run fast,
hunt, and chase. For example, a dog's shoulder blades are
not tightly connected to its skeleton, so the dog has
potential for greater motion and flexibility.
Of course, not all dogs
have the exact same type of bones. Since humans have
been breeding dogs for years, bones may vary according to
length and thickness depending on the breed. Smaller dogs
may have tiny bones, while hunting dogs will have more
substantial bones.
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1.Coccygeal
vertebra
2. Sacrum
3. Lumbar vertebrae
4. Thoracic vertebrae
5. Cervical vertebrae
6. Skull
7. Scapula
8. Shoulder
9. Humerus
10. Elbow
11. Radius
12. Carpus |
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13.
Metacarpals
14. Ulna
15. Ribs
16. Os Penis
17. Metatarsals
18. Tarsus
19. Fibula
20. Tibia
21. Knee (stifle)
22. Pelvis
23. Femur |
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Dog Structures
Head Shapes
There are basically two skull shapes for dogs--a
narrow head and long face (like the Borzoi), or a short
head and wider face (like the Pug). Of course, there are
many variations in between.
Teeth
Of a dog's 42 teeth, 6 pairs are incisors, and two
pairs are canine teeth. The remaining teeth are molars.
Traditionally, the most important teeth for the dog were
the incisors and the canines, because they helped the dog
rip and bite his food. With domestication and prepared
diets from loving owners, a full set of functioning teeth
is no longer a life and death issue for most pet dogs, but
this does not mean they should be neglected. Overall
health is directly affected by dental health.
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