Dog breeding over 100 years

[Guest The Pom Queen]

It is surprising how dog breeds have changed over the years, some have improved the breed and some have had a detrimental effect to their health and well being.

They may be man's best friend, but man has also changed them beyond all recognition, these incredible pictures of dog breeds reveal. 

But just as we have modified food to taste better, we have also bred dogs to have unique physical and mental traits.

A new series of pictures show how human's obsession to create the perfect canine has shaped certain breeds into being almost unrecognizable from hundreds of years ago -  and introduced painful diseases in the process.          

By identifying which traits are the strongest and better looking, such as size, coat and demeanor, we have designed at least 167 different breeds with unique physical and mental characteristics,according to the Science of Dogs. 

This breeding is slowly mutating and disfiguring dogs and some of these changes have caused these animals unbearable pain.

The pressure to create the perfect canine derives from American Kennel Club standards, which is the official guidelines for show dogs.

These standards can be from the colour of the dog's eyes, size of their paws to the curve of its tail.

'Nowadays, many breeds are highly inbred and express an extraordinary variety of genetic defects as a consequence: defects ranging from anatomical problems, like hip dysplasia, that cause chronic suffering, to impaired immune function and loss of resistance to fatal diseases like cancer,' James A. Serpell, a professor of Animal Ethics and Welfare at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, told WhoWhatWhy.

'The only sensible way out of this genetic dead-end is through selective out-crossing with dogs from other breeds, but this is considered anathema by most breeders since it would inevitably affect the genetic 'purity' of their breeds.' 

So here are some breeds that have changed.

English Bulldog

Humans have been domesticating dogs before they learned how to farm. But with our obsession to create a perfect breed, they are almost unrecognizable from their early ancestors. Here, the English bulldog is said to be the most changed dog from its ancestors, as it has endured so much breeding that it suffers from almost every disease possible.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Bull Terrier

 

The Bull Terrier was first created in the early 1800s with the mix of the old English Terrier and the Bulldog, reports Pet360.

During this time, dog fighting was a big source of entertainment in Europe and people were always trying to breed dogs into better fighters.

Prior to being a stocky fighter, Bull Terriers had a slim curved body and a more chiseled nose, reports Science and Dogs.

Over the years, the animals mutated to have a warped skull and thicker abdomen, and it also gained a compulsive tail-chasing trait. 

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Basset Hound

The Basset Hound's short, curved legs are a result of an extra copy of a specific gene, which produces growth protein.

Prior to human interruption, this dog had shorter ears, a less droopy face and a curve in its back.

Today their bellies are much lower to the ground and their rear legs have also seemed to lower with excessive skin with larger floppy ears.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Boxer

Boxers are successors of the extinct bullenbaiser breeds, which was a cross of mastiff, bulldog and, some suggest, a Great Dane and terrier.

Developed in 19th century Germany, these dogs were designed as bull baiting dogs and later as butcher’s helpers – controlling the cattle in slaughterhouses.

Before being turned into working dogs, the boxer had a longer face and longer downward tail.

 

[Toots]

The Bassett Hound is almost a freak.  How cruel to do that to an animal.  Bloody humans! 

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Dachshund 

The Dachshund once had more functioning legs and a neck more proportion to its size.

But thanks to humans, their backs and necks have stretched out and their legs have shrunk to a point that makes it difficult for them to maneuver over obstacles a few inches off of the ground.

These dogs are known to have the highest risk of any breed for intervertebral disc disease which can result in paralysis.

They are also prone to achondroplastic related pathologies, PRA and problems with their legs.

These dogs have been found sketched into ancient Egyptian walls and in records from South American and China, but the one we recognize was developed in Germany some 400 years ago.

Initially used for hunting, hunters needed a stockier creature that could follow animals underground and in thick vegetation, which explains the lower abdomen.

 

[Guest The Pom Queen]

German Shepherd 

Now this is one breed that has had a lot of bad publicity with the new style roach back, which personally I find disgusting. I don't mind a gentle slope but breeders have taken it too far.

