The short-eared dog's ancestors adapted to life in tropical rainforests, developing the requisite morphological and anatomical features.

The short-eared dog can be found in the Amazon rainforest region of South America (in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and possibly Venezuela).

[4] It has a somewhat narrow chest, with dark color variation on the thorax merging to brighter, more reddish tones on the abdominal side of the body.

An investigation led in the Cocha Cashu Biological Station in Peru into the proportions of different kinds of food in this animal's diet produced the following results: This species has some unique behaviors not typical to other canids.

[9] The lifespan and gestation period of the short-eared dog are unknown, although sexual maturity is reached at three years of age, relatively late compared to other canid species.

There is a significant amount of disturbance in formerly remote South American forests, and almost no habitat except where daily human settler and prospector traffic destroys or exposes their dens.