The Various Groups / Breeds of Dogs

In order to understand a dog it helps to understand what that dog was bred to do. Forget about this modern mish mash of breeds you’ll see including the “everything-poo” mixes, but look at the ancestral traits of dogs.

This will start with the dog being the Canis familiaris or the actual species of DOG. From there the breakdown goes into the various groups of dogs… what they were bred to do. From there we enter the specific breed which will be the more specific detailed breeding.

Understanding these details will give you a “leg up” (so to speak) in understanding why a dog may do certain things and how they will do those things. Oftentimes they will fall into their inbred behaviors or traits of the group to which the dog belongs. Some may say that they have a Labrador who thinks he’s a German Shepherd, and that may well be. There are always exceptions to the rule. This is also why I’m not a fan of intentionally mixing breeds to try for some particular trait. You may get it, you may not. But the fallout of all the dogs that are not wanted after that breeding is immeasurable.

Since this course is designed to help you better train all kinds of dogs, I think these lectures and some basic demos will open your eyes to the possibilities.

~Robert