Wild dog dingo. Wild dingo dog: an unusual breed from Australia

Dingo dog is an Australian dog that was once a domestic dog. The term Dingo means a re-feral domestic dog. Dingo remains in Australia date back to 3500 BC, although similar remains found in Asia date back to around 5 thousand BC. This has led to the theory that all Australian Dingoes are descendants of dogs brought to Australia from Asia around 4000 BC. Since there are few predators in Australia, and the largest were dingoes themselves, there is a lot of game and a warm climate, abandoned dogs have perfectly adapted to independent life. Dingo dogs spread throughout the entire continent. It is believed that Dingo dogs are direct descendants of the once domesticated wolves of India, which very quickly turned wild again in Australia.

Appearance of Dingo dogs

The dog is medium in size, height at the withers at the tails is up to 67 cm. Females are significantly smaller than males. Red colored, tightly built and muscular dogs. The ears are erect, the muzzle is square, the tail is bushy. Dingo dogs They don’t know how to bark, just like wolves, they can only grumble and growl, and of course all Dingoes howl.

Lifestyle of a Dingo Dog

Dingo dogs are nocturnal animals. They live in caves and burrows. They feed on small mammals, mainly rabbits, but also hunt kangaroos and wallabies. With the advent of farms in Australia and the development of cattle breeding, livestock began to be hunted. This provoked farmers to shoot wild dogs. But Dingoes quickly realized that easy prey was too expensive and stopped attacking openly, but as it turned out later, they do not always eat sheep, but only kill them. Since Dingoes are direct descendants of wolves (as scientists believe), then, like wolves, they live in packs of 4-10 individuals. The entire flock is built around the leader and his female.

Dingoes are very smart animals, so the first thing they did when they got to the mainland was to eliminate such rivals as marsupial wolves and marsupial devils. In addition, Dingoes easily avoid traps and traps that people set. At the moment, their main competitors are jackals.

Around the world, these dogs are kept in zoos and there are even nurseries for their breeding. But the character of these dogs is so obstinate and rebellious that it is almost impossible to tame them and keep them as pets. These dogs love freedom, large spaces and hunting. Dingo dog puppies begin to take hunting from 5 months, so by the age of 1-1.5 years they become excellent hunters.

The meaning of Dingo in the human world

Since the sheep were “slaughtered” and a lot of money was spent on fighting them, people decided to fence off the pastures. Its length is 8500 km and it is interrupted only in sections where there are highways. Millions of dollars are spent annually on maintaining this structure. There is a special patrol that looks for damage to the fence mesh and repairs it.

Dingoes are perhaps the most amazing dogs; they were identified as a separate species, although initially it was only a breed of dog. Now the population of Dingo dogs is not in danger and people do not stop trying to domesticate representatives of these amazing, smart and beautiful animals.

Photos of Dingo dogs

Dingo
Scientific classification
International scientific name
Canis lupus dingo Meyer, 1793
Synonyms
Canis dingo
Taxonomy on Wikispecies Images on Wikimedia Commons ITIS NCBI EOL

Story

Judging by the fossil remains, dingoes were brought to Australia not by early settlers (about 40,000-50,000 years ago), as previously thought, but by people from Southeast Asia (possibly from the Malay Archipelago). The oldest dingo skull found in Vietnam is approximately 5,500 years old; remains of this dog, ranging from 2,500 to 5,000 years old, are found in other parts of Southeast Asia, and the oldest dingo fossils in Australia are about 3,450 years old. Research on dingo mitochondrial DNA published in 2004 dates their appearance in Australia to 4000 BC. e.; All Australian dingoes are believed to be descended from one small group. Combining data from genetics and archaeology, scientists have concluded that dingoes came to Australia from 5,000 to 12,000 years ago thanks to the hunter-gatherers of the Toalea tribe ( Toalean) from the south of the island of Sulawesi, who probably themselves received them from their neighbors in Kalimantan. Dingoes lack several copies of a gene that allows them to digest starch, which domestic dogs developed as a result of living with agricultural peoples. Dingoes carry a unique Y-chromosomal haplogroup H60, which is derived from the Y-chromosomal haplogroup H5 common in Taiwan. H5 and H60 form one cluster indicating a common male ancestor who lived 4-5 thousand years BC. BC, which coincides with the expansion of Tai-Kadai languages ​​from southern China. According to archeology, dingoes came to Australia approximately 3,500 years ago. Dingo bones from Madura Cave on the Nullarbor Plain date back to 3348-3081 years ago.

