Dog Breeds And Breeders

By: Jerard Purvis
All dogs were originally wild, and all descend from the wolf, adapting to the
climate and terrain where they lived, but man found that they could also be friendly, used for tasks in their life and guard their dwellings. This was so pretty much all over the world, and therefore different types of dogs emerged as bred for their environment and habits. Some were used in the hunt, some to drive livestock and some to guard the home.

Whilst it is undoubtedly the case that nearly all European dogs descend from either the Talbert, the Mastiff or the Griffon hound, careful selection of breeding throughout the ages, along with out-breeding with foreign strains, have given us what we have today. Looking at any breed of dog it does not take much thought to trace back its ancestry. It is the same in the USA as elsewhere, mainly because many settlers and the subsequent population brought many types of dogs from Europe with them, many of whom interbred with the indigenous population.

The Talbert and the Mastiff still live today. The Mastiff as a more graceful survivor of its predecessors whose job was primarily to kill predators of their master’s herds as well as his household and its servants. The Talbert, on the other hand was the hunting animal, similar to a bloodhound with a pointed nose, and was kept for hunting, as well as its ‘voice’ to warn of intruders at home. It had great scenting ability to track game, and indeed otterhounds were bred from this and the Griffon.The Griffon was a bit smaller, and long-haired rather than short. If you think of an Airedale Terrier, but even more ferocious-looking, with wider shoulders you may get the idea. ‘Don’t mess with me’. Most terriers have evolved from this ancient animal, but have, of course been bred smaller so that they were able to get into fox, otter and badger holts. They are the ‘fighting’ breed of dogs, and were used as such for thousands of years.

5000 years ago the Egyptian pharaoh-hounds were bred for their sleek looks, ferocity and hunting ability. Scottish deerhounds (who stand at 30” and more for dogs) and were only allowed to be kept by Lairds, trace their lineage back 2000years, the Irish wolfhound being very similar, the Tibetan terrier and the Chinese chow, the Afghan ‘gazelle’ hound and the Saluki all have an ancient lineage, and you can see today their progeny, all being very similar to their ancestors.

Over the last few hundred years a lot of new breeds have been developed from crosses of the original breeds. Initially this was done mainly to improve working strains by out-crossing to other useful breeds. Hunting hounds were bred bigger and smaller. Sheep and cattle dogs were improved. With the advent of gunpowder and shooting specialist dogs were bred for different purposes, some to retrieve and some to flush out game in different types of country.

Many households took to owning ‘pet’ dogs, some to guard the house and other smaller ones to sit on ladies laps. There are now hundreds of recognised breeds, and of course breeders.

Most dog breeders tend to specialise in one breed, although occasionally they may have two or three if they are a large establishment. Of course the larger the breed of dog the more space that has to be available.

Many breeders are very reputable. They will only use the best breeding stock, they will "vet" the potential owner and give him copious instructions about how to look after the little bundle of fur which may be two feet taller in 6 months time, or only a few inches for smaller breeds. This is the sort of breeder who you are likely to get a good, reliable dog from, already inoculated and a pleasure to own.

Unfortunately there are many rather unscrupulous breeders around too. False pedigrees (if you are looking for a pedigree dog) are common place. If you are looking for just a family pet do look at both parents if you possibly can to see what size it will grow into. Another good guide is to look at the puppy’s feet. It will grow into them, so a “terrier” pup with enormous feet may actually grow to be more substantial than you want.

Quite simple do your homework first. Check out the breeder, go and see them and the hygienic conditions (or not) that the dogs are kept in. There are plenty of places on the internet where you can make initial checks before deciding which breeder looks best.

Don’t hurry your decision. The dog you choose is going to be with you for around 15 years, so a couple of days or weeks are not going to make much difference. Enjoy your dogs.

Article Source: http://animalarticles.com