Oldest Dog Breeds: These dog breeds have been around for thousands of years
Ever wondered how long the ancestors of your furry friends have been around?
Some breeds can be dated back thousands of years.
Read on for some of the oldest dog breeds in history that are still alive today.
Greyhound
Greyhounds are the oldest purebred domesticated dog breed.
The first records of greyhound-type dogs date back about 8000 years.
In ancient Egypt they were revered as gods and were only allowed to be owned by royalty.
The greyhound is also the only breed of dog mentioned by name in the bible.
Akita Inu
The Akita Inu is an ancient breed with deep roots in its native Japan.
According to the American Kennel Club, the breed as we know it today developed in the early 17th century making the breed around 5000 years old.
Nenets Laika
The Nenets Laika breed were originally reindeer herding dogs used by the Nenet people form the European Russian Arctic and Western Siberia.
It is believed that they evolved from ancient dogs from the paleolithic era. They have survived with very little genetic changes making them one of the oldest dog breeds.
Greenland Dog
Dogs were first spotted in Greenland 4000 years ago and these dogs became known as the Greenland dog.
These dogs were tasked with pulling the sleds that carried the Thule people from Siberia.
Chow Chow
The Chow Chow is a breed of dog that originated in ancient China.
A research study found that these dogs and other East Asian dog breeds originated from Chinese indigenous dogs about 8300 years ago.
Afghan Hound
The Afghan Hound is a breed that was first bred thousands of years ago by nomadic people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India.
These dogs are extremely skilled hunters and were used to bring down large and small game.
They were brought from the Middle East to England in the 19th century by British soldiers.
Basenji
Paleontologists say that the first domesticated dogs looked a lot like the Basenji breed, according to the American Kennel Club.
Thousands of years ago, the breed were pariah dogs of the ancient Egyptians and then became hunting dogs for the tribes in the Congo.
Saluki
The Saluki is believed to be one of the oldest breeds in existence.
It is believed to date as far back as 7000 BC.
These hunting dogs were believed to once be the royal dogs of pharaohs.
Poodle
The Poodle is believed to have originated from similar dogs in Germany in the Middle Ages.
The breed as we know it today dates back to the 1800s.
The popular breed's name comes from the German word "pudel" meaning puddle or splash.
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