In Australia, dingoes that escaped or were abandoned by their owners found excellent living conditions: a lot of game, the absence of enemies and serious competitors, they multiplied and settled throughout the continent and the nearest islands, not ending up only in Tasmania. The ability to hunt in packs gave them an important advantage over solitary marsupial predators. Presumably, dingoes caused the extinction of a number of marsupials.

Usually the dingo is considered a subspecies of the gray wolf, but some experts consider it a completely independent species. It is believed that the dingo is an almost purebred descendant of the domesticated Indian wolf, which in the wild is now found on the Hindustan Peninsula and in Balochistan. In 1958, the New Guinea singing dog, similar to the dingo but smaller, was discovered in the forests of New Guinea. The recently discovered wild Carolina dog in the southeastern United States is also similar to the dingo.

Appearance

The dingo looks like a well-built medium-sized dog: height at the withers 47-67 cm, body length with head 86-122 cm, tail length 26-38 cm. Weight 9.60-19 kg, rarely up to 24 kg and above. Males are much larger than females, and Asian dingoes are smaller than their Australian relatives, apparently due to a diet poor in proteins. The dingo's build resembles that of a hound. The muzzle is square; The ears are small and erect. The tail is fluffy, saber-shaped.

Dingo fur is short and thick, the typical color is rusty-red or reddish-brown, lighter on the face and belly. Occasionally there are individuals almost black in color, white and piebald. In the south-east of Australia there lives a breed of dingo of a gray and white color. Black and tan dingoes (similar to the Rottweiler pattern) are considered dingo hybrids with domestic dogs, probably German shepherds.

Purebred dingoes do not bark, but are capable of growling and howling like a wolf.

Spreading

Lifestyle and diet

Outside the breeding season, young dingoes usually live alone, although they can form groups when hunting large game. Up to a hundred dogs were sometimes observed in the accumulations of carrion. Stable family packs of dingoes consist of 3-12 individuals, like wolves, grouping around a dominant pair. Family groups maintain a strict hierarchy. Each flock has its own hunting area, which it protects from its neighbors.

Before the arrival of Europeans, dingoes were Australia's top predators. According to one theory, once on the mainland, they gradually supplanted and exterminated most of the native predators, including the marsupial wolf and the marsupial devil. However, it is now generally believed that the main reason for the extinction of marsupial predators was anthropogenic impact, and not competition. Dingoes are distinguished by their intelligence and dexterity. Their characteristic feature is extreme caution, which helps them successfully avoid traps and poisoned baits. It is believed that purebred dingoes do not attack people (however, there is an exception to this rule - for example, the death of Azaria Chamberlain). The main competitors of dingoes are jackals and dogs introduced by Europeans. Adults can be eaten by crocodiles, and young birds are hunted by large birds of prey, pythons and monitor lizards.

Reproduction

Dingoes live in small flocks in which only the dominant pair breeds. If another female gives birth to cubs, the dominant female kills them. Low-ranking females and males take care of the cubs of the main female. The dingo hierarchy is built on intimidation and occasional fights.

Unlike the average dog, dingoes breed once a year. The mating season for Australian dingoes is March-April, for Asian dingoes - in August-September. The gestation period, like in dogs, is 63 days. There are usually 6-8 puppies in a litter, which the female gives birth to in the den. Puppies are born blind, but covered with hair. Both parents care for the offspring.

