11 Dog Breeds You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Photo – © cynoclub – Fotolia.com

Over the past centuries, humans have relied on dogs to perform a wide array of functions, such as guarding livestock, hunting and tracking game, or simply warning off thieves and highly suspicious strangers from one’s property. For instance, German shepherd and Labrador Retriever are breeds that have assisted their owners as working dogs, whereas Greyhound, spaniel, and mastiff accompanied upper-class men years ago in hunting. Of course, we all love these dog breeds now as our trustworthy companions and pets.

From the cutest Chihuahua a lady can handily carry in her purse to the powerful, well-muscled St. Bernard dogs that are the heroes of travelers stuck and helpless in snowstorms, the dog kingdom is not even close to being short in variety. Dogs come in a diverse range of size, shape, temperament, and behavior. From the various dog breeds that exist across all nations, no two dogs are alike, each being unique in form, personality, or habits.

But it may be a surprise to you that although there seems to be an explosion of dog breeds, all breeds belong to a single species that evolved from the gray wolf of Central Asia. Being part of the same lineage and having been domesticated thousands of years back, dogs of different breeds today were developed and deliberately “selected” for better, more usable, and more preferred traits, such as docile disposition, adorable appearance, and muscular or agile bodies.

To put it simply, traits from two or more dogs are selected and combined to create a new, specialized breed to suit the work or purpose the dog was bred for. To date, any prospective dog owner will find himself astounded (and maybe overwhelmed) by the number of breeds. New crossbred “designer dogs” such as poogles and puggles are also increasing the number of breeds.

Here’s the article on 11 fascinating dog breeds that quite a few of us aren’t aware of: http://thebarkpost.com/rare-dog-breeds/