Review of what we have learned:

When looking for a collie, or looking for any dog, in fact, one must first understand the history of dogs and why there are different breed.  It is believed that the dog was the very first domesticated animal.  Their loyalty, dedication, and friendship over the 15,000 years of domestication has has earned them the title of “man’s best friend” over the ages.

The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term encompasses both feral and pet varieties and is also sometimes used to describe wild canids of other subspecies or species. The domestic dog has been (and continues to be) one of the most widely-kept working and companion animals in human history, as well as being a food source in some cultures.

The Evolution of Dog Breeds:

Over the millenia, men have needed dogs for various tasks.  In the past, all dogs were bred with a specific purpose in mind.  Their breeders wanted their dogs to have dominent traits that would serve the working purpose for which he needed him.  For instance, hunters needed their dog pals to be able to track down game, find game in a variety of places (under ground, in the woods, in the water), occassionally kill some game or vermint, and occassionally to be able to retrieve and return game (sometimes unharmed).  The men who needed these types of dogs kept and bred the best dogs with these hunting / tracking traits.  Some men needed dogs who would guard and herd their livestock - without killing them.  Dogs such as a terrier type would not work well with these men since their desire was to kill and track - so different traits were established in the herding breeds. Various other dogs types were needed to perform other skills as well, such as riding beside a horse and carriage without getting spooked (dalmation).

Once a dog type with specific traits, body shapes, and looks was established, this dog began to be called by different breed names. Dogs with specific traits, known by a specific breed type, are bred to each other to produce decendants with the same exact looks and traits as their ancestors.

Purebreed Dogs:

A dog who’s parents can trace their lineage through ancestors of the same specific breed line are called “purebred”. There are over 800 recognized breeds in the world.  When one dog of one breed is mated with a dog of that same breed, they will produce purebred puppies.

Professional breeders focus on keeping the traditionally bred traits in their chosen breed, selecting the best 2 parents with the most desireable traits in hopes of perpetuating that trait to its fullest.  Individual dogs of a particular breed who exibit undesireable traits of that breed (such as cowardlyness in a german shephard)  or who do not meet traditional breed standard are not suitable for perpetuating the breed line because their genes could shift the focus and purpose of that particular breed in the wrong direction. 

Many different beliefs exist about the ethics of breeding one dog to another.  Some people believe that it ruins the established breed line and can cause harmful genetic disorders.  Others respond by saying that breeds were originally formed by crossing many different breeds to begin with.  While it is possible to form a completely new breed by mating dogs of different breeds, it takes a lot of knowledge, experience, study, and time - sometimes many, many dog generations pass before a perpetuating breed can be established!  For this reason, professional breeders and breed experts discourage hobbyists from mating two different breeds - hobbyists simply do not have the knowledge, skill, or breed background knowledge to understand the genetics and purpose of breeding dogs for specific traits & attributes.

Cross-Breeds and Mixed Breeds (Mutts):

Today, a trend among some breeders is to “cross-breed” (mating one purebred dog to another purebred dog of a different breed).  From these matings we have the labradoodle, cockerpoo, and various other “trendy” dogs.  These are not official breeds and mating one cross-breed dog to another of the same cross-breed will not produce cross-breed pups (A labradoodle male and a labradoodle female will not produce a labradoodle puppy).  Many professional breeders and breed enthusiasts do not like this form of dog creation because it requires constant mating of the same generation of purebreed dogs since decendants of two crossbreeds will not make more crossbreeds. 

Mixed Breed Dogs are dogs that contain many breeds in their ancestry.  These dogs are typically born from “oops” types of relationships between homeless dogs and pet dogs in the same home who have never been fixed.  More thanlikely they were not bred for any specific purpose or character trait.  Their decendants will never make a purebred dog.

Degredation of Breed Lines:

Unfortunately, “backyard breeders” and puppy mills, hoping to turn a quick profit off of so-called purebred dogs, have caused many lines of dog breed to loose their original traits and instincts (such as yorkshire terriers that end up well over 20 pounds!).  Unscrupulous breeding standards, lax registration standards of some kennel associations, and simply a lack of knowledge on the breeder’s part are all causes of ill-bred dogs today (as well as an over population of homeless dogs in kill-shelters!).