At the age of 3 weeks, dingo pups leave their den for the first time, and the female stops feeding them milk. By 8 weeks they finally leave the den and live with other members of the pack. From 9 to 12 weeks, the mother and the rest of the pack bring them food and water, which the pups regurgitate and feed. At 3-4 months, puppies are already independent and accompany adults on hunts.

Puberty in dingoes occurs at the age of 1-3 years. Dingoes are monogamous. They live 10 years in the wild and up to 13 years in captivity.

Dingoes and domestic dogs interbreed easily, and wild dingo populations are highly hybridized. The exception is populations living in Australian national parks and other protected areas. The offspring of dingoes and dogs pose a greater threat to sheep farming, since non-purebred dingoes tend to breed twice a year (rather than once, like purebreds) and are more aggressive.

November 4th, 2013

I would advise anyone who is looking for not just a friend, but also an undistorted character, to get a dog of a completely different type. I myself prefer dogs that are relatively close to wild forms.
Konrad Lorenz. "A Man Finds a Friend"

Did you read the statement above? Now, I’m not an expert at all, but somehow I very much agree with him and I think that, if necessary, I will strive for this in my choice. But let's talk about our hero.

The wild Australian dog dingo is considered one of the oldest breeds. In many zoology textbooks it is even distinguished as a special subspecies - “Canis dingo”.

The famous zoologist and writer, Professor Bernhard Grzimek, having visited Australia, wrote in his book “Four-legged Australians”: “There has been incessant debate about dingoes for a hundred years now. What are they? Are these true wild dogs, like the wolves of the Northern Hemisphere, or are they akin to the beautiful, bold, spotted hyena dogs of Africa? Or maybe these are just descendants of feral domestic dogs? ... Based on the structure of the teeth and bones, dingoes cannot be distinguished from ordinary domestic dogs; There are no other morphological features that distinguish these animals from dogs.”

The dingo's pedigree is truly full of mysteries. According to the latest research by geneticists, this dog cannot be native to Australia. Some scientists believe that it arrived on the Australian continent with the first Asian settlers about 4,000 years ago. In remote areas of Indonesia, a local form of wild dog, the ancestor of the dingo, still lives. Others argue that the dingo's ancestors were Chinese domestic dogs, which arrived in Australia with people migrating from southern China about 6,000 years ago. Still others suggest that the dingo originated from Indian wolves and Pariah dogs, since its physical characteristics are very similar to them. He probably came to the green continent together with sailors from India.

Wild dog Dingo (lat. Canis lupus dingo) is one of the unique dog breeds that was once domesticated and then went wild again. At the moment, this breed of dog is the only placental predator that lives in Australia. The name of this dog breed comes from the word “tingo”, which the locals used to call dogs.

Dingo dogs, which were pets of the Australian Aborigines, at some point ran away from them or were abandoned by their owners. Thus, life forced them to return to the wild way of life and move to a new habitat for them.

Here, in the rich Australian environment, they found everything they needed to survive. This is a large amount of game, as well as the almost complete absence of any dangers (dingoes have practically no competitors in this food environment). Feral dingoes have occupied almost the entire territory of Australia, as well as the closest islands, except Tasmania.

The main advantage of dingoes, which makes them the strongest over their closest competitors in a given natural environment, is the ability to hunt in organized groups, or packs. In this regard, they are ahead of even the largest marsupial predator on the continent - the marsupial wolf.

India in the photo?

In the scientific world, two points of view are accepted about dingoes. The first claims that it is a separate species, with its own name Canis dingo. The second point of view distinguishes these dogs as a species of domestic dog, based on the theory of its origin from purebred domesticated Indian wolves.

The dingo is a medium-sized dog with a strong, muscular body of a reddish-brown color, a pointed head, short ears and a bushy tail. Some have erect ears, others have floppy ears; The tail is bent differently. Occasionally there are individuals of black, dark brown, white and spotted.

Wild dogs make their dens in caves, pits or among the roots of large trees. Both parents care for the offspring. The mother feeds the babies milk for four months. At five months he begins to teach them to hunt small rodents and rabbits. A one-year-old dingo, along with adult dogs, takes part in hunting large mammals.

