Why are there so many breeds of dogs?

Now, there are about 340 breeds recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the world governing body of dog breeds, sometimes known as the World Canine Organization. But the standards for breed recognition vary from country to country – the American Kennel Club currently recognizes only 167 breeds. read more

We ended up with so many breeds of dogs through a combination of random successful interbreeding of the different breeds and intentionally caused interbreeding of different breeds by humans for specific mental and physical traits. My pup is a Jack/Rat/Fox terrier mix. read more

From a teacup-size Chihuahua to a Great Dane, there is an incredible amount of variety among dog breeds. But all breeds belong to a single species, so scientists have studied the breeds to better understand the workings of evolution, and how such great variation could have arisen within one group. read more