Dog breeds
Dog breeds
There are numerous dog breeds, over 800 being recognized by various kennel clubs worldwide. As all dog breeds have been derived from mixed-breed dog populations, the term “purebred” has meaning only with respect to a certain number of generations. Moreover, many dogs, especially outside the United States and Western Europe, belong to no recognized breed.
A few basic breed types have evolved gradually during the domesticated dog’s relationship with man over the last 10,000 or more years, but most modern breeds are of relatively recent derivation. Many of these are the product of a deliberate process of artificial selection. Because of this, some breeds are highly specialized, and there is extraordinary morphological diversity across different breeds. Despite these differences, dogs are able to distinguish dogs from other kinds of animal.
The definition of a dog breed is a matter of some controversy. Some groups use a definition that ultimately requires extreme in-breeding to qualify. Dogs that are bred in this manner often end up with severe health problems. Other reorganizations define a breed more loosely, such that an individual may be considered of one breed as long as, say, three of its grandparents were of that breed. These considerations come into play among breeders who enter their dogs in dog shows. Purebred dogs frequently suffer from serious inherited health and/or behavioral problems. This is by no means true of the majority of purebred dogs, and the same problems can occur in populations of mixed breed dogs. Even prize-winning purebred dogs are sometimes possessed of crippling genetic defects due to inbreeding.
In February 2004, the Canine Studies Institute in Aurora, Ohio, managed to arrange all breeds of dog into ten categories, according to Darwinian Evolutionary principles. [1] (http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=491197)
The behavior and appearance of a dog of a particular breed can be predicted fairly accurately, while mixed-breed dogs show a broader range of innovative appearance and behavior.
Mixed-breed dogs are dogs that do not belong to specific breeds, being mixtures of two or more. Mixed breeds, or dogs with no purebred ancestry, are not inherently “better” or “worse” than purebred dogs as companions, pets, working dogs, or competitors in dog sports. Sometimes mixed-breed dogs are deliberately bred, for example, the Cockapoo, a mixture of Cocker Spaniel and Miniature Poodle. Such deliberate crosses may display hybrid vigor and other desirable traits, but can also lack one or more of the desired traits of their parents, such as temperament or a particular color or coat. However, without genetic testing of the parents, the crosses can sometimes end up inheriting genetic defects that occur in both parental breeds. Deliberately crossing two or more breeds is also a manner of establishing new breeds.
Allan
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