The main diet of dingo dogs consists of small animals - rabbits, wallabies, and less often - small kangaroos. Sometimes dogs have to eat birds, snakes, lizards or even insects. In exceptional cases, dingoes feed on carrion.

Intelligent, cautious, agile, with excellent eyesight and hearing, dingoes prefer to live in families or small groups. Each group occupies and guards its own carefully marked territory. But sometimes dogs team up to help each other hunt kangaroos.

Male dingo dogs at a young age are not inclined to form packs; they try to stay separate from each other. Dingo packs form only when it is necessary to start hunting large animals or a herd. During the mating season, dingoes create their own flocks-families, in which up to 12 individuals can live. In its structure, a pack of dingo dogs is similar to a wolf pack, where it has its own leader and division by territory. Each pair is obliged to protect the territory allocated to it from attacks by the main enemies of dingoes - jackals and dogs of other breeds.

Large flocks cause damage to farms.

In Australia, the dingo is the enemy of all sheep farmers. He is persecuted and mercilessly exterminated. And along with him they “grab” an innocent red-brown shepherd dog, very similar to a dingo. At the end of the 19th century, at the request of desperate farmers, a gigantic, 5,531-kilometer-long fence was built around the grasslands of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. The need for this anti-ding barrier is highly contested today, as predators still find ways to get around the obstacle. In addition, farmers themselves suffer from the huge costs of repairing this giant “Chinese wall”, since wolves, kangaroos and emus constantly tear at the wire fence.

Farmers' campaign against dingoes with poisons, guns, traps and gases has shocked Australian nature lovers. The campaign they launched put the dingo in the spotlight. Many scientists have started talking about the importance of the ecological niche of the wild Australian dog: if the dingo is destroyed, the kangaroos will devastate all pastures and cause irreparable damage to sheep farming. Zoologists estimate that sheep make up only seven percent of the dingo's diet. The main food of these dogs is bush kangaroos, rats, marsupial mice, opossums and marsupial badgers.

In France and Spain, the dingo participates in exhibitions and wins over other representatives of the canine family. Switzerland has already developed an official standard for the Australian dog.

In Australia, nurseries have appeared where they raise puppies for those wishing to “adopt” a wild dog. Although the dingo is quite easy to tame and the tamed dog looks quite friendly (tirelessly shows respect and obedience to the owner, becomes attached to him with all his soul and even protects the house and children from possible danger), however, not a single cattle breeder would risk leaving a tame dingo overnight in the same pen with sheep. After all, the ancient hunting instinct can awaken in a dog at any moment, and then trouble cannot be avoided!

Many Australians use dingoes to breed (by crossing with the Scottish Shepherd Collie) purely Australian cattle dogs - kelpies, heelers.

A cheerful, mischievous, intelligent dingo does not require complex care. Unpretentious in food and resistant to disease, he gets along well in the company of other dogs. A distinctive feature of the dingo is the absence of the usual loud bark. He can only howl and growl. Like domesticated wolves, it is a “one-master dog.” Fundamentally, he cannot tolerate changes in ownership. Runs away, withers or dies. With prolonged absence of human contact, the dingo, like other dogs, goes wild.

The Dingo Fence in Australia is a long fence that extends from Jimbur in the Darling Hills near Dalby and leads through thousands of kilometers of barren land, west of the Eyre Peninsula on the cliffs of the Nullarbor Plain. The fence was built in the early 1900s to keep wild dingoes away from the relatively fertile southeastern part of the continent where sheep and cattle graze. At 5,614 kilometers long it is one of the longest structures, and the longest fence in the world.

The fence was originally built in the 1880s by state governments to stop the spread of rabbit plague across state lines. This proved to be a wasted effort and the fences fell into disrepair until the early 1900s when they were restored to keep out dingoes and protect flocks of sheep. In 1930 approximately 32,000 km of grid were used in Queensland alone. In the 1940s, the fences were combined to form one continuous structure, which was recorded as the longest fence in the world. Before 1980, the fence was 8,614 kilometers long, but was later shortened to 5,614 kilometers.

