Pet Talk: What is the oldest dog breed?

DEAR PET TALK: What is the oldest dog breed?

— DOG HISTORIAN

DEAR DOG HISTORIAN: We have answered questions about many dogs through the seasons, but the oldest dog breed question means we need research archaeology as well as canine genetics.

The human/animal bond goes back a long way, and recent genetic studies show that distinct breeds of dogs lived with human companions around 15,800 years ago during the last Ice Age! A burial site in Anatolia (Asia Minor) included bones of a canine who was buried alongside humans.

And this March, scientists re-examined an ancient dog’s jaw bone found at Gough’s Cave, Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, England, a century ago This bone had been stored in a drawer, and current DNA testing concluded that the bone was approximately 14,300 years old. That means, that 1,500 years after the Anatolian bone, humans and dogs had traveled thousands of miles and lived together long before humans began farming and settling in villages built around agriculture.

Wouldn’t you love to see what those ancient dogs looked like? Chances are, they looked similar to the following breeds, which are generally agreed to be the 10 oldest varieties of dogs. I love that oldest dog breeds span the globe.

We’ll start in Asia: the Chow Chow or “lion dog” from China originated some 8,300 years ago, making the Japanese Akita Inu comparatively recent — that pooch turns up in written records from the 1600s.

In Siberia, the sled dog, Nenets Laika is one of the oldest breeds in cold climates. These handsome, fluffy working dogs nearly died out in the 1900s when snowmobiles began to replace them. Fortunately, dog lovers worked to bring the breed back, and some 2,000 purebred Nenets Laikas exist today.

We assume Salukis, Afghan hounds, and greyhounds originated in the Middle East, because these thin, swift dogs are depicted in ancient art. The remains of either a Saluki or greyhound was excavated in modern-day Syria and show that the breed was present 4000 years ago.

In Africa, the Basenji (or a dog similar) is shown in Libyan and Egyptian artwork dating back 5,000 to 8,000 years.

In the New World, the Peruvian hairless dog and Xoloitzcuintli may have been bred from earlier dogs from Siberia. Scientists estimate those dogs were then isolated 9,000 years — during which time dog lovers bred a very small old species.

Spanish invaders noted Inca people had the Peruvian hairless, and the Aztec had small hairless dogs.

However, most scientists agree that the Greenland dog, which is similar to a husky but larger is the most ancient; dating back 11,500 years. The Thule people brought this working dog to Greenland 1,000 years ago. Because they were kept isolated from other breeds, they are undoubtedly among the oldest, and the Guinness Book of World Records says the Greenland dog gets the trophy for most ancient.

Sally Cragin is the director of Be PAWSitive: Therapy Pets and Community Education. Send questions to [email protected].