doglike

Doglike is an English adjective describing characteristics that resemble or are reminiscent of a domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris). It can refer to physical appearance, such as a canine snout, ear shape (erect or floppy), or a tail carried in a manner typical of dogs, as well as behaviors commonly associated with dogs, including social bonding, barking, and scent marking. The term is used across disciplines to compare animals to dogs or to describe morphological or behavioral traits that are reminiscent of dogs.

In biology and paleontology, doglike traits may refer to skull shape, dentition, limb proportions, and gait that are characteristic of canids. In comparative anatomy, doglike features help distinguish canids from other carnivorans. In cladistics or paleobiology, researchers may describe fossil specimens as doglike if their features resemble those of domestic dogs or wolves closely enough to suggest affinity, while noting evolutionary relationships.

In culture and language, doglike can describe art, literature, and design that evokes canine symbolism—loyalty, guardianship, or wild canid ancestry. The term is often impressionistic rather than a precise taxonomic designation, used to convey resemblance rather than strict classification. It can also apply to living animals outside the domestic dog that resemble dogs in certain traits, such as some canids with doglike features.