Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Dogs/Fighting breeds

The kick-off

• No breed owns any particular trait. ~ Elaine Ostrander, U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute vs the opposing view based on observation: "I think most dogs conform to the personality standard of their breed," says Jerry Klein, AKC’s chief veterinary officer. Klein disputes the study’s conclusions based on his personal observations. The information omitted in those cherry-picked quotes is what is most important, and it is the fact that a dog breed can have slightly different phylogenetic/genotypic subgroups. Professional breeders study lineage, dog show records, and temperaments very carefully when choosing breeding pairs; therefore, it is the selective breeding process that determines a dog's suitability for a particular task. Conformation dog show judges who are certified by official breed registries have a trained eye and an in-depth understanding of breed standards used in the development of as well as for the improvement of each breed. However, over in the shadows, we have the bad guys who are choose breeding pairs specifically for dog fighting, and it matters not to them if they use purebred dogs or mixed breeds. They will and do pick individuals with pedigrees that are known for certain traits and temperament, and further develop heterogeneous groups of dogs (both purebreds and mixed breeds) specifically for fighting. They customarily kill the losers in an effort to eliminate that particular cross. See the ASPCA article for more insight. Atsme 💬 📧 14:09, 19 August 2022 (UTC)
• The crux of my argument:

  The term “breed” is also problematic. The focus on general classes of dogs (e.g., sight hounds, scent hunters, shepherd dogs, and giant dogs) likely has prehistoric roots and led to the development of broadly distinct forms of dogs. For example, three differently sized dog types have been recorded at the 8,000-y-old Svaerdborg site in Denmark (17). Modern breeding practices, focused on distinct breeds with strict aesthetic requirements and closed bloodlines, only emerged in the 19th century, and claims for the antiquity (and long-term continuity) of modern breeds are based upon little or no historical or empirical evidence. In fact, recent historical records clearly demonstrate that most modern breeds experienced significant population fluctuations within the past 100 y (Table S1). Here, we only use the term “breed” when referring to modern dog breeds recognized by kennel clubs. PNAS Rethinking dog domestication by integrating genetics, archeology, and biogeography

• It says it all. Atsme 💬 📧 18:29, 21 August 2022 (UTC)