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==Skull==

==Skull==

[[File:Cambridge Natural History Mammalia Fig 014.png|thumb|right|400px|'''Lateral View of a Canine Skull''', Cambridge Natural History Mammalia Fig 014. (C.occ - Occipital condyle; F - frontal; F.inf - infra-orbital foramen; Jg - zygomatic arch; Jm - premaxilla; L - lachrymal; M - maxilla; Maud - external auditory meatus; Md - mandible; N - nasal; P - parietal; Pal - palatine;  Pt - pterygoid; Sph - sphenoid; Sq - squamosal; Sq.occ - supraoccipital; T - tympanic. (From Wiedersheim's Comparative Anatomy.) ]]  

[[File:Cambridge Natural History Mammalia Fig 014.png|thumb|right|400px|'''Lateral View of a Canine Skull''', Cambridge Natural History Mammalia Fig 014. (C.occ - Occipital condyle; F - frontal; F.inf - infra-orbital foramen; Jg - zygomatic arch; Jm - premaxilla; L - lachrymal; M - maxilla; Maud - external auditory meatus; Md - mandible; N - nasal; P - parietal; Pal - palatine;  Pt - pterygoid; Sph - sphenoid; Sq - squamosal; Sq.occ - supraoccipital; T - tympanic. (From Wiedersheim's Comparative Anatomy.) ]]  

The shape and size of the skull varies widely between different breeds of dog. Dogs have different skull lengths depending on breed. '''Mesocephalic''' dogs have average conformation whilst '''dolichocephalic''' dogs have longer skull lengths and '''brachycephalic''' dogs have shorter skull lengths. [[Image:Pug skull.jpg|thumb|right|150px|'''Brachycephalic skull''', nabrown, 2008]]  The skull protects the brain and head against injury and supports the structures of the face. The skull is comprised of many individual bones that are normally fused together in adults to form a strong single structure. The process of bone fusion is called endochondral ossification and represents the process where the various plates of cartilage within the skull are converted to bone. In young animals each bone within the head is seperated by narrow fibrous tissues or 'sutures' and it is these sutures that allow provision for growth. The sections below will highlight these major bone structures of the skull.  

The shape and size of the skull varies widely between different breeds of dog. Dogs have different skull lengths depending on breed. '''Mesocephalic''' dogs have average conformation whilst '''dolichocephalic''' dogs have longer skull lengths and '''brachycephalic''' dogs have shorter skull lengths.   The skull protects the brain and head against injury and supports the structures of the face. The skull is comprised of many individual bones that are normally fused together in adults to form a strong single structure. The process of bone fusion is called endochondral ossification and represents the process where the various plates of cartilage within the skull are converted to bone. In young animals each bone within the head is seperated by narrow fibrous tissues or 'sutures' and it is these sutures that allow provision for growth. The sections below will highlight these major bone structures of the skull.  

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