| Dog Breeds » What is a Breed? |
| There are more than 170 recognized breeds of dog worldwide. But what exactly IS a breed? Simply put, a breed is a human-made grouping of animals within a species, consisting of a line of descendants carrying particular hereditary qualities. All domestic dogs belong to the same species and they all have a common ancestor in wolves. So, while a Chihuahua and a Great Dane look very different, they ARE related to one another. The domestication of dogs began thousands of years ago. It is believed that the process began in various locations around the world independently. Wolves living near human dwellings likely became habituated to the presence of humans and, eventually, the puppies of wolves were adopted by humans as playful companions. Over time, the selective breeding of these dogs led to selection for specific traits. Just as a farmer can choose to cross pollinate his crops to select for bigger tomatoes in one garden and sweeter tomatoes in another garden, the same kind of selective breeding can occur with animals. We assume that, in some cases, people selectively bred for behavioral traits ? such as the skills for hunting ability, fierce loyalty for protection, or a calm temperament for companionship. In other cases, selective breeding may have focused on physical characteristics, such as body size or hair color, length, and texture. It takes many generations of carefully controlled breeding to develop a dog breed to the desired specifications. Each breed of dog has a set of guidelines for appearance and attitude. These standards were developed by the national breed club and approved by the AKC. They describe the physical appearance in detail and include such things as coat type and color, body structure, and movement. Some breeds are very similar and can be difficult for the untrained eye to distinguish. Other breeds may have a wide range of acceptable variation, so that two dogs of the same breed may have strikingly different appearance. To make matters worse, there are several dog registries throughout the world, so the AKC-registered breeds are not necessarily identical to those in, say, the European or Canadian registries. To maintain the purity of the breeds, experts suggest that dogs not fitting these standards should not be allowed to breed. However, it should be remembered that all dogs are from a common ancestor; an award-winning, purebred German Shepherd is a distant cousin to any common mutt. With the right care and attention, however, any dog can be a ?winner.? |
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