Dog Breeding

The dog species, Canis Familliaris, of the dog family, canidae, is thought to have descended from a wolflike (wolfhound-dog) creature that lived several million years ago; history suggests that the dog was one of the earliest of domesticated animals, having lived in close association with humans for approximately 10,000 years. No direct evidence exists to support a theory concerning the origin of the human-dog relationship. Because dogs often tend to be scavengers, it has been suggested that they adopted humans rather than the other way around.

Although dogs have variable genetically based features and members of a single litter may be born with marked diversity, the variation in size, shape, and color of domesticated dogs is almost entirely the result of artificial breeding and selection. The American Kennel Club recognized 130 breeds, grouping them as sporting dogs (pointers dogs, setters dogs, retrievers dogs), hounds (bassets, blood schauzers), terriers dogs (bull, fox, Scottish), toys (Chihuahuas, pugs, Pomeranians), non sporting dogs (buildogs, Dalmatians), and herding dogs (collies, sheepdogs, corgis). The American Kennel Club registers more than 1.2 million purebred puppies per year. In a recent year the poodle and the cooker spaniel ranked highest in numbers of poppies registered. Mixed-breed dogs are not eligible for registry. The British Kennel Club lists about 170 breeds; the Federation Cynologique Internationale, with 65 number of dogs, both purebred and mixed bred is variously estimated to range up to 50 million.

Dog Usefulness

The dog has been bred for many domestic purposes other than as a pet. Keen senses of hearing and smell have made dog valuable in hunting and tracking and for guard, security, and search purposes. Dogs also herd livestock and serve as guide dogs for the blind, as sled dogs, and as racing dogs. Their positive effect on people is well documented; they have been used in programs for treating the mentally ill.