What is a breed?
Mary Starling
1. From a breeder's perspective:
A breed is a group of dogs from known lineage of similar dogs, with an agreed set of physical and behavioural attributes which (preferably) breed 'true' ie reliably replicate these characteristics in their progeny
2. From a geneticist's perspective:
A breed is a group of dogs with defined characteristics which exist in a closed gene pool. The founders may have been the same landrace breed or a mix of different breeds giving rise to the dog bred today.
1. From a breeder's perspective:
A breed is a group of dogs from known lineage of similar dogs, with an agreed set of physical and behavioural attributes which (preferably) breed 'true' ie reliably replicate these characteristics in their progeny
2. From a geneticist's perspective:
A breed is a group of dogs with defined characteristics which exist in a closed gene pool. The founders may have been the same landrace breed or a mix of different breeds giving rise to the dog bred today.
Jennifer Willshire
What is a Breed?
“Breeds are consistent and predictable genetic entities. The status of breeds as genetic resources is a consequence of the fact that breeds, breed true.”
(Sponenberg & Bixby, 2007. Managing Breeds For A Secure Future, Strategies For breeders and Breed Associations.
The American Livestock Breeds Conservatory Pittsboro, North Carolina).
“A breed is a group of animals that is consistent enough in type to be logically grouped together, and that when mated within the group reproduces the same type.”
(Clutton-Brock, Juliet. 1987. A Natural History of Domesticated Mammals.London,
Cambridge University Press and Britsih Museum of Natural History).
How does a purebred dog breeder define breed?
Most purebred dog breeders define a breed in terms of appearance and physical attributes. They mainly aspire (and are encouraged) to breed healthy, ideal specimens of a breed in terms of look and temperament, as defined by the breed standard. Many registries now issue directives for judges to select dogs that be ‘fit for their original function’ so breeders must also include this in their definition of a breed.
How is breed defined as a biological or genetic concept?
The biological definition of a breed targets identification and best serves conservation purposes. Animal populations consist largely of very uniform and predictable genetic packages. The biological definition for these packages specifies their predictable attributes and characteristics. Definitions for a breed that are not biologically based are more likely to represent breeds that are less predictable genetic packages that express higher degrees of variability. These types may have less value as a genetic resource but could have important political or cultural contributions to consider.
When would you would be able to say that a particular breed was first recognizable?
I believe that a breed would first have become recognizable for its abilities and then its attributes. Mastiffs made themselves recognizable as a breed type in the hunting field. Their immense courage and particular ways of hunting were valued and admired by early and medieval hunters. Their eagerness to catch their prey and their willingness to confront large, enraged and ferocious game coupled with their unique ability to seize and hold their prey until hunters arrived to dispatch it, got them noticed and bred for. Just as most bird hunters preferred retriever dogs with soft mouths, so too did early big game hunters value large hunting dogs that could slow down and/or stop large game and not inflict excess damage on its flesh. Mastiffs were also noted for their guarding abilities. Fearless and fully capable of protecting all in their charge, they were kept and bred as vigilant night watch dogs. They proved themselves useful in other fields too such as agriculture and baiting arenas.
When you would say a breed could be designated as "purebred"?
Dogs could be designated as ‘purebred’ when they became noted and recorded for breeding true to themselves and sharing certain characteristics and attributes. They could only be bred with others of their kind that were also officially noted as being of similar type. The founding of breed clubs and kennel clubs played a large role in the formation of many of today’s purebred dogs. Cerberati Kennels in the UK recently gave a brief summary of how the UK Kennel Club got started and how most purebred dogs exploded onto the scene. Their summary was researched and written by the infamous vocal Mr P Burns. It states…"In 1859, the first formal dog show was held at Newcastle upon Tyne in Great Britain, sponsored by two shotgun makers, and featuring only Pointers and Setters. John Henry Walsh, the editor of The Field magazine, was one of the judges. He later went on to found the Kennel Club. With the start of dog shows, the creation of breeds exploded. In 1800, there were only 15 designated breeds of dogs, but by 1865 that number had grown to more than 50, and it exploded to triple digits soon after the Kennel Club was founded in 1873. In the Kennel Club, broad types of dogs were no longer allowed. Setters, pointers, hounds, terriers, and collies had to be sorted, segmented, catalogued, and segregated. Dog shows became social scenes, with middle class climbers purchasing "purebred" puppies to insinuate themselves up the social register. As one Victorian periodical noted, "nobody now who is anybody can afford to be followed about by a mongrel dog." The rapid differentiation between show dogs and working dogs became more pronounced as time went on. Increasing numbers of people bought dogs, bred dogs, wrote standards, or changed them. Points were given for the set of a dog’s tail, colourful markings on coats, the colour of the eye, and even a dog’s "expression." By the turn of the 20th Century Kennel Club terriers were no longer expected to go to ground or even chase a rat. Most Kennel Club retrievers fetched nothing bigger than a ball, while owning a Kennel Club pointer or setter was more likely a fashion statement than the mark of a sportsman. The world of dogs was changing, and not for the better! Around 1900, the Kennel Club began to close breed registries, and inbreeding to the point of defect began in earnest. By 1950, most Kennel Club breeds no longer worked, and rapidly rising rates of inherited defect were being observed."
