Dog (Franchise)

Dogs are animals only mentioned in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

Description
The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) was the first animal that humans have domesticated. They have been domesticated with aprox. 15,000 years ago. Their ancestor was the wolf, which still has a few living species today, like the gray wolf.

Today, there are many breeds of dogs with a variation of sizes, colors, behaviors, and attributes. The life-span of dos is also different between breeds.

Function
Dogs have been domesticated for protection and aiding in hunt. Later, humans began using them for for herding animals, pulling loads and military use. Today, they are also used in aiding the police and helping the handicapped people. However, the most common use for them is as pets.

Book of Dragons (Short)
Gobber mentions dogs while describing the Boneknapper.

"You give a Boneknapper whatever it's looking for and it's just like an overgrown puppy dog."

As an Epithet
Gobber calls the riders "lazy dogs" while putting them to work.

"Come on! Put your backs into it you lazy dogs!"

- Gobber yelling at the teens

A dragon hunter calls the dragon riders dogs.

"You won't get anything out of us, you dragon-riding dogs!"

- A dragon hunter to the riders

Toothless
According to Simon Otto, Toothless (and perhaps the Night Fury species, was inspired by many animals, including dogs: "His [Toothless'] personality, appearance and behavior is a mix between a horse, wombat, kangaroo, bat, snake, dog, cat, panther and a bird of prey."

Gronckle
Simon Otto mentions that the Gronckle is inspired by a mix of a pit-bull, a crocodile, a Harley-Davidson and a helicopter.

Hotburple
According to a YouTube video, Grump, and by extension the Hotburples, is inspired by a walrus, tadpole, old bulldog and trash can.