The American Kennel Club recognizes 200 breeds. There are over 340 dog breeds known throughout the world. Once approved by the AKC, a standard becomes both the breeder’s “blueprint” and the instrument used by dog show judges to evaluate a breeder’s work. The AKC standard for each breed originates with a “parent club,” the AKC-recognized national club devoted to a particular breed. So, then, when is a breed a breed and not just a kind or type of dog? The simplest way to define a breed is to say it always “breeds true.” That is, breeding a purebred Irish Setter to another purebred Irish Setter will always produce dogs instantly recognizable as Irish Setters.Įach breed’s ideal physical traits, movement, and temperament are set down in a written document called a “breed standard.” For example, the breed standard sets forth the traits that make a Cocker Spaniel a Cocker Spaniel and not a Springer Spaniel. All three have a distinct family resemblance, but you’d never mistake one for another. The Greyhound, for instance, was the foundation type for the immense Irish Wolfhound and the dainty Italian Greyhound. Eventually, there emerged specific breeds of dogs, custom-bred to suit the breeders’ local needs and circumstances. The sleek Greyhound types bred to chase fleet-footed prey, and the huge mastiff types used as guard dogs and warriors, are two ancient examples of dogs bred for specific jobs.Īs humans became more sophisticated, so did their dogs. Hunting, guarding, and herding are thought to be among the earliest jobs eagerly performed by the animal destined to be called “man’s best friend.”įor thousands of years, humans bred dogs toward the physical and mental traits best suited for the work expected of them. This is especially harder when you get your puppy from a shelter where the record of their history could only go as far as the parents. However, since most mix breed puppies have a rather confusing ancestry to begin with, it can be difficult to assess how big they will be as adults. From the beginning, humans purposefully bred dogs to perform various tasks. Mutt puppies, or mongrels, are random mixed-breed dogs. The earliest dog breeders used wolves to create domestic dogs. People have been breeding dogs since prehistoric times.
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