Hi Puzzlers,
Last night's Westminster Dog show was amazing! I can’t believe the dog that won. Hickory, a 5-year-old Scottish deerhound, was named "Best in Show." I hadn’t even heard of a Scottish deerhound. I am familiar with several breeds including my very own Tibetan terror-Oops- I meant Tibetan terrier, Mario, but a Scottish deerhound? Nope-never heard of them. This got me thinking how and where did all the breeds come from?
Dogs, as many of you may already know, are said to come from wolves. It is believed that orphaned wolf pups taken at an early age could be tamed and socialized. These orphan pups were also, thought to have been nursed alongside human babies. Along with the tamed qualities, wild wolves that were the most social and least fearful (of humans) were bred together and overtime they would become more dog-like. It is also believed that dogs were used as beast of burdens, long before the horse and ox, and as a source of meat! WOW! Eat my dog? No way!
Over time the domestication of the wolves produced several physical changes including the reduction in overall size, smaller teeth and cranial cavities. The reduction in brain size affected the areas no longer needed by the domesticated wolves, such as alertness and the regurgitation of partially digested food to feed the pups.
As humans moved towards agricultural societies, desirable dog traits would also change. Now there are seven classifications used by the AKC. 1) The Sporting Group- bred to aid hunters by finding, flushing out and retrieving game. 2) Working Group-“bred to perform such jobs as guarding property, pulling sleds and performing water rescues.” 3) Toy Group- companion dogs. 4) Terrier Group- bred to hunt small animals. 5) Hound Group- bred to follow game by sight or smell. 6) Herding Group- bred to herd and control cattle and sheep. 7) Non-Sporting Group- breeds that don’t fit into these other groups. My Mario fits here.
Happy Puzzling!
Last night's Westminster Dog show was amazing! I can’t believe the dog that won. Hickory, a 5-year-old Scottish deerhound, was named "Best in Show." I hadn’t even heard of a Scottish deerhound. I am familiar with several breeds including my very own Tibetan terror-Oops- I meant Tibetan terrier, Mario, but a Scottish deerhound? Nope-never heard of them. This got me thinking how and where did all the breeds come from?
Dogs, as many of you may already know, are said to come from wolves. It is believed that orphaned wolf pups taken at an early age could be tamed and socialized. These orphan pups were also, thought to have been nursed alongside human babies. Along with the tamed qualities, wild wolves that were the most social and least fearful (of humans) were bred together and overtime they would become more dog-like. It is also believed that dogs were used as beast of burdens, long before the horse and ox, and as a source of meat! WOW! Eat my dog? No way!
Over time the domestication of the wolves produced several physical changes including the reduction in overall size, smaller teeth and cranial cavities. The reduction in brain size affected the areas no longer needed by the domesticated wolves, such as alertness and the regurgitation of partially digested food to feed the pups.
As humans moved towards agricultural societies, desirable dog traits would also change. Now there are seven classifications used by the AKC. 1) The Sporting Group- bred to aid hunters by finding, flushing out and retrieving game. 2) Working Group-“bred to perform such jobs as guarding property, pulling sleds and performing water rescues.” 3) Toy Group- companion dogs. 4) Terrier Group- bred to hunt small animals. 5) Hound Group- bred to follow game by sight or smell. 6) Herding Group- bred to herd and control cattle and sheep. 7) Non-Sporting Group- breeds that don’t fit into these other groups. My Mario fits here.
Happy Puzzling!
No comments:
Post a Comment