The fence has been largely successful over the years, although dingoes can still be found in parts of the southern states. The fence is maintained by each state at a cost of about $10 million annually. Some parts of the structure are illuminated at night using solar panels. The average height of a fence is approximately 180 cm, and consists of thousands of miles of chicken wire stretched between timber posts. There is also a restricted area of ​​approximately 5 meters on both sides, which is cleared of vegetation and used as a guard area.

Although Dingo fencing has helped reduce sheep loss and saves millions of dollars every year, its impact on the environment is hotly debated. Basically, the fence has created two ecological universes - one with dingoes and one without, contributing to the extinction of some native animals and the threat to many others. Control of dingoes has increased the populations of rabbits, kangaroos and emus, while the native rodents have partially disappeared.

On top of this, there is also a debate on the classification of Dingoes. Many believe that the Dingo is not native to Australia, but was introduced approximately 4,000 years ago from Southeast Asia. Therefore, it can be classified as a pest such as rabbit, camel, buffalo and wild pig. In fact, in most parts of the country, legislation forces the destruction of wild dogs, including dingoes. According to Dr Mike Letnick from the University of Sydney, dingoes, as Australia's top predator, have an important role in maintaining the balance of nature across an area of ​​2 million square kilometres.

The lifestyle of dingo dogs is mainly nocturnal. The most convenient habitat for them was the edges of humid Australian forests, thickets of eucalyptus trees, as well as semi-deserts located in the interior of the continent. Dingoes do not make holes on their own, but prefer to settle either in abandoned holes or in caves. They choose burrows near bodies of water, hidden from prying eyes under trees or in the roots. Asian dingoes have settled in close proximity to people's homes.

16

Basic information about the breed

The Australian Dingo is a breed of wild dog in Australia. These dogs are often called wild Dingo dogs. They can be considered as representatives of the dog subspecies and the wolf subspecies. Interestingly, Dingo can “sing”. Their special ability to howl is called singing. Representatives of this breed produce vibrating sounds and change tone, which in the musical world is called portamento. This breed is not recognized as a dog breed by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FIC). Only a few breed these dogs at home. Some succeed in taming feral dingoes.

The main feature of the Australian dingo is that these dogs have been re-feralized. They came to the Australian continent from Asia along with settlers. Here, for some reason, they did not live with people and went wild. As a result, a new breed was born. Experts suggest that this happened due to the fact that before them there were no other species of wolves, jackals, dogs, etc. on the Australian continent. If they were, then the dingo, mixing with them, would disappear as a breed. And dingoes here became a unique breed and then came back to the Asian region.

By now, the Australian dingo has spread throughout the continent. It can also be found in southeast Asia in countries such as Malaysia, New Guinea, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Borneo Islands, and the Philippines. Populations of this breed are also found in Laos and China (southeastern part). Dogs like to live in deserts, plains, wooded areas, and mountains. They need a hot climate. Dingoes often live near people and feed on food waste. On the Australian continent, this dog is a terror for farmers. Sheep and rabbits become the objects of hunting for dingoes. The dog population here has grown greatly and now they are causing serious damage to farming.

Basic breed data

• Color – red, reddish, sandy (sometimes white);
• The coat is thick, short, hard;
• Height – from 25 to 60 cm;
• Weight - from 9 to 24 kg;
• Life expectancy is from 8 to 14 kg.

History and characteristics of the breed

At first, Australian dingoes were considered an indigenous species of the Australian continent. In fact, the dingo is the only predatory mammal of its size here. The researchers then noticed that the dog lacked marsupialism, which is present in many Australian species. As a result, they were able to prove that the Australian dingo is just a species that came from outside. Australia itself has no indigenous carnivorous mammals. It was possible to establish that dingoes were brought to Australia by settlers from Asia about 4 thousand years ago. The Indian gray wolf is considered to be the ancestor of these dogs.

