There are currently about 493 different dog breeds recognized by various dog clubs around the world. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognizes 164 breeds.
Do we have enough dog breeds?
Some people argue that what we have today is enough, and we should not be creating new breeds of dogs.
What do you think? Is 493 the correct magic number?
Why Did We Start Breeding Dogs?
To answer this question, we consider the origins of dog domestication and dog breeding. According to Wikipedia, dogs were domesticated by 7000 BC and could have been domesticated as early as 30,000 BC. This is in contrast to horses that were domesticated at approximately 4000-3500 BC, and chickens at approximately 6000-4000BC.
In short, dogs have been man’s best friend for a very long time.
Since then, we have bred dogs to help us with a variety of tasks including hunting, protection, rescue, law enforcement, guiding the blind, and as our life companions.
We create new breeds of dogs to …
- Better help us with new and existing tasks.
- Better fit into our lifestyle and location.
- Better appeal to our sense of aesthetics.
However, some people argue that cross-breeding dogs just for their appearance is wrong, and somehow work dogs are more worthy.
They argue that cross-breeding dogs just for their companionship is misguided, and new breeds should only be created for ‘work’.
They argue that dogs should not be cross-bred at all. We have enough dog breeds and any further innovation on our part is irresponsible.
In truth, I fail to see why breeding dogs so that they can help us kill other animals is more worthy than breeding dogs for their looks or for their companionship.
Different people value dogs for different purposes, and my purpose is not more worthy than yours or vice versa.
What about the argument to stop cross-breeding and just stick with the breeds we currently have. Do we have enough dog breeds? Is the cross-breeding of dogs irresponsible?
Is the Cross-Breeding of Dogs Irresponsible?
Any type of breeding can be done responsibly or irresponsibly.
Responsible breeders …
- Only breed dogs with excellent health, temperament, and physique.
- Ensure that there is enough genetic diversity in their breeding pairs.
- Properly care for all of their dogs and take the time to properly place all of their puppies with good homes.
Irresponsible breeders are in it primarily for the money.
As a result they have little regard for all of the above and focus on breeding as many puppies as they can per time to maximize profits.
Irresponsible breeders breed dogs that are in the greatest demand, whether they be purebred dogs, designer dogs, mutts, or whatever name we want to use.
To stop irresponsible dog breeding we want to target its actual source – profits.
- We can share information about irresponsible breeding practices, such as those carried out by puppy mills and the pet stores that support them. This will reduce the demand for puppy mill puppies, and make it more difficult for them to profit from selling unhealthy puppies.
- We can enforce more stringent laws on the proper care of dogs, especially in breeding facilities. This will ensure that breeders provide a better level of care for all their dogs and help prevent unscrupulous breeders from cutting corners just to make a buck.
Since the source of irresponsible breeding is largely an economic one, economic related solutions will be more effective at curbing the problem.
Is the Domestication of Dogs Irresponsible?
It is not the cross-breeding of dogs that is irresponsible, but rather that all dog breeding can be carried out in a responsible or irresponsible manner.
If we ban all new dog breeds, the demand for dogs will simply shift to the sanctioned breeds and puppy mills will continue to produce those dogs in an irresponsible fashion.
As such, a more interesting question is this –
Is all dog breeding and indeed dog domestication itself irresponsible?
Should it be stopped?
Many good arguments can be made against dog domestication, but dogs also gain many advantages by living with us.
Do We Have Enough Dog Breeds?
As long as we practice breeding in a responsible way, cross-breeding can be a very good thing. It helps to enrich the genetic pool of our current purebred dogs, and can create new breeds of dogs that fulfill new tasks or more effectively fulfill existing tasks.
Breeding dogs that better fit into our human lifestyle is also a very good thing. It will lead to fewer dogs being surrendered to a shelter or simply abandoned.
What do you think of cross-breeding and new dog breeds?
I think we have too many breeds, ignorantly bred over the years, by people who had no knowledge of genetics. The best-of-the-best breeders working with “pure bred” dogs, still have to spend a lot of time an effort, generation after generation to weed out genetic diseases. Randomly bred “mutts” seem to be healthier than pure breds. (Perhaps the dogs know something we don’t about selecting mates for them.)
