Puppy Hero

Blog archive

All Your Dog Skeleton Questions Answered

Dogs share our lives and have our hearts, but their bodies are quite different from ours. Today, we’re answering some questions about the dog skeleton. So, let’s dive right in.

Do dogs have 206 bones?

Humans have 206 bones in their body, but dogs have 319-321 bones, depending on the length of the tail.

What bones do dogs have that humans don’t?

As mentioned, dogs have 319-321 bones compared to 206 in a human skeleton. The extra bones in a dog skeleton are mainly in the vertebrae (spine) and teeth.

What are the 5 types of bones in a dog?

A dog skeleton has primarily five types of bones – short bones, for example in the ankles, long bones such as those in the limbs, flat bones in the pelvis, irregular bones in the spinal column, and sesamoid bones near freely moving joints like the knee.

What type of skeleton does a dog have?

There are some major differences in human and dog skeletons. For example, the femur or thigh bone is more curved or bowed in dogs. The scapula or shoulder bone is located more laterally (to the side) in a dog skeleton. Also, a dog skeleton does not have a clavicle or collarbone, and that’s why dogs cannot put their foreleg behind their backs. However, the lack of a collarbone gives dogs a longer stride, which is great for running and leaping.

Additionally, the spinal column in a dog skeleton has a slightly different composition than humans. Dogs use their coccyx or tailbone for balance, steering, and communication, expressing happiness, sadness, aggression, and many other emotions through their tails which are controlled by the coccyx.

A dog’s skull can be of 3 types – brachycephalic or flat nosed (examples: Pekingese, Pugs, Bulldogs), mesocephalic or medium nosed (examples: Dalmatians, Beagles, Golden Retrievers), and dolichocephalic or long nosed (examples: Greyhounds, Whippets, Collies).

But differences between dogs and humans don’t stop at the dog skeleton. In addition to more bones than humans, dogs also have more chromosomes, more teeth, more nipples, and more scent cells in their noses, just to name a few.

21 February, 2023