Some people do not seem to understand
what exactly it means for a dog to be named a pure breed. There are constantly
breeders popping up claiming to have just invented a new breed by simply
crossing two already established breeds. I have, myself, came across many people
who say things like “it is almost a purebred” or "it will be recognized
real soon". So how exactly can you define
a purebred, how is it different from a mutt?
Let me start by saying that all dogs no
matter what the breed or background all fall into the same family which is canis
familiaris, this means that they are all genetically similar because
they are the same species. Through many years of the selective breeding process
different traits have manipulated in each breed, which is what makes them
unique. Many years ago, wolf recognized man as a pack member and a companion and
so a wonderful love affair was formed and wolf became mans faithful companion
for all time. As man evolved and his needs changed, it became necessary for man
to breed dogs for the different jobs that he needed to complete to survive. With
all the needs of man changing different groups of dogs were formed, these groups
include Herding, Hounds, Non-Sporting, Sporting, Terrier, Toy and Working
(according to the Canadian Kennel Club). Originally, there were just two groups
of dogs, sporting dogs, which would assist man in hunting and non-sporting,
which were basically dogs that didn’t fit into the sporting group but didn’t
yet have a group on their own, over time this change and that is where the other
five groups evolved from. Terriers are dogs that were bred to hunt vermin and to
go into burrows. The herding group is made up of dogs that were bred to herd
livestock (cattle and sheep etc) they would keep the livestock together and
protect them from wild animals. The Hounds are dogs that were bred to hunt, some
were bred to hunt by sight (sight hounds e.g. Greyhound) and some were bred to
hunt by smell (e.g. Bloodhound). Toy dogs were bred to keep as a companion, many
are quite small as they were carried everywhere by their human companions. The
working group are dogs that served as guard dogs and draft workers.
It also became necessary to breed
different dogs depending on what part of the world they were needed in. Dogs
descending from the Nordic region typically have a very dense double coat, they
were bred that way so that they would be able to work in cold climates
comfortably, after all you wouldn’t breed a hairless dog to pull sleds in
Siberia, a dog such as this would never survive and therefore not be capable of
doing the job it was bred to do. At this point to factors become apparent in the
developing of breeds, what job did they need to do? And, where were they going
to do that job? Because there was such diversity in the specific jobs that
needed to be done and of course what part of the world the job was to be done
in, over 300 breeds developed over time to serve the needs of a very diverse
world population.
There became a need for new breeds
because none of the other already established breeds could do the job that man
needed done. There may have been similar breeds but none that could do exactly
that job or maybe just not in the climate that was necessary. Breeders would
define what they needed, almost come up with a recipe of sorts, and basically
would look at what other breeds had to offer. For example the Shetland Sheepdog,
this breed is a herding dog from the remote Shetland Islands off the northern
coast of Scotland. The islands has extreme weather conditions so they needed a
dog with an almost weather proof coat. The islands also lacked in vegetation so
the livestock were miniaturized versions of their mainland cousins (e.g. The
Shetland Pony), because the livestock were small there was no reason to have a
large herding dog. So with all the other qualities of a good herding dog but a
small size with an appropriate coat for the weather, was the recipe for the
Shetland Sheepdog. Breeders searched for dogs that possessed some (sometimes
only one) of these qualities, through years of breeding and searching for
exactly the right mix of the qualities that were needed they developed the
Shetland Sheepdog.
Today, most domesticated dogs are not out
in the field or bush working, most of them serve as house pets. Every group of
breeds has a similarity in that they were bred to do similar jobs; therefore
they have very similar behaviours and temperaments, which is what attracts us to
one group over the other. The process of establishing a breed takes many, many
years. In each generation, breeders strive to pass on the traits that they want
to continue in their breed and try and weed out the undesirable traits as
described in the breed standard. A purebred has been bred over many generations
so that every time two dogs of the same breed are bred together the same
qualities in the parents are passed on to the next generation of puppies. A
breed cannot be created over night because in order for it to be pure takes many
years of breeding true so that all the qualities that make it the breed it is
are seen in every litter. People often create what I call a designer mutt; the
cockapoo for example can’t be considered a purebred because it does not breed
true. This means that every time a litter is bred there is a lot of variation in
what the pups look and act like therefore they are not purebred.
Many people will have you believe that
these dogs and others are in fact “rare” purebreds and therefore worth a
substantial amount of money. It is up to you as the consumer to know exactly
what it is that you are paying for, if it is simply a mixed breed then why not
just go to the pound and get a dog, you will probably find the same “breed”
that is in desperate need of a home.
© Canadian K-9
Information 2003
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