I think that breeders need to get away from the absurd appearance-based standards of the KCs. Use DNA mapping to identify the few breeds that originated without man’s misguided interference, cultivate healthier “root stocks”, and if there’s still a functional need for a breed, redevelop it. There’s work that has been done in Russia that produced a strain of foxes which were completely dog-like in their reaction to people, and could breed with dogs, in only 50 years. Imagine what could be done if DNA screening were dded to their protocol.
I own a northern Inuit dog that I plan to breed if she passes all the correct health checks (hip-score etc) as she is very wolfie looking, and has a wonderful and I already have a waiting list for 6 pups if she passes the tests, but northern Inuits are not a registered breed, they are a wolf alike dog which is a dog type not breed as such (includes saraloosee hounds, angalo wolfdogs etc). Does this make me bad? Should I not breed her because she isn’t registered, because she is my only breeding bitch so I don’t have to be registered as a breeder myself or because her type of dog is popular at the moment? I stand to make very little if any profit from it, her hip scoring will cost £200ish stud fees are £700 vaccinations and worming for the pups will be around £75 per pup feeding them all will cost about £800 and this is without any possible vet care that my be needed…that’s £2150! Then there is Los the cost of the puppy packs probably around £50 each so that’s £300 so £2450. So that’s £408 per pup if she has 6 pups. As they only sell for around £450 that’s a profit of £252 if there are no unexpected vet fees. Which wouldn’t even fee Toki for a year. So people who breed correctly and provide all the above for their dogs and pups, which all good breeders should, will make little if any profit from it and we do it because we love dogs, we want to better are chosen breed or type and because we are dedicated to these pups bringing joy to someone’s life, also all good breeder will take a pup back if issue arise that prevent the new owners from keeping them so prevent straining rescues and shelters.
Puppy mills are a different kettle of fish entirely and buyers need to be aware and be made aware of the issue involved with pet shop and puppy mill puppies and thir poor parents.
I agree completely. I am crossing Papillon and Australian Shepherds of all three sizes (for diverse blood pool and better odds of finding exactly the right dog to include in my line). I am breeding for specific appearances and a temperament not often found in small breeds (extremely smart and loves learning and guidance too). All pups not used in the line will have a spay/neuter contract and go to heavily screened homes. I am doing everything that everyone agrees makes a responsible and ethical breeder, except the crossing of breeds aspect. As soon as I mention that I breed a cross, they freak out. “excuse me but I could have swore all other breeds were a cross’… lol To say that I have no right to create a breed that suits me and others like me is stupid when hundreds have done the same and only had support from the masses.
I’m not saying that pure or cross breeds are the problem, but creating more breeds? It is very unnecessary. There are millions of dogs out there, if you can’t find a good match from them, you’re never going to. In the end it really doesn’t matter if the dog is purebred, a mutt, or a shelter dog. No matter what it’s the individual dog and individual owner that count. No amount of saying “I want a purebred Bernese Mountain Dog, because I like the way they look/act” will ever make that specific dog a right match.
The breeder regulation should be a matter of public safety. There are tons of “breeders” out there who poorly breed and raise their puppies, inbreed, and god knows what else, and as a result some of those dogs become threats to public safety. We have laws that regulate food, automobiles, appliances, even kids toys, why not the furry animal with all the teeth everyone seems to own?
I suppose that would depend on what we mean by “necessary”. Some may say that dogs in general are not really “necessary” but they sure do enrich the life of many people – not everyone – but many people.
As I understand it Labradoodles were bred to create a guide dog for people with allergies. Nothing wrong with that.
Some people also really like the look of Puggles. Nothing wrong with that either.
If I am a responsible breeder and I want to breed a new dog called Snarfle-Fuffle, I should be able to as long as my breeding pair is healthy, has good genetic diversity, and I can place all of the puppies into good homes. If lots of people like the look of the Snarfle-Fuffle, then I can breed more of them as long as I can place them into good homes. If nobody likes them, then I won’t be able to place them, and won’t be able to continue breeding.
