Dog types are broad categories of domestic based on form, function, style of work, lineage, or appearance. Some may be locally adapted dog types (or ) that may have the visual characteristics of a modern purebred dog. In contrast, modern strictly adhere to long-established , that began with documented foundation breeding stock sharing a common set of inheritable characteristics,
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.[
also A forum that includes photos of the differences between conformation and working dogs of the same breed; and description of differences between show and field (working) Springer Spaniels ]
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 Twiti (Twici), a treatise that describes hunting with the
limer (a leashed
bloodhound type); the pack of
running hounds, which included
barcelets and
brachetz (both
); and the
sighthound and
greyhound.
More significant in recording the use and description of various dog types is
The Master of Game (circa 1406) by Edward of York,
[ The Master of Game, by Edward, second Duke of York: ed. Baillie-Grohman, William.1st Ed. London: 1904 Ballantine, Hanson & Co Folio, 302pp. 52 pl] a treatise that 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 French hunting treatise
Livre de Chasse by
Gaston Phoebus (circa 1387).
, published in 1486,
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, "
" (small-to-medium-sized scenthounds), "kennets" (small hunting dogs),
, "butcher's hounds", dung-heap dogs, "trundel tails" (
lap dog?) and prick-eared
, and small ladies puppies that bear away the
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,
Dog types and modern breeds
"It is important", reminded Anne 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".
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
Molossians 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."
Human manipulation was very indirect. In a very few cases emperors, monasteries, or wealthy hunters might maintain lines of special dogs, from which we have today's
Pekingese, St. Bernards, and
.
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, written records, and closed Breed registry. Dog fancy began refining breeds from the various types of dogs in use.[The Scottish Terrier, the Cairn Terrier and the West Highland White Terrier have the same pedigree. ] In 1873, only forty breeds and varieties were known;[ The New Complete Scottish Terrier, pg. 17] today, there are many hundreds of breeds, some 400 of them recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) alone. Dog types today are recognized in the names of Group or Section categories of Kennel club. 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).['DOGS, WORKING', from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966.
Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 18 September 2007
URL: http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/D/DogsWorking/en]
Other uses of the word '"type" in dogs
For biologists, a
Biological 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".
"Breed type" is specific to each dog breed's written
Breed standard. A dog that closely resembles the appearance laid out in the standard is said to be "typey".
"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
were more
trainable than
, toy dogs, and non-sporting dogs.
Gun dog 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.
See also
Notes
Note 1: Every modern dog breed has a written
Breed standard that describes in detail aspects of its appearance. Modern breed standards are the basis of the sport of dog showing, as each dog is compared against the ideal of the written standard, and awards are based on how closely the dog resembles the standard. Their origin comes from the earliest European cynegetica: on a "sound hunting dog" see
Xenophon, and the "correct type" of good sighthound, the
vertragus, see
Arrian.
Note 2: Many modern breeds of dogs still use the names of early types, although they may or may not resemble the original types.
External links
