Dogs The Dog Family 1

Dogs vary in size shape and appearance more than any other animal species.  For an example, all cats from a Siamese to a tiger share a family resemblance. But dog breeds vary so much that it is hard to believe that a Mastiff and a Chihuahua belong to the same species. In addition, A Yorkshire Terrier only comes up to the ankles of a Mastiff, which may be more than one hundred times its size.   Officially the Chihuahua is the smallest breed but a few Yorkies are smaller than any Chihuahua. Indeed the record holder which lived in the 1940's was no bigger than a pack of cards.

It's hard to choose between giants such as the Irish wolfhound and the Great Dane or miniature such as between the Shaggy. Did English Sheepdog and the naked Mexican Hairless. All of these dogs can be the best of the companion but it is important to choose a breed that will suit your own lifestyle. For centuries human  have taken advantage of the dog's adaptable design to develop different types of dogs for different jobs such as  hunting guarding or herding. Today there are dogs with stumpy legs or stilike legs heavy coats or none at all long noses or flat faces upright ears or floppy ears. But whatever its type the dog has a long ancestry as man's best friend.