Chapter 1 - Early Developments and Variety in Breeds

The dog is generally accepted as the first species to be domesticated by man and this link goes back between 10,000 and 12,000 years. Popular belief is that primitive man found a litter of wolf cubs and took them home to domesticate and use as aids in hunting. In reality the domestication of the dog may have occurred for a variety of reasons with hunting support being only one. Pet ownership is well documented in even primitive tribes so the early "wolf-dogs" may just as readily have been intended as pets, bed warmers or even a source of food.

Although various suggestions have been put forward as to the origins of the dog, it now seems to be generally accepted that the dog, of whatever breed, has developed from some form of wolf. The wolf, like the coyote and golden jackel, possesses thirty-nine pairs of chromosomes and so does the dog. In fact, there are relatively few differences between the wolf and dog in genetic terms. Matings between wolf and dog have occurred and do result in viable fertile hybrids because their chromosome numbers are identical and the chromosomes of both animals are compatible.

More than any other species, the dog shows enormous differentiation in respect of breeds and sizes. The Saint Bernard, weighing in at more than most men, is vastly different from the Chihuahua, which easily fits into a pocket, yet both have the same chromosome make-up and are capable of intermating, albeit with some practical difficulties.

Although dog breeders often claim great antiquity for their breeds, the truth is that many breeds are relatively new in terms of years. Dogs similar to modern English Toy Spaniels can be seen in sixteenth-century paintings while dogs akin to the Saluki or Afghan Hound have been identified in Assyrian wall paintings dating back over 4,000 years. However, modern breeds cannot claim lines of unbroken descent back to these times.

Undoubtedly man has been breeding dogs for specific purposes for several thousand years and as a consequence has brought about a differentiation into distinct physical shapes so that sighthound/Greyhound types were developed as well as smaller, child substitute, animals. Nevertheless accurate control of pedigrees is a relative modern innovation dating back really to the establishment of the English Kennel Club in 1873 which is considerably later than the establishment of the first cattle and horse stud books. Most other kennel clubs were formed in the two decades following the English Kennel Club formation.

In the strictest sense, dog breeds date back only to the last couple of decades of the nineteenth century or to more recent decades in this century but distinct types of dogs existed centuries earlier. It is important not to claim great age for breeds though it is quite legitimate to claim considerable antiquity for certain types of dogs.

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