Are certain breeds really human created mutations?

Question

I've been doing research on my new American Pit Bull and have found that these dogs were 'bred' from other terriors basically for fighting. What are the original 'breeds' of dogs and are humans cross breeding just to create their idea of a great animal?

Answer 1

All modern dogs are desendents of dogs that were bred to bring out certain good characteristics. For example shepards bred certain qualities into collies and other herding dogs so they were fast and intelligent. Its not really mutation as it is selective breeding, only breeding animals that have favorable atributes. This has been going on for thousands of years with all domesticated animals. As time went on breeds started to have standards beyond the utilitarian and were bred for that purpose. People that show dogs do the same thing today. So yes, humans do cross breed to create an ideal animal. No you can't find an original dog, but even if you could they wouldn't have as many of the traits that we like so much in dogs today. Because while bad things have been bred into dogs like fighting etc., good things have been bred in as well loyalty, companionship, and general good nature.

Answer 2

Humans can't create 'mutations', unless they are personally irradiating the DNA. Mutations occur on a genetic level and while humans can take advantage of these mutations, they techincally aren't the cause.

Pit Bull dogs, along with many of the different bully breeds, were "selected" by humans to fight. This is why it's an uneducated person who says that a pit bull only behaves how he is taught. We breed dogs to be complacent, to hunt, to chase, so it's only logical that pit bulls may have the instinct to fight and attack.

As far as the original breeds, all dogs basically come from the wolf. They don't have to come from other purebreds, it could be someone who had a terrier mix dog who just kept inbreeding and breeding the meanest of the dogs.

Purebreds were mainly for human need and want. Any purebred dog that you see was most likely manipulated somehow by man.


As far as the person who is pizzy about cross-breeding mutts being looked down upon, they are lacking knowledge. Yes, cross-breeding mutts is stupid. Taking a dog of unknown origin and forcing them to produce puppies is only adding to the number of dogs killed in shelters. However, a reputable breeder taking a purebred champion dog and infusing some blood from a different breed, with the goal to create a new breed is more acceptable. This is how the Rat Terrier, Whippet, and numerous other breeds were created. It's an unethical breeder who is takes pet quality poodles and mixes them with other breeds for the sole purpose of selling them to uneducated consumers. And in my book, I wish they could be arrested on abuse.

Answer 3

Not really 'mutations', but all breeds have been manipulated by man to serve us - for hunting, protection, etc. Isn't it amazing that the Great Dane & Chihuahua are both derived from wolves, selectively bred by men? Some breeds have been bred to lock in what is essentially a defect, like the brachycephalic (pushed in nose & short muzzle) face of a Boxer or Bulldog.

The original first breeds per most sources are Greyhounds & Mastiffs. I was told whenever you see the word 'dog' in the Bible, it is refering to a Greyhound. Interesting.

Humans created breeds to serve a purpose: small terriers kept farms free of rats & mice, collies made herding sheep & cattle easier, mastiffs protected herds & our ancestor's homes, pointers & retrievers helped procure food for the family table, and so on.

Answer 4

Well, humans didn't "create" the mutations, they simply took advantage of natural mutations that were advantageous. Mutations occur spontaneously, but once they occur, they can be passed on by careful breeding. And yes, every breed of dog from the tiny Chihuahua to the giant Irish Wolfhound was bred from the noble wolf. Can you imagine the commitment it must have taken to select for an animal that is so far removed physically and behaviorally from the original!

Answer 5

well most dogs are bred from other breeds-like soft coated wheaten terriers originate from kerry blue terriers. find a breed that u want to learn about and then go on wikipedia.org and type in the breed-it will tell u what it originated from.

humans also create breeds like cockapoos and puggles by mixing-these dogs are not recognized yet tho because it take many generations to make them purebreds

Answer 6

ALL breeds are human created. Dogs were created by domesticating wolves. People began to create breeds by selectively breeding for certain characteristics they liked - first for skills such as hunting large game, hunting small game, guarding livestock, etc., then for physical appearance such as color, a more human-like "smooshy" face, diminutive size, etc.

Oh, and the Doberman Pinscher was acknowledged as a breed in 1900 - well before Hitler.

Answer 7

the physical appearance of all races are, a direct result of adaptation, white people have fair skin because white ancestors lived in climates were the sun didn't shine a whole lot the lighter skin enables them to produce vitamin K more easily, a black persons ancestors come from a place where the sun is very strong all year round so their skin is dark to protect it from the intense light. the same withe the eyes,light colored eyes tend to reflect sunlight say during long winters when the sun reflecting on snow would cause snow blindness, black eyes are dark because this wasn't an issue with them. as for hair, blacks have hair that is black, but also in it's natural state very curly "kinky:" this allows air to pass through the hair and cool the head more readily. like the fins on an air cooled ,motor, while whites tend to have hair that lays down on the head which keeps the heat in.the variations in color are due to the vitamins that is necessary to make the hair behave in such a way..whites noses tend to be long and narrow because they had to breath dry cold air and it needed to be heated before entering the lungs, blacks tend to have wide and short noses because the air they breathed was dense and wet.I could go no but I've said enough.

Answer 8

They say all dogs descended from the wolf. So yes, all breeds have been created by man. People have been mixing breeds for many years to create new breeds.

Answer 9

Yes. All breeds are descended from canis lupus (grey wolf). Mules, by the way are bred from mating a horse with a donkey but mules themselves are sterile and cannot reproduce.

Answer 10

Yes. They are breed to suit the needs of humans. I find it strange they they are planned to be cross breed but a mutt is looked down on.