In 2004, a DNA test was conducted on 85 dog breeds to determine their "antiquity." Five pets from each breed were tested. A small sample provides a general idea of the origin and age of the breed, but is not sufficient to obtain more accurate data. Future studies with a larger number of dog breeds will likely reveal much more.

The First Dogs

All modern domestic dogs originated from less aggressive wolves, but which ones exactly is a matter of debate. Dogs and modern wolves are not genetically close relatives, but they likely had a common ancestor. There is still ongoing debate about where the oldest dog originated - in Europe, Asia, or Africa. Dogs finally separated from wolves about 40 thousand years ago (some believe 125 thousand), but domestic breeds began to take shape much later.

Researchers are finding new dog remains in different parts of the world and constantly pushing back the time of the domestication of dogs further into antiquity. It was originally believed that the dog became a companion to humans 10 thousand years ago, but now other figures are given - 15 thousand and even 32 thousand years ago. One thing is certain: this was the first animal that humans domesticated. Most likely, dogs assisted in hunting and were with humans long before the advent of agriculture.

Pharaoh's Dog

It was believed that the oldest breed was the Pharaoh Hound. Ancient Egyptians depicted similar graceful naked dogs over 5000 years ago and considered them the embodiment of Anubis. However, DNA testing showed that the breed does not have Egyptian roots and was later developed through crossing other breeds. It is possible that during the breeding process, breeders were inspired by Egyptian images, but these are two different breeds. Modern Pharaoh Hounds are direct descendants of medieval "Pharaohs."

The same applies to the Xoloitzcuintli - the Mexican hairless breed. Xolo was first mentioned 3000 years ago, but the breed has since been destroyed and recreated later. So modern Xolos are not direct descendants of the sacred dogs, although the breed itself was known in ancient times.

14 Ancient Breeds

According to the results of the DNA test, all breeds were divided into four clusters:

  • the first - ancient breeds;
  • the second - mastiff-type dogs;
  • the third - shepherd-type breeds;
  • the fourth - modern hunting breeds.

14 breeds are considered the oldest. The oldest are Saluki, Samoyed, Akita Inu, and Basenji. Saluki appeared in the 35th century BCE - 6000 years ago. Samoyed and Basenji originated in the 11th century BCE - approximately 4000 years ago. About the same time as Akita Inu. The other ancient breeds appeared in the first millennium BCE - 3000 years ago. They include:

  • Afghan Hound;
  • Alaskan Malamute;
  • Lhasa Apso;
  • Siberian Husky;
  • Pekingese;
  • Shiba Inu;
  • Tibetan Terrier;
  • Shih Tzu;
  • Shar Pei;
  • Chow Chow.

Do not be surprised that decorative dogs turned out to be among the oldest breeds. It turns out that the variability of different sizes, from miniature to giant, is encoded in the DNA of any dog. To breed a decorative breed, it does not require tens of thousands of years of evolution - simple selection in a few generations is enough.

Other breeds from the three clusters, although they have a history dating back two to three centuries BCE, which is over 2000 years ago, are likely descendants of dogs bred in the 19th century.