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Cart dogs, c. 1900. Different in appearance but doing the same work.

Turnspit type, 1800

Sled dog types, sketched in 1833

Dog types are broad categories of dogs based on form, function or style of work, lineage, or appearance. In contrast, modern dog breeds are particular breed standards,^{[note 1]} sharing a common set of heritable characteristics,^[1] determined by the kennel club that recognizes the breed.

Dog types include locally-adapted forms (or landraces) that arose undocumented over a long time.

A dog type can be referred to broadly, as in gun dog, or more specifically, as in spaniel. Dogs raised and trained for a specific working ability rather than appearance may not closely resemble other dogs doing the same work, or any of the dogs of the analogous breed group of purebred dogs.^[2]

Origins

The origin of the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris or Canis familiaris) is not clear. Whole genome sequencing indicates that the dog, the gray wolf and the extinct Taymyr wolf diverged at around the same time 27,000-40,000 years ago.^[3] These dates imply that the earliest dogs arose in the time of human hunter-gatherers and not agriculturists.^[4]

Names in English

The earliest books in the English language to mention numbers of dog types are from the "Cynegetica" (hunting literature), namely The Art of Venery 1327 by the Anglo-French Master of game, Twiti (Twici),^[5] a treatise which describes hunting with the limer (a leashed bloodhound type), the pack of running hounds (scent hounds) greyhounds, and alaunts. More significantly in recording the use and description of various dog types, The Master of Game circa 1406 by Edward of York ^[6][7] a treatise which describes dogs and their work, such as the alaunt, greyhound, pack scent hounds, spaniel, and mastiff used by the privileged and wealthy for hunting purposes. "The Master of Game" is a combination of the earlier Art of Venery and the famous French hunting treatise Livre de Chasse by Gaston Phoebus circa 1387.^[8]The Boke of St. Albans, published in 1486^[9][10] a "school" book about hawking, hunting, fishing, and heraldry, attributed to Juliana Berners (Barnes), lists dogs of the time mainly by function: " First there is a greyhound, a bastard, a mongrel, a mastiff, a limer, a spaniel, raches (small-to-medium sized scenthounds), kennets (small hunting dogs), terriers, butcher's hounds, dung-heap dogs, trundel tails (lapdogs?) and prick-eared curs, and small ladies puppies that bear away the fleas and diverse small sorts".

Almost 100 years later, another book in English, De Canibus Britannicus by the author/physician John Caius, translated (Fleming) from Latin in 1576,^[11] attempts the first systematic approach to defining different types of dogs in various categories, demonstrating an apparent increase in types, and population. "English dogs": the gentle (i.e. well-bred) kind, serving game—harriers, terriers, bloodhounds, gazehounds, greyhounds, limers, tumblers and stealers; "the homely kind"; "the currish kind", toys. "Fowling dogs"—setters and spaniels. As well as the pastoral or shepherd types, mastiffs or bandogs, and various village dogs. Sub-types describing the function of dogs in each group were also included.^{[note 2]}

In 1758, Carl Linnaeus in Systema naturae named the domestic dog “familiaris” and added other dog classifications or species. More dog types were described as species by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, and by Robert Kerr in his English translation of Systema naturae (The Animal Kingdom) in 1792.^{[note 3]} Today the species Linnaeus named are identifiable as dog types, not species or subspecies. Some, such as Canis aegyptius, a hairless dog type of Peru, have been documented and registered as breeds (Peruvian Hairless Dog). There are only two categories (subspecies) of domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris and C. l. dingo, recognized by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN Code).^[12]

Beginning with the advent of dog shows in the mid-19th century in England, dog fanciers established stud books and began refining breeds from the various types of dogs in use.^[13]

Dog types and modern breeds

"It is important," remind Ann Rogers Clark and Andrew Brace, "Not to claim great age for breeds, though it is quite legitimate to claim considerable antiquity for types of dogs."^[14] The attempts to classify dogs into different 'species' show that dog types could be quite distinctive, from the 'Canis melitaeus' of lapdogs descended from ancient Roman pet dogs to the even more ancient 'Canis molossus', the Molossan types, to the 'Canis saultor', the dancing mongrel of beggars. These types were uniform enough to appear to have been selectively bred, but as Raymond Coppinger wrote, "Natural processes can produce, could produce, and do produce populations of unusual and uniform dogs, that is, dogs with a distinctive conformation."^[15] The human manipulation was very indirect. In a very few cases, Emperors or monasteries or wealthy hunters might maintain lines of special dogs, from which we have today Pekingese, St. Bernards, and foxhounds.

At the beginning of the 19th century there were only a few dogs identified as breeds, but when dog fighting was outlawed in England in 1835, a new sport of dog showing began. Along with this sport came rules and written records and closed stud books. Some of the old types no longer needed for work (such as the wolfhound) were remade and kept from extinction as show dogs, and other old types were refined into many new breeds. Sometimes multiple new breeds might be born in the same littler of puppies.^[16] In 1873 only 40 breeds and varieties were known;^[17] today there are many hundreds of breeds, some 400 are recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.

Dog types today are recognized in the names of Group or Section categories of dog breed registries.^{[note 6]} But dog types have not disappeared. Types of feral dogs are being discovered and registered as breeds, as with the New Guinea Singing Dog and Carolina Dog. Types re-emerge from mixes of breeds, like the Longdogs from Lurchers and Greyhounds. Named types of dogs that are not dog breeds are still being used where function or use is more important than appearance, especially for herding or hunting, as with the herding dog types of New Zealand that are described by their exact function (Heading Dog, Huntaway, Stopping Dog, etc. - functional terms, not necessarily breed names).^[18]

Other uses of the word type in dogs

For biologists, a type fixes a name to a taxon. Dog fanciers use the term breed type in the sense of “qualities (as of bodily contour and carriage) that are felt to indicate excellence in members of a group”.^[19]Breed type is specific to each dog breed’s written standard. A dog that closely resembles the appearance laid out in the standard is said to be typey.^[20]Type also is used to refer to "dogs of a well established line" an identifiable style of dog within the breed type, usually from a specific kennel.

Trainability and boldness

In 2011, a study found that herding dogs were more trainable than hounds, working dogs, toy dogs and non-sporting dogs. The sporting dogs were more trainable than non-sporting dogs. Terriers were bolder than hounds and herding dogs. Breeds with ancient Asian or African origin were less trainable than breeds in the herding/sighthound cluster and the Hunting breeds. Breeds in the mastiff/terrier cluster were bolder than the ancient breeds, the breeds in the herding/sighthound cluster, and the hunting breeds.^[21]

List of dog types

Today, dog breeds are often categorized by the ancestral type and subtype from which the breed descended. In addition, dog breed groups, which kennel clubs use to organize breeds of dogs, are based on dog types such as hound or terrier. Some group categories cover more than one type; working dog refers to dogs that do some sort of work for humans, in contrast to companion dogs which are pets, although working dogs can also be companions, and companion dogs can do useful work. The terminology is unclear; see Working Group and Utility Group. Mixed-breed dogs can have any combination of working and companion functions and be of any type. Toy dogs are very small dogs of any type. See Toy Group. Ancient dog breeds are modern breeds genetically identified as descending from very old types of various kinds, and would fit into multiple categories.

The following are dog types and subtypes. A single type of dog may have been developed for multiple sorts of work, so there is some overlap. Broad categories are listed first, then sub-types. For a list of individual dog breeds, see List of Dog Breeds.

Notes

Footnotes

References

External links

• Canis lupus on ITIS