A
Brief History of the Dog:
While the details surrounding when
the partnership between dogs and
humans happened is still a controversial
issue, it most likely happened somewhere
between 10,000 and 15,000 years
ago. Though it is still believed,
and can be stated with some degree
of certainty, that our relationship
was one born out of necessity, no
one really knows for sure why it
happened. So it has become widely
accepted that the dogs wanted shelter
and a solid food source, and humans
wanted companionship and protection
from the wilds of nature.
Recognized dog
breeds are a result of human
selection, in that dogs were traditionally
bred for specific functions. Most
existing dog breeds began as mixed
breeds, either by random occurrence
or by deliberate crosses of existing
breeds. While encouraging desirable
traits and discouraging others,
breeders sought to create the ideal
appearance or behavior, or both
for dogs. Additionally, this was
done to ensure that the dogs could
consistently produce offspring with
the same appearance or behavior.
Mixing breeds can lead to desirable
results, especially in the hands
of an expert breeder. On the other
hand, inexperienced crossbreeders
can produce disastrous results.
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