Dog Breeds

This is the official listing of all American Kennel Club dog breeds.

What is a dog breed?

Since prehistoric times, people have been breeding dogs. Dog breeders first used wolves to make domestic dogs. Dogs were bred to do various tasks from the beginning. The first jobs that the dog was eager to do were of guarding and hunting, as well as herding.

Humans have bred dogs for thousands of years to develop the best physical and mental characteristics possible to perform the tasks they are expected to do. Two examples of dogs that were bred specifically for specific tasks are the sleek Greyhounds and large mastiffs used to hunt prey on the fly and the guard dogs and warriors who were bred to be able to handle them.

Dogs became more sophisticated as humans got smarter. There were eventually specific breeds of dogs that could be bred specifically to meet the needs and circumstances of breeders. For example, the Greyhound was the foundation breed for the enormous Irish Wolfhound and the delicate Italian Greyhound. Although they share a common family, you wouldn’t be able to mistake any of them for the other.

What makes a breed a breed? Is it a specific breed or breed? It is easiest to define a breed by saying it “breeds true.” This means that a purebred Irish Setter bred to another Irish Setter will always result in dogs immediately recognizable as Irish Setters.

The ideal traits of each breed’s movement, temperament, and physical characteristics are outlined in a written document called “breed standards.”

Each breed’s AKC standard begins with its “parent club”, the AKC-recognized national organization dedicated to that breed. A standard is approved by AKC and becomes the “blueprint” for a breeder. It also serves as the tool used by dog show judges in evaluating a breeder’s work.

Over 340 dog breeds are known around the globe. The American Kennel Club recognizes the following breeds.