I agree that there are already many dogs out there, more dogs than there are homes. But does this mean that everyone has to get a shelter dog? Shelter dogs may not be appropriate for all homes and some people want a dog with a particular look or temperament. Nothing wrong with that.
That is true. But being able to get exactly the breed that I want will certainly increase the chances that it will be the right match. For example, if I need a guide dog and I have allergies, the Labradoodle will be a strong candidate. This does not mean that a Labradoodle will 100% be the right match, and it does not even mean that all Labradoodles that are bred will have the properties that I need, but it sure increases the chances of finding the right match.
Again, as long as the Labradoodle breeder is responsible, has a healthy breeding pair with good genetic diversity, and can place all of her puppies into good homes, there are no problems.
The over-population of dogs is a result of irresponsible breeding. Can designer dog breeders be irresponsible? Sure. Can purebred dog breeders be irresponsible? Sure. Even if we stopped all cross-breeding (i.e., stopped the process of creating new breeds) it would have little impact on irresponsible breeding because the irresponsible breeders will simply switch to breeding purebred dogs.
If the argument is that we already have an over-population of dogs, so we should stop *all* dog breeding until homes are found for all existing dogs – then that is a different but also interesting discussion.
That is a very interesting point. Government regulation however, always comes at a price and it is can be difficult to come up with a good compromise between regulation and freedom/choice. It is also difficult to control side-effects.
Some people propose that all dog owners must take some government dog training test, much like a car driving test, but I shudder to think what our government will come up with in terms of what is the “right” type of training.
Should all poorly bred dogs be destroyed because they are a threat to public safety?
Should they take a temperament test first? Who comes up with the temperament test?
Increasing taxes on unneutered or unspayed dogs will hurt all breeders, not just the irresponsible ones. This may force some responsible breeders to close-up shop. It may cause irresponsible breeders to cut corners some other way so that they can still make profits – which may result in worse conditions for their dogs.
I am not saying that all regulation is bad, but only that it is difficult to come up with the “right” regulation that will achieve its intended purpose, while not having too many bad side effects. As the saying goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
I don’t think that cross breeding is a bad thing. I love mutts and half breeds simply because, in my experience, they are healthier and better tempered than pure breeds. While I say that, though, people are breeding Labradoodles and Puggles galore, simply because it’s a fashion trend to have these new -and expensive- mutts. I do not think we need more dog breeds because, well, we don’t need more dogs! There are way too many dogs out there that need homes, and pumping more out isn’t going to help. I’m all for having different breeds of dog, but unless you are a responsible and licensed breeder, your dog should be fixed. The last thing we need is every household having puppies, and then those puppies go on to have more, and more, and more. There should be some kind of license to be able to own intact breeders, so that only approved breeders are left.
Hi Alex,
I agree with you that there should be better controls at the breeder level, but it should apply to all breeders and not just breeders of new cross-breeds. The issue is with the breeding and sale of dogs in general, rather than with specific breeds, or cross-breeds.
Designer dogs have recently become a convenient target, and I often see people getting insulted or shouted at for merely asking a question about a designer dog. I think this is unfortunate. It only drives new dog owners away from getting more information, and possibly straight into the arms of the many puppy mill online stores.
Dogs require a lot of time, money, and effort, so I don’t think there is anything wrong with looking for exactly the type of dog that we want; whether it be a purebred dog, a shelter dog, or a designer dog. Getting a dog that is the wrong fit will end badly for everyone, especially for the dog.
Irresponsible breeding, selling, and buying of dogs is not a breed specific issue, nor is it a designer dog issue. Most people who are looking to buy dogs, tend to love dogs, and will not buy puppy mill dogs once they get all the information about puppy mill practices and irresponsible breeding.
Yeah this is a very interesting idea. It is difficult to pass such laws though because they tend to be unpopular with the public. San Francisco and many of the areas around here have tried to enact various breeder specific or sale specific controls, and it is interesting to see the discussion on both sides.
If you are interested, I write more about it here –
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-we-can-all-help-to-stop-puppy-mills