What is a breed?
Since the term "breed" is not so simply and clearly defined, it is avoided in most cases, except in animal breeding. In animal breeding, it refers to a group of individuals of the same species that are similar in appearance and behavior. This also applies to their offspring when they reproduce with each other.
Today's dog breeds arose from the mating of dogs that were selected by humans. Initially, selection was based on ability and performance, but probably also on appearance. Thus, the dog, which was to defend and protect, had to be strong and alert above all else; a powerful appearance was certainly also an advantage. Only later did appearance become more important; pedigree dog clubs were founded, and it was determined what each breed should look like. The so-called conformation value indicates how closely a dog conforms to the breed standard. Inbreeding became an important tool for so-called purebred status. This means that if two dogs of the same breed are mated, the offspring will resemble their parents in both appearance and behavior. The differences should be as small as possible. Of course, not all breeds are just about appearance. For some breeds (e.g., some hunting dog breeds), dogs that are to be approved for breeding must also have passed a breed-specific aptitude test.
What breeds are there?
Which group of individuals is currently recognized as a breed and which is not is also really uniform or simply regulated. To understand which breeds are recognized, we need to briefly look at the topic of breeding associations. There are national and international associations that recognize breeds. But not every association recognizes the same breeds.
A large international, worldwide association is the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale). This association organizes national umbrella organizations, e.g., the VDH in Germany and the ÖKV in Austria. The individual breed dog clubs in the country are organized within these national associations, e.g. the German Shepherd Dog Association (SV), which looks after the German Shepherd, or the German Greyhound Breeding and Racing Association (DWZRV), which looks after several breeds. Sometimes there are also several clubs for one breed.
The three largest umbrella organizations are the FCI, the American Kennel Club (AKC), and the British Kennel Club (KC). There are also many other national and international associations and clubs.
If we now look at the dog breeds, things become no less complex. There are breeds that are recognized by all three associations, e.g. the Poodle. The Smooth Collie is also recognized by all three, but was bred slightly differently in Europe and America, so that two variants are often referred to: American Collie and British Collie. The Bolonka Tsvetna is recognized by the Russian National Breeding Association, which is part of the FCI, but not, for example, by the Austrian umbrella organization, which is also part of the FCI. The Niemandsländer is a relatively new breed, recognized only by the association founded in 2018. Furthermore, the stud book is open, meaning that other dogs may be crossed, and the dogs are still very variable in appearance and character. Therefore, the other breeding associations do not recognize the Niemandsländer as a breed.
Do we even need breeds?
Having dogs with predictable characteristics was and is very important for working with dogs. A hunter will not be very happy with a guard dog that barks at approaching individuals. The same goes for a security guard with a people-loving Labrador. The targeted search for a child-friendly dog is also very important for families.
Unfortunately, too much emphasis has been placed on appearance in many breeds. Breeding has been done for people's tastes, making breeds visually uniform, and thus, in many cases, too little attention has been paid to health. Breeds such as the Pug, French Bulldog, Basset Hound, and several others pay the price for this. In addition, inbreeding and the excessive use of very popular males have significantly limited genetic diversity. The result is breeds with many hereditary diseases and little opportunity to breed them out. Many associations have closed stud books, meaning that only dogs from the association may be bred with each other and not with dogs of the same breed from other associations (here, too, there are exceptions and other regulations depending on the association). This further limits genetic diversity.
The great advantage of breeds, as mentioned above, is the predictability of characteristics. But the way pedigree dog breeding is currently practiced has too many disadvantages.
Are there alternatives?
There are more and more breeding associations that stipulate regulations for health tests before dogs are used for breeding in order to prevent certain diseases. However, the current implementation is controversial. In one of the largest associations in Germany, dogs from breeds with 70 or more known hereditary diseases only have to be tested for 3-7 before they are allowed to breed. Many experts also recommend opening the stud books, essentially abandoning the oft-cited purebred status, and placing greater emphasis on genetic diversity alongside health.
With some breeds, attempts are being made to reduce or prevent existing problems by crossbreeding with other breeds. For example, with the Pug, attempts are being made to lengthen the nose by breeding with Beagles or Shiba Inus. These dogs are, of course, not recognized by most associations and are considered mixed breeds. But doesn't that matter if the dog can breathe freely?
So-called designer breeds or hybrid dogs are deliberate mixes of different breeds. The goal here can be to promote or combine certain characteristics, or to eliminate diseases. Strictly speaking, these dogs are also mixed breeds.
There are also a growing number of clubs that are forming and trying to create new breeds by first making a large pre-selection of dogs and then breeding them together. Usually, especially in the beginning, the stud books are open. This includes the aforementioned no-man's-land.
The Alaskan Husky is a type of dog. Here, Nordic dogs are deliberately bred with other breeds, such as pointers, to produce a fast and agile sled dog. In the end, performance and health are what count.
How does HonestDog deal with this?
Since we find the term "type" very useful for dog groups and it doesn't entail the stereotypical norms that the term "breed" does, we use this term for many dog groups, such as "No Man's Land" and "Labradoodle." Gradually, "dog type" will replace the word "breed" at HonestDog to clarify what we stand for in our choice of words:
Good and HEALTHY dog breeding!
In this article, you'll learn more about the topic: Dog breed: What is it and why shouldn't we use the term anymore?