Dogs: Their Origins

Animal DNA research studies show that man’s best friend, the dog, slowly evolved from wolves around 15,000 years ago after humans began selectively breeding wolves. God created wolves, but the origins of all dog breeds, from Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds and Poodles to Yorkshire Terriers, Beagles and Boxers, can be traced back thousands of years to when humans first began breeding wolves. (Note: For more information about the origin of dogs, (click here)

Evolution of Dog Breeds
It’s estimated there are now upward to 800 different dog breeds. Only about 150 of these breeds, however, are populated throughout the world. All 800 dog breeds, however, as we noted earlier, were created by humans through selective breeding, a process dog breeders continue to use to create entirely new breeds or to further improve the pedigree qualities of existing breeds. While some breeds were developed thousands of years ago, most, however, are relatively new, and were created within the past 500 years. The German Shepherd breed, for example, only dates back to the late 1800s, even though they’re now one of the world’s most popular dog breeds. Note: To learn more about different AKC dog breeds, (click here.)