Welcome To The Woofchester Hotel
Your dog’s holiday experience starts here!
Welcome To The Woofchester Hotel
Your dog’s holiday experience starts here!
Doggie History
Dogs were first domesticated from wolves at least 17,000 years ago, but perhaps as early as 150,000 years ago based upon recent genetic fossil and DNA evidence.
In this time the dog has developed into hundreds of breeds with a great degree of variation. For example, heights at the withers range from just a few inches (such as the Chihuahua) to roughly three feet (such as the Irish Wolfhound), and colors range from white to black, with reds, grays, and browns occurring in a tremendous variation of patterns.
Dogs are highly social animals and this similarity in their overall behavioral pattern accounts for their trainability, playfulness, and ability to fit into human households and social situations.
This similarity has earned dogs a unique position in the realm of interspecies relationships. The loyalty and devotion that dogs demonstrate as part of their natural instincts as pack animals closely mimics the human idea of love and friendship, leading many dog owners to view their pets as full fledged family members. Dogs seem to view their human companions as members of their pack, and make few, if any, distinctions between their owners and fellow canines.
Dogs fill a variety of roles in society and are often trained as working dogs. Dogs that do not have traditional jobs, a wide range of dog sports provide the opportunity to exhibit their natural dog skills. In many countries, the most common and perhaps most important role of dogs is as companions.
Dogs have lived with and worked with humans in so many roles that their loyalty has earned them the unique sobriquet "man's best friend."
Dog Facts
In total there is said to be around 400 million dogs in the world.
The domestic dog has been one of the most popular working and companion animals throughout human history.
Dogs perform many useful tasks for humans including hunting, farm work and security as well as assisting those with disabilities such as the blind.
Although experts often disagree, there is scientific evidence which shows that the domestication of dogs could have occurred more than 15,000 years ago.
There are hundreds of different breeds of dogs.
Examples of these breeds include: Bulldog, German Shepherd, Collie, Golden Retriever, St Bernard, Greyhound, Bloodhound, Chihuahua, Labrador, Great Dane, Rottweiler, Boxer and Cocker Spaniel.
The most popular breed of dog in the world by registered ownership is the Labrador. With their gentle nature, obedience, intelligence and near limitless energy, Labradors make for excellent family pets and reliable workers. They often assist police and are a common choice as guide dogs.
Dogs have formed such a strong bond as pets, workers and companions to humans that they have earned the nickname "man's best friend".
Humans help train various dog breeds to enter in competitions such as breed shows, agility and obedience contests, racing and sled pulling.
Dog have superior hearing than humans, capable of hearing sounds at four times the distance.
Dogs have a remarkable sense of smell, they are capable of differentiating odors in concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans can.
The average life span for a dog is around 10 to 14 years.
Those involved in dog breeding refer to males as ‘dogs’, females as ‘bitches’, dogs younger than a year old as ‘puppies’ and a group of offspring as a ‘litter’.
Domestic dogs are omnivores, they feed on a variety of foods including grains, vegetables and meats.