Their long silky hair requires some grooming to remain clean and mat-free, but they can be kept clipped short. They were bred for hunting in harsh conditions, so they are great for an active, outdoors family. While these fur-babies may look a little prissy, they actually do great in all types of weather and conditions. These dogs were originally from Afghanistan and known as the “Tazi.” One theory states that these ancient dog breeds originated in the Persian Empire before being brought to Afghanistan. While the wariness of strangers makes them great guard dogs, they need to be socialized properly to avoid aggression. Courageous and territorial, these canines make great guard dogs.Ī dog in this breed will weigh well over 100 pounds, so training needs to start in puppy-hood before they are too big to handle. They have short hair that sheds very little. They are willing to please and take well to training. Mastiffs are great in families with kids and other pets. Known in Asia as far back as 5,000 years ago, molossers are ancient dogs of war. These gentle giants are far removed from their ancestor, the molasser. This pooch will need the training to curb nuisance barking. They also shed quite a bit.Ī temperamental and shy breed, they need to be socialized properly to avoid becoming aggressive. This double-coated breed cannot tolerate warmer temperatures. Courageous and dignified, these canines are popular in the show ring. With lots of energy and high endurance, Akita’s are great for the active, outdoors person.ĭogs in this breed are healthy and loyal. Originally a hunting dog from Japan, the Akita is built for running down the game in snow and rugged terrain in the mountains of Japan. Here are twenty known most ancient dog breeds we have on the planet today. As such, we'll mention all of them and let you decide. Some canine researchers mention only seven breeds, while others go up to 20. However, to this day, scientists still do not agree on many ancient dogs and which ones deserve to carry this classification ( 12, 13). There's a lot of research investigating the history of dogs, and many scientific papers mention ancient breeds (like this Nature article and this Science article). ![]() These dogs have the longest history of living on the planet in their “original form,” thus, many are closely related to wolves and even bears. ![]() The ancient dogs (or the oldest dog breeds) are the ones we will cover in this list below. In fact, there's even a whole website dedicated to primitive dog breeds called Primitive and Aboriginal Dogs Society.Ī few true primitive dog breeds (wild dogs) include: Some of these breeds may have been extinct, while others still live among us. Primitive dog breeds are best described as aboriginals that historically lived in a specific world area and were never affected by interbreeding, and rarely crossed paths with other dogs. This category of dogs is most closely related to the term ancient dog breeds or oldest dogs. Here are the four most known extinct dog breeds: ![]() These are canines that, by definition, do not live among us anymore, even though some online sources incorrectly name existing breeds.Įxtinct dog breeds like these do not necessarily mean they are “ancient,” however, because some breeds may have been created in the previous centuries and then died off. Science is hard at work to discover and define ancient dogs, and even as recently as this year, one of the rarest dog breeds has been found in New Guinea.īut let's first define the three most commonly confused terms for “oldest dogs” – extinct, primitive, and ancient dog breeds. Today, many use different terminology to define these ancient dog breeds: ancient, extinct, primitive, or simply oldest dog breeds. Other than Europe, further ancient mitochondrial DNA tests also point to the Middle East ( 6), Central Asia ( 7), and East Asia ( 8, 9) as the main centers of dog domestication, going as far back as the Upper Paleolithic period 14,700 years ago.Ī large majority of popular dog breeds we have today are creations of humans through breeding ( 10, 11). Modern dog breeds share the ancestry of ancient dog breeds predominantly from the European continent ( 3, 4, 5). Scientists have now established that dogs are the most ancient domestic animals ( 1), and all American dogs originated in the Old World ( 2). While many dog breeds are now extinct, today's domesticated pet dogs have a surprisingly direct connection to those ancient breeds.
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