| Subject: THE ORIGINS OF DOG BREEDS |
Author:
WAF
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Date Posted: 21:58:29 10/12/02 Sat
ORIGINS OF DOG BREEDS
"The first dog breeds originated as the result of selection for certain uses (Zimen1992).
People first used the instinct of fighting and protection in dogs. Then came herding dogs that protected the herds against attacks from wolves and coyotes (Finger1988) , the first hunting dogs, that were used among other things for the hunt of valiant game, the first farm dogs for protection of human settlements and later war dogs, that were taken into war as living weapons (Zimen1992) In the beginning, there were no breed standards as we know them today. Selection resulted on half natural basis. Only those dogs were used for reproduction that were suited the best for a certain purpose. Because only large, powerful, and courageous dogs showed the best skills in the aforementioned utilization there were no significant differences in reference to their exterior or their character."
"In the course of time nothing substantial changed in the main utilization of dogs. Specialized direction in breeds was established in the area of hunting dogs as well as in special leisure activities that were established in England toward the end of the 16th century. Greyhound races and dogs fighting bulls lead to the breeding of dogs that were especially suited for this "sport". Through the use of the fighting dog those qualities were used that were also evident in the original usage of the dogs for hunting and guarding. Originally only reserved for royalty, especially the bullfighting soon became a national passtime. Later dogs fought against dogs (because buying bulls was too expensive) and after dog fighting was forbidden by the parliament in 1835, they were used against rats (Semencic, 1984)."
"Breeding of pedigree dogs in the modern sense only existed since the middle of the 19th century. In 1859 the first dog show was held in England. With the establishment of the British Kennel Club in 1873 the framework for affiliation in breed, breeding and exhibition was laid (Zimen, 1992). In the mid 1800's the American Kennel Club was established." (Stur 2001)
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