In Australia, dingoes went wild and multiplied quite quickly. This was facilitated by favorable conditions for them: the absence of predators, plenty of food and habitats not occupied by people. And Australian dingoes quickly spread throughout the continent. Time passed and farmers began raising livestock on an industrial scale. From that moment on, dingoes turned into enemies of humans. It was not possible to domesticate the dogs again. In addition, semi-domesticated dogs lost their fear of humans and continued to attack livestock. As a result, a 1,000-kilometer-long fence was built to separate wild dingo habitat from sheep farming land (in the southeast of the continent).

There is another problem posed by the Australian dingo. With the growth of farm production in Australia, the population of some rare animal species on the continent has begun to decline. To preserve them, animals began to be placed in special natural parks. The wild dingoes really liked this and now they are destroying the marsupials there. In New Guinea in the 58th year of the last century, a species of Australian dingo was found. They were smaller. When they began to do research, it turned out that this breed lives in many parts of Southeast Asia. In addition, the local population here willingly breeds these dogs for food. For people in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, dingo meat is one of the few sources of proteins. In Australia it is prohibited to breed these dogs, but there are still breeders. Only they breed them not for food, but as watchdogs.

External signs of the breed

This is a medium sized dog with excellent build. Dingoes have a slender body and strong muscular limbs. The dogs' heads are proportional in size, the ears are erect, the muzzle is square, and the jaws have large fangs. The fluffy, saber-shaped tail is long. It can be around 28-36 centimeters. Dingo eyes are brown. The height at the withers ranges from 25-60 centimeters, and the weight is from 9 to 24 kilograms. The Australian dingo has a thick, short and coarse coat. If this species lives in the mountains, then their wool is thicker there.

The most common colors of dingoes are reddish, sandy and tan. On the face and belly the coat color is lighter shades. Much less common are Australian dingoes with a white color. Hybrids may have black fur and light-colored limbs. In fact, there are no clear established standards for this breed, and basically, if a dog is not red, then it is considered a hybrid.

Character

The Australian dingo has a wild character and is quite complex. Dingoes look at people with suspicion, do not like them and have no loyalty. There can only be some cooperation in the domestication process. However, there are exceptions to the rules.

Training and taming

The Australian dingo cannot be trained. Parenting requires enormous endurance. It is worth saying that this should be done by professionals. Until a year old, dingo dogs experience some attachment to their owner and parents. After this age, the dog ceases to perceive both owners and parents.

These dogs are in good health, they do not need human care and live in the open air. In the course of natural selection, the healthiest and strongest survive in the dingo population.

Australian dingo food

Dogs of this breed are omnivores and can eat almost anything. If possible, dogs most often hunt wallabies and kangaroos. When this food is not available, they hunt birds, rabbits, and rodents. In case of drought or lack of food, dingo dogs begin to attack sheep and cows. They cope well with this task using the method of hunting in a pack. Dingoes living in Asia often feed on human food scraps. They live next to people, near populated areas, landfills, etc. They eat fish, rice, crabs, fruits and other foods. Dingoes in Asia do not have enough protein in their diet and for this reason they are noticeably smaller in size than the Australian dingo.

Uses of the Australian dingo

With proper professional training, they make good watchmen.

For centuries, scientists and dog handlers have not been able to solve the mystery of how the first dingo dogs appeared on earth. Despite the fact that for many years the dingo dog was considered Australian, whereas in general it is not an aboriginal of the Australian contingent. So many researchers and historians began to prove that over four thousand years ago it was these wild dogs that were brought to the Australian contingent by nomadic settlers from Asia. Today, purebred descendants of dingoes are found in the Indonesian mountains. Other researchers prove that their ancestors can be called Chinese dogs, tamed and domesticated from the southern Chinese contingent over six thousand years ago. Still others went even further, calling the ancestors of the dingo Paria (Indian wolf dogs), which were brought to the Australians by Indian sailors.

More recently, photographs of an ancient dingo dog skull were published on one of the Vietnamese websites. The skull is over five thousand years old. During excavations, archaeologists also found several remains of wild dingoes that inhabited the southeast of the Asian coast over two and a half thousand years ago. The oldest fossilized remains of a dog were found in the Australian contingent over three thousand years ago.

