Your Skull dog is there to protect and encase your dog’s brain. The skull of a dog is made up of many bones. Some of these bones surround the brain while others just form part of your dog’s facial structure. Dog skulls can vary in size due to the fact that dogs are different. It’s not only fascinating but also useful to learn more about the skull of your dog so that you can identify signs of trouble. Let’s now learn more about the skull of a dog, its anatomy and possible problems.
It’s your skull dog l speaking! Although you might not know what I look like, you may be able to spot a resemblance when you visit a museum with skulls of wolves. When it comes to skulls for dogs, think of a smaller version. The brains of wolves are nearly 30% larger than those of dogs (Coppinger & Schneider 1995; Zeder 2012).
It is believed that domestication contributed to shrinkage in some brain areas (the dog’s ancestor), with the limbic system being the most affected. This area is crucial for the fight or flight response.
The Farm Fox Experiment has further confirmed this shrinkage. In the experiment, domesticated foxes in Novosibirsk (Russia) also experienced changes in their skull dog dimensions, which has been linked to tameness (Trut and Zeder 2012).
As mentioned, I can come in different sizes. I’m a compact brachycephalic dog, like bulldogs, pugs and Boston terriers. However, in dolichocephalic dogs such as Afghan hounds or Salukis, I have a longer head and narrower orbits to aid sighthounds’ ability to see the horizon. (Miller and Murphy 1995; McGreevy and al. 2004) to help them spot prey. The average skull shape is similar to mesaticephalic dog’s.
Although I’m made up of many bones, you can actually divide me into the neurocranium which houses the dog’s brain and the facial skull dog which is the structure of your dog’s head. If you are a geek, here’s a partial list. It includes the occipital, temporal, frontal, parietal, nasal, zygomathic, and palatine bones. The maxilla, mandible, and auditory ossicles.
