Think your dog’s one of a kind? You are barking up the wrong tree
Analysis of more than 200 breeds has found that there are only 10 distinct lineages of canine
EVERY owner thinks their pet dog is unique but a study has found that there are actually only 10 types of canine.
There are thousands of different breeds but they all fit into one of 10 distinct lineages, scientists found.
The groups are scent hound, pointerspaniel, terrier, retriever, herder, sled dog, African and Middle Eastern, Asian spitz, Dingo and sighthound.
Analysis of DNA samples from more than 200 dog breeds, along with 46,000 owner surveys by researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute in the US, has identified myriad genes linked to various breed-specific behaviours.
Border collies, for example, have DNA specifically linked to their in-built ability to run and herd sheep, often requiring little or no training, while a Jack Russell terrier’s genetics make it useless at rounding up farm animals but adept at chasing rabbits.
Scientists gathered whole-genome data from more than 4,000 pure-bred, mixed-breed, and semi-feral dogs, as well as wild canids. Each of the 10 groups were found to closely match known types of dog with genetics underpinning the broad groups.
For example, herders, hounds and sled dogs all have their own genetic traits that make them unique when compared with terriers, dingos and spaniels. Herders scored highest for “non-social fear”, which is similar to anxiety. Terriers meanwhile got top marks for “predatory chasing”.
Scent hounds were found to score highest of all the species on “trainability” while terriers also got the highest score for “dog-directed aggression” and “owner-directed aggression”. Elaine Ostrander, founder of the Dog Genome Project at the National Human Genome Research Institute and a senior author of the study, said: “The largest, most successful genetic experiment that humans have ever done is the creation of 350 dog breeds.
“We needed dogs to herd, we needed them to guard, we needed them to help us hunt, and our survival was intimately dependent on that.”
Dr Emily Dutrow, lead author, said identifying the genes linked to canine behaviour has previously been a difficult undertaking because dog groups are eclectic and made up of dogs that look different and act in varying ways.
She said: “We were particularly interested in livestock-herding dogs, who display one of the most easily defined breed-typical behaviours, characterised by an instinctive herding drive coupled with unique motor patterns that move herds in complex ways.”
Analysis of the entire genomes of the dogs revealed 14 genes specific to sheepdogs, with eight involved in how their brains are wired.
Axon guidance is a neurological process that dictates how a brain’s circuitry is organised and in herding dogs it was found to be enhanced.
Many of the collie-specific genes were also found to be physically close to areas that are linked to ADHD in humans as well as a “striking frequency” of genes involved in synapses in the brain responsible for passing messages. The team suggested it could explain why border collies and other herders have so much energy and are hyper–fixated by certain things, be that livestock, birds or balls. They also found that some of the border collie herding genes were also found in wolves, indicating ancient humans likely saw wolves herding in the wild and then tried to co-opt the behaviour for their own purposes.
“After 30 years of trying to understand the genetics of why herding dogs herd, we’re finally beginning to unravel the mystery,” said Dr
Ostrander.
‘After 30 years of trying to understand why herding dogs herd, we’re finally unravelling the mystery’