Features of the Dingo breed

Dingo - Australians compare it to a wolf. And, it’s true, in appearance these dogs resemble wild gray wolves, just as angry and stern. Like their predatory canine relatives, wild dingoes are famous for their strong and strong body, sharp muzzle, strong teeth, and strong paws. Like a wolf, the Aussie's ears and tail are pointed and point upward, just like the tail. An adult dingo weighs 25-30 kilograms and can reach a height of up to sixty centimeters. All Australians are very strong and tough. They have a beautiful color, bright, red. There are rarely dingoes that have gray or brown skin, only their paws and the tip of their tail are white. They are characterized by a completely soft, fluffy and delicate coat.

Dingo is a very complex dog in nature and disposition.. Dingo is a rebel and difficult to train. It can be said that it is rare who succeeds in this. Even if a domesticated dingo follows the owner’s commands, it is better not to keep this dog on a leash. Outwardly calm and playful, he can attack a person even if his owners are standing next to him. But in general, domesticated Australians are very loyal and caring; until death they will obey only one owner, and will even follow him to the ends of the earth.

Wild dingo food

All dingoes are wild animals, like wolves, hunting their prey mainly at night. They live among the Australian contingent at the edge of the forest. They prefer to live in places with a humid climate or near eucalyptus thickets. They breed in the arid semi-desert areas of Australia, and build burrows strictly near a body of water, but at the root of a tree, and if that fails, then in a deep cave. Asian dingoes live mainly near people and arrange their homes in such a way as to feed on garbage.

Australians are similar to wolves in that they also like to hunt at night. They feed on small artiodactyls, adore hares, and occasionally even attack adult kangaroos. They eat all kinds of carrion, insects, and toads are also present in their diet. Shepherds did not like dingoes, because these animals are accustomed to attacking livestock even during the day. Farmers have endured for quite a long time how these dogs - wolves attack the herd and kill the animals, without even trying to eat them, they will just gnaw them to death... and that’s all. Therefore, we decided to unite and shoot dingoes. As a result, wild dingoes began to rapidly disappear. Asian dogs are luckier, where these dingoes eat everything - various types of fish, fruits and cereals.

In Asian countries, it is much easier for breeders of this breed of dog, since dingo puppies are tamed to hunt within six months. In one year, dingoes are already real, strong and intelligent predators, loving the results of their victories - prey caught by their own efforts. Dingoes rarely hunt at night in groups; most of all they prefer to get their own food. And if they live in populations, then only five or six individuals.

Interesting! Wild dingoes from birth do not bark, like ordinary dogs; they can only make sounds inherent to it - howls, roars. Dingoes rarely whine, and when they hunt together, they sometimes make interesting sounds that resemble a “dog” song.

Reproduction of wild dingo breed

Australian dogs interbreed only once in 12 months, and then only in the first spring months. But Asian dingo breeds prefer to conduct mating games in the warm season, late August, early September. Australian dingoes are very loyal dogs; they choose a mate for life, just like predatory wolves. The female gives birth to puppies, just like ordinary dogs, after more than 2 months. About six or eight babies may be born, covered with fur and blind. Unlike some dog breeds, both the male and the female care for their offspring.

The puppies are breastfed by their mother for only 8 weeks. Afterwards, the female takes the little dingoes out of the den to the general pack, and the adult dogs bring them food so that the kids get used to it, and then, after 3 months, they run hunting together with the adults.

In the wild, dingoes live up to ten years. Interestingly, domesticated dingoes live much longer than their wild relatives - about thirteen years. Fans of the wild dingo breed really want to continue the life of these animals, so they came up with the idea of ​​crossing such dogs with domestic ones. As a result, most wild dingoes today are hybrid animals, with the exception of the vast areas inhabited by wild Australian dingoes in national parks. These Australian parks are protected by law, so there is no threat of extinction of the population of these dogs.