The German Shepherd is also a result of too much breeding that ruined a canine species.

First attempts to standardize this breed began in the 1850s, with the goal of preserving traits that helped the dogs with their job of sheep herding.

They improved the dog’s intelligence, speed, strength and keen sense of smell, which resulted in dogs of the same breed that differed from each other.

In Dogs of All Nations, the German Shepherd is described as a medium-sized dog (25 kg /55 lb), which is far from the angulated, barrel-chested, sloping back,ataxic, 85-pounds (38 kg) we are used to seeing in the conformation ring.

The original German shepherd had a thinner abdomen and stance was sharper than the one we know today.

 

 

[Guest The Pom Queen]

The Pug

The Pug is another breed that is prone to health problems.

This breed suffers from high blood pressure, heart problems, low oxygenation, difficulty breathing, overheats, dentition problems and skin fold dermatitis.

And that curled tail is actually a genetic defect that leads to paralysis.

These dogs derived from Chinese happa dogs that were brought over by the Portuguese between the 15th and 16th centuries, reports Retriever Man. 

Pugs were called Dutch mastiffs once upon a time, but they were crossed with terriers and smaller dogs that were more common in Britain.

This is when the trait of the shortened muzzle mouth was formed, along with the stockier abdomen and spinal defects that come from the double curled tail. 

 

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Saint Bernard 

The Saint Bernard are most likely decedents of the mastiff style Asiatic dogs used by Roman soldiers.

These canines were used in the Alps as rescue dogs at the monastery and hospice founded by Bernard de Menthon the 11th century.

The St. Bernard came very close to extinction at the hospice and some suggest the monks crossed the remaining dogs with Great Danes and English Mastiffs.

Compared to their ancestors, modern St. Bernard’s have broader skulls with a steeper angle between the nose and foreheads.

The dog is also much larger than its early ancestors with a squished in face and longer fur.

Although once a working dog, they now overheat after moving too much and are prone to entropion, ectropion, Stockard’s paralysis, hemophilia, osteosarcoma, aphakia, fibrinogen deficiency. 

 

 

[NicF]

I've never understood the desire for pedigree dogs for your average dog owner, especially given the health issues many of them have.  I would much rather have a cross breed any day.  We have no idea what breeds are in our dog but he is healthy, has a lovely temperament and is just the right size for us, which is all I really care about.

[Guest241083]

........most of mine are bitzas....!

........but I choose a pedigree to do a job

........I knew what the breed was capable of

........the most likely temperament

........but little bitzas from rescued places

.........have a variety of temperatments

.........something I couldn't risk in a bigger dog with a job to do..

[Slean Wolfhead]

On 9/18/2017 at 14:49, NicF said:

I've never understood the desire for pedigree dogs for your average dog owner, especially given the health issues many of them have.  I would much rather have a cross breed any day.  We have no idea what breeds are in our dog but he is healthy, has a lovely temperament and is just the right size for us, which is all I really care about.

I think a lot of it comes down to the choice you're offered, especially in the UK where Crufts has been part of the institution and they haven't looked after the animal's best interests when deciding what makes a good dog.

It's weird that we've spent trillions on trying to breed out disease in humans, but for dogs they just try and make a pretty face and damn the health consequences.  We know what interbreeding does to the genetic mix, but it still goes on.   I like Australian dogs, the sheer amount of mongrel seems to make them much healthier and the need to retain a lot of them as working animals keeps any pedigree nonsense based on appearance at bay.

Mind you, with the price of pedigree dogs in Australia and the cost of vets, I don't know why anybody would want to go down a "pedigree" route, especially for some species !

My Uncle was a vet and based on his career he reckoned the healthiest, non-shedding small dog you could get was a miniature schnauzer.  But if you have to pay $3000 for a puppy, you're far better off getting a cross-breed and paying less for vets over it's lifespan.