The Truth About Dogs - Atlantic Article on Genetics - Page 1

Three part aricle in the Atlantic Journal about the genetics and origin of the dog .. much of what we thought we knew about the dog and it's origins is in fact not correct based on science and in this case 1999 science .. especially good in this three part series is a discussion of breeding and why breeding to eleminate things such as hip dysplasia or other diseases or problems with a genetic component may not work or improve the breeds.  There are newer and more detailed sources of information but this article does a good job of discussing canine genetics without being a 500 page tome.  Link below to the first in the series and then from the first continue to the second and third in the series.

http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/99jul/9907dogs.htm

Thanks for sharing that.

Will read all 3 in due course, looks interesting.

Whatever happened to Stephan Budiansky ?  Is he still 

alive, still involved with dog-related things ?  Our media

just seemed to drop him, not too long after '99.

just read it and there are good bad and stupid statments in it , obviously the writer doesnot understand dogbehaviour very well, and several statements are presented in a way to fit his general believe

all and all nothing new and certainly not the truth about dogs as advertised LOL

The genetics part is excellent and the behavioral parts are a matter of who is reading and how much they know ( or think they know ).  Exactly what is a Tea Cup Poodle other than an entertaining little parasite??  Most so called working dogs do no work and serve no useful purpose other than gaining some title that has no monetary or material benefit to their host (owner) other than ego and self gratification ( maybe the puppy trade ??).  The primary goal of all creatures, animals, and plants is to survive long enough to reproduce.  Dogs are excellent at this task and humans help them out so I would say this is why dogs are such successful creatures be they a tiny terrier or an Irish Wolf Hound.  Beagle hounds are not hunting rabbits for their owners table ( pretty costly rabbit meat ) and bird dogs are not pointing quail for a dinner feast ( again the economics don't work ).  I breed dogs but it sure isn't about the money because their are much easier ways to go broke.  The dogs have adapted to living with humans because they gain an advantage from that association.  Not sure, then count the grey wolves in the lower 48 and then count all the dogs and tell me which branch of the grey wolf family made the better decision about who to become allies or enemies with.  Grey wolves have existed for millions of years and even today if humans disappeared all dog breeds would cease to exist or become grey wolves again within a few thousand years if nature was left to choose the fittest, best adapted, and the smartest.  I am pretty sure Tea Cup size grey wolves would not be part of that process however.

bubba everybody is free to write and believe what they wants

Bubba, excellent article! Thank you for posting it. 

Informative & well argued, and maybe a little ahead of its time (99);

I wouldn't expect anything else from this author.  Could probably

have done without the humerous bit @ the beginning ...