References:
Sponenberg & Bixby, 2007. Managing Breeds for a Secure Future, Strategies for breeders and Breed Associations. The American Livestock Breeds Conservatory Pittsboro, North Carolina
Cerberati Kennels - http://www.cerberati.com/
What is a Breed?
“Breeds are consistent and predictable genetic entities. The status of breeds as genetic resources is a consequence of the fact that breeds, breed true.”
(Sponenberg & Bixby, 2007. Managing Breeds For A Secure Future, Strategies For breeders and Breed Associations.
The American Livestock Breeds Conservatory Pittsboro, North Carolina).
“A breed is a group of animals that is consistent enough in type to be logically grouped together, and that when mated within the group reproduces the same type.”
(Clutton-Brock, Juliet. 1987. A Natural History of Domesticated Mammals.London,
Cambridge University Press and Britsih Museum of Natural History).
How does a purebred dog breeder define breed?
Most purebred dog breeders define a breed in terms of appearance and physical attributes. They mainly aspire (and are encouraged) to breed healthy, ideal specimens of a breed in terms of look and temperament, as defined by the breed standard. Many registries now issue directives for judges to select dogs that be ‘fit for their original function’ so breeders must also include this in their definition of a breed.
How is breed defined as a biological or genetic concept?
The biological definition of a breed targets identification and best serves conservation purposes. Animal populations consist largely of very uniform and predictable genetic packages. The biological definition for these packages specifies their predictable attributes and characteristics. Definitions for a breed that are not biologically based are more likely to represent breeds that are less predictable genetic packages that express higher degrees of variability. These types may have less value as a genetic resource but could have important political or cultural contributions to consider.
When would you would be able to say that a particular breed was first recognizable?
I believe that a breed would first have become recognizable for its abilities and then its attributes. Mastiffs made themselves recognizable as a breed type in the hunting field. Their immense courage and particular ways of hunting were valued and admired by early and medieval hunters. Their eagerness to catch their prey and their willingness to confront large, enraged and ferocious game coupled with their unique ability to seize and hold their prey until hunters arrived to dispatch it, got them noticed and bred for. Just as most bird hunters preferred retriever dogs with soft mouths, so too did early big game hunters value large hunting dogs that could slow down and/or stop large game and not inflict excess damage on its flesh. Mastiffs were also noted for their guarding abilities. Fearless and fully capable of protecting all in their charge, they were kept and bred as vigilant night watch dogs. They proved themselves useful in other fields too such as agriculture and baiting arenas.
When you would say a breed could be designated as "purebred"?
Dogs could be designated as ‘purebred’ when they became noted and recorded for breeding true to themselves and sharing certain characteristics and attributes. They could only be bred with others of their kind that were also officially noted as being of similar type. The founding of breed clubs and kennel clubs played a large role in the formation of many of today’s purebred dogs. Cerberati Kennels in the UK recently gave a brief summary of how the UK Kennel Club got started and how most purebred dogs exploded onto the scene. Their summary was researched and written by the infamous vocal Mr P Burns. It states…"In 1859, the first formal dog show was held at Newcastle upon Tyne in Great Britain, sponsored by two shotgun makers, and featuring only Pointers and Setters. John Henry Walsh, the editor of The Field magazine, was one of the judges. He later went on to found the Kennel Club. With the start of dog shows, the creation of breeds exploded. In 1800, there were only 15 designated breeds of dogs, but by 1865 that number had grown to more than 50, and it exploded to triple digits soon after the Kennel Club was founded in 1873. In the Kennel Club, broad types of dogs were no longer allowed. Setters, pointers, hounds, terriers, and collies had to be sorted, segmented, catalogued, and segregated. Dog shows became social scenes, with middle class climbers purchasing "purebred" puppies to insinuate themselves up the social register. As one Victorian periodical noted, "nobody now who is anybody can afford to be followed about by a mongrel dog." The rapid differentiation between show dogs and working dogs became more pronounced as time went on. Increasing numbers of people bought dogs, bred dogs, wrote standards, or changed them. Points were given for the set of a dog’s tail, colourful markings on coats, the colour of the eye, and even a dog’s "expression." By the turn of the 20th Century Kennel Club terriers were no longer expected to go to ground or even chase a rat. Most Kennel Club retrievers fetched nothing bigger than a ball, while owning a Kennel Club pointer or setter was more likely a fashion statement than the mark of a sportsman. The world of dogs was changing, and not for the better! Around 1900, the Kennel Club began to close breed registries, and inbreeding to the point of defect began in earnest. By 1950, most Kennel Club breeds no longer worked, and rapidly rising rates of inherited defect were being observed."
References:
Sponenberg & Bixby, 2007. Managing Breeds for a Secure Future, Strategies for breeders and Breed Associations. The American Livestock Breeds Conservatory Pittsboro, North Carolina
Cerberati Kennels - http://www.cerberati.com/
