Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Types of Modern Domestic Dog

Dogs belong to the family of Canidae. Family Canidae also includes wild animals such as wolves, foxes and jackals. However, all the modern domestic dogs are successors of grey wolf which is Canis lupus. Currently, there are more than 300 different types of domestic dog based on their task of origin. The dogs have been originally bred for the tasks like herding, guarding and hunting.

However, the breeds of dog are now kept as pets irrespective of their functions. These dog pets are broadly divided into different types namely working dogs, sporting dogs, hounds, terriers, herding dogs and companion dogs. Basic information about these types of dog is as follow:

Working dogs – A working dog is a pet, which learns and performs tasks of assisting and entertaining its owner or any other human companion. These dogs are originally bred and trained to work livestock, turn the spit, detect criminals or explosives, guard places or homes, etc. Alaskan Malamute and Doberman are the types of working dogs.

Sporting dogs – These dogs are naturally active with astounding instincts in the woods and water. These breeds of dog are active participants of hunting and various other field activities. They require regular and refreshing exercise. Some of the sporting dogs include Standard Poodle, Weimaraner, Golden Retriever, Pointer, etc.

Hounds – These types of dog assist hunters in tracking the prey. The hounds are further classified into three types namely sight-hounds, scent hounds and other hounds. The sight-hounds run to catch the prey or kill it for the human hunters, while the scent hounds follow the prey on smelling their scent and tracking them. The other hounds track the prey by smelling the scent and sight as well. The examples of hounds include Beagle, Afghan Hound, Whippet, Basset Hound and Rhodesian Ridge-back.

Terriers – These dogs are typically small, active and fearless. These dogs were earlier classified as long legged and short legged terriers. However, terriers are now broadly classified as working terriers, toy terriers and bull type terrier. The Kerry Blue, Airedale and Yorkshire are examples of terrier dogs.

Herding dogs – The herding dogs are the breeds that have been trained or developed for herding. These types are also called as stock dogs and they belong to pastoral dog type.  They are trained to work with the herd on the sounds of a whistle or word of command. The Rough Collie, Cardigan Welsh Corgi and Old English Sheepdog are the examples of herding dog.

Companion dogs – These dogs are used as companions by their owners and for only some specific tasks. The toy dogs are mostly used as companion dogs. The dogs are not classified as companion dogs on the basis of their size, albeit the toy dogs are small in size. Few companion dogs include German Spitz, Shih Tzu, Pekingese, Chihuahua, etc.

These are the types of modern domestic dog generally known to people across the world. These dogs are considered as human’s best friends as they help human in performing many tasks as well as accompany them for entertainment.

Dog puppy
Dog puppy

Dog
Dog

Domestic Dog
Domestic Dog



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