An attack dog is a dog trained (and possibly bred) to attack, and possibly kill, living creatures. This may be done for a number of reasons: Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog Canis lupus is a type of canine, a mammal in the order Carnivora. ... A breed is a domesticated subspecies or infrasubspecies of an animal. ...
A dog may be trained to attack other dogs to participate in dog fighting.
A guard dog may be trained to attack humans to increase their effectiveness. The German Shepherd Dog is an example of a breed often used as a guard dog, as they are intelligent and easily trained. For these reasons they are also the dog most commonly used by police forces (see police dog).
A hunting dog or wardog may be trained as an attack dog to incapacitate prey or enemies without assistance from humans. Some examples of hunting dogs are the Irish Wolfhound and Russian Wolfhound (Borzoi). However, many other breeds of dog have been trained for hunting.
In most modern nations, the practice of training attack dogs for any purpose has been made illegal, due in part to the danger of an escaped attack dog killing innocent people. The main exception is police dogs, which are generally trained in non-lethal forms of attack such as attacking the arms or the legs, or simply restraining without causing injury. Dog fighting is a violent fight between dogs. ... A guard dog or watch dog is a dog employed to guard against, or watch for, unwanted or unexpected animals or people. ... The German Shepherd Dog or Alsatian (see Breed names), is a breed of dog. ... Police dog getting ready to search a vehicle for drugs A police dog is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and similar law-enforcement personnel with their work. ... A hunting dog refers to any dog who assists humans in hunting, or whose breed was originally developed to do so. ... A wardog is a dog trained for war. ... The Irish Wolfhound is a breed of dog (a sighthound), bred to hunt. ... The Borzoi is a breed of dog also called the Russian Wolfhound. ... Police dog getting ready to search a vehicle for drugs A police dog is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and similar law-enforcement personnel with their work. ...
Dogs, like humans, are highly social animals and pack hunters; this similarity in their overall behavioral design accounts for their trainability, playfulness, and ability to fit into human households and social situations.
Dogs have lived with and worked with humans in so many roles that their loyalty has earned them the sobriquet "man's best friend." Conversely, some cultures consider dogs to be unclean.
Molecular systematics indicate that the domestic dog is descended from a wolf-like ancestor.