What common dog species were the ancient Jews familiar with?

From http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=dog&version1=KJV&searchtype=all&limit=none&wholewordsonly=no, which is searching for the word "Dog" in the "King James Version", there are only 40 verses that mention dog/dogs. It's kinda surprising!

The very first mention of the word dogs is among the Lord's Law to Moses in Exodus 22

29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.

30 Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.

31 And ye shall be holy men unto me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye shall cast it to the dogs.

Note that in verse 29 and 30, the Lord addresses only one Israelite, denoted by the use of the t pronoun (most probably - the one who works and earns). However, in verse 31, the Lord uses the y pronoun, which means He meant that particular Law for every Israelite, men or women, of eany age, that they cannot eat the flesh of animals that have been killed by other animals but shall cast that kind of meat to the dogs. If the children did not have knowledge of the Law - this line shall the parents educate it unto them while the Laws with the t pronoun need not, since they have not come of age yet and could not work.

1. From this verse, I conclude that the dogs in the days of Moses were carnivorous or scavengers but not predatory. From this, I would think of Hyenas and not the domesticated pet dogs.
2. It may be that the word dogs is in referenced to something else. However, Law is clear and concise and not like a riddle or parable or metaphor so I would stick to my first conclusion.

I have to go to work now and I will give my take on the next 39 or so verses when I can. Peace to you and have a blessed day ahead!

I've come back from work and meeting and am free to research. However, I will just do another one as you have accepted another answer and it would look kinda silly for me to post a 10,000 word essay on dogs :P

Though, I have to say I'm not sure why I missed the very first one in Exodus 11:7, it's probably due to the fact that I searched for "dogs" first instead of just "dog".

Anyway, I shall answer your question with the biblical context since it's something I enjoy - studying the Bible with a goal. All verses are only KJV.

There are actually many references in the Bible about dogs that are more suited to the Hyenas of our time than the domesticated doggy dogs. The second verse I quote is from Deuteronomy 23:17-19,

17 There shall be no who*e of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a who*e, or the price of a dog, into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the Lord thy God.

Whore and sodomite are referenced as a prostitute (who*e for hire) and a dog respectively. However, it's interesting to note that it's not hire of a dog but price of a dog. In the literal context, the sodomite actually buys the dog! The meaning of sodomy is generally sexual activity between a human and a non-human (be*t**lity) but it may include any form of unfavoured sexual acts (immorality) including anal intercourse. Men are more prone to sexual immorality since cough it is easier for them, in a sense.

I searched h*m*sexuality in animals and look who found a spot on the Wikipedia page? Yes, the Hyena!

Due largely to the female spotted hyena's unique urogenital system, which looks more like a penis rather than a v***na, early naturalists thought hyenas were hermaphroditic males who commonly practiced h*m*sexuality. Early writings such as Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Physiologus suggested that the hyena continually changed its sex and nature from male to female and back again. In Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria noted that the hyena (along with the hare) was "quite obsessed with sexual intercourse." Many Europeans associated the hyena with sexual deformity, prostitution, deviant sexual behaviour, and even witchcraft.

From this wiki, it would be safe to assume that the sodomite dog mentioned in Deuteronomy is,

1. Definitely not just targeting the h*m*sexual but every sexually immoral men.
2. Is of the Hyena family, further evidence from this wiki,

The descendants of Plioviverrops reached their peak 15 million years ago, with more than 30 species having been identified. Unlike most modern hyena species, which are specialised bone-crushers, these dog-like hyenas were nimble-bodied, wolfish animals; one species among them was Ictitherium viverrinum, which was similar to a jackal. The dog-like hyenas were very numerous; in some Miocene fossil sites, the remains of Ictitherium and other dog-like hyenas outnumber those of all other carnivores combined. The decline of the dog-like hyenas began 5–7 million years ago during a period of climate change

This would really prove that the dogs of the Biblical times are probably Hyenas. But without science, every animal that looked like a dog was just called dogs. Furthermore, the jackal referenced in that wiki could be the Aardwolf which is often called the maanhaar jackal or civet hyena

There are of course, also domesticated (or tame, positive) dogs mentioned in the Bible as user129107 said in his answer. However, it is probably hard to discern from the Bible whether these dogs that actually have a positive light around them are actually from the same Hyena family or really are the dogs that look like our modern day german shepherds. However, I am pretty sure that when the dogs are in a negative light, it has to be a reference to the dog-like Hyena.

Hyenas were rampant way before our time and in larger number than other carnivores, I'm sure they were hard to miss with their public display of aggressive sexual activity :)

Today, as well as in ancient times, it depends on where you are.

A grave example is Romania. Under Ceaucescu the country underwent a forced industrialization that resulted in people flooding the cities. To make room they tore down houses and built high-rises. But as apartments (generally) was small etc. dogs were left on the streets where they was left to breed. Today it is close to an epidemic.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/attack-prompts-romania-to-euthanize-unwanted-stray-dogs-a-922103.html
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Romania-Is-Dog-Hell-2801741.php

There are also a lot of other places around the world that has similar issues. Wild dogs, and half-wild etc. are generally sick ridden, full of flees, can be really dangerous, etc.

From what I have read one had the same issues back in the day. Dogs roamed around outside (and surely inside) the cities. (They licked the wounds of Lazarus.)

And let's face it. Dogs are scavengers as well as predators. There are even several passages where dogs eat the flesh of man.

They also kept domesticated dogs as we for example read in Job (one of the oldest books):

Job 30:1: But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock. (sheepdogs.)

In Mark we are presented with a verse that tells us dogs were also allowed in house (pets?):

Mark 7:28: And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.

Dogs are lovely animals, but they can surely also be grim. Especially dogs that are not domesticated living from trash, carcasses, etc. There is also a reason we have expressions like dog-fights etc.

Even today it is common to use dogs as a way of low word. Bitch and "dog of a man".

Update

Actually the word dog in GT has (mostly?) the strongs definition:

3611 keleb keh'-leb
from an unused root means. to yelp, or else to attack; a dog;
hence (by euphemism) a male prostitute:--dog.

Not the most positive one.

At the same time the Hebrew word for dog is "kelev" and from what I have read Caleb (with Moses) actually comes from "dog". We know Caleb was faithful, has a big heart etc. but if this has any linkage is pure speculation on my part. The 16th century rabbi Maharal wrote that a dog is called "kelev" in Hebrew as it comes from "“k’lev," which means "like the heart" ... ;)

The first passage I can find is Exodus 11:7

But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.

As such it is worth mentioning Egypt. Dogs was wholly for the Egyptians and the Abuwtiyuw is one of the earliest documented domesticated animals we know of. It is believed to have been a guard dog. There are also paintings like this one:

Generally dogs were used both as guard dogs, hunting dogs etc. in Egypt.

Find it difficult to say anything concrete about how dogs was used beyond as sheepdogs and (perhaps) some kind of house dog, but the verses about "throwing meat to the dogs" indicate that they might had dogs around beyond sheepdogs. If so the case of giving them unclean meat would also mean they acted like disposal animals. If not they would have had to get rid of unclean meat by other means.

Even though the word "dog" often are used in a negative setting the overall treatment of animals is very strict in the Bible. One shall treat them with respect and work animals are to be allowed to rest on Sabbath etc. In general: respect for the creation.

You might find this interesting:

http://www.jewfaq.org/animals.htm

Small addendum. Not that much on species. Have not found any good source on that topic, but came across this paper while searching that I guess you find interesting:

Geoffrey David Miller, Attitudes toward Dogs in Ancient Israel: A reassessment

The article also list quite a few resources that might shed some light on the topic of species.