Ancient Dog Breeds
Dogs have been selectively bred for thousands of years although the DNA analyses have shown that many dog breeds are not as old as being widely believed. So far 14 dog breeds are identified as ancient dog breeds.
Afghan Hound notable for its long, thick and silky coat originates from the Afghan mountains and is one of the oldest dog breeds in the world. Its temper and behavior is commonly described as cat-like.
Pekinese is one of the most popular toy dogs and was the favorite pet of Chinese Imperial court but is also identified as an ancient dog breed. Pekinese originates from China, while its name refers to the Chinese capital Beijing.
Samoyed originating from Siberia, Russia, are distinctive for the snow white dense and double layer coat. DNA analysis identified Samoyed as one of the ancient dog breeds.
Siberian Husky also originates from Siberia, Russia, and has been confirmed by DNA analysis as one of the 14 ancient dog breeds as well. Siberian Husky is notable for its thick double coat in several color variations as well as by their distinctive eyes which can be dark or light blue, amber and brown, while some individual dogs can have eyes of different colors for example one eye blue and the other brown.
Alaskan Malamute originating from the United States (Alaska) and greatly resembling and sometimes mistaken for Siberian Husky was also identified as one of the ancient dog breeds. Other confirmed ancient dog breeds are Chow Chow (China), Basenji (DR Congo), Akita Inu (Japan), Saluki (Middle East), Lhasa Apso (Tibet), Shih Tzu (China), Shar Pei (China), Shiba Inu (Japan) and Tibetan Terrier (Tibet).