Canine genetics

" 'Modern dog breeds have been developed entirely by sportsmen and fanciers who have carefully selected and bred the various strange mutations spontaneously occuring in the stocks. Many of the stocks were probably of hybrid origin. After the breeds have once been established, they are perpetuated and perfected by careful selection.' Charles Stockard Those mutations were for giants, or acromegalic dogs: midgets, or ateliotic dwarfs; and true dwarfs, or achondroplastic animals; not to mention those that were brachycephalic, with the distinctive punched in nose that Stockard showed was the result of separate mutations for the upper and lower jaw. Unfortunatley, as people bred for extravagent looks, they selected against working ability, for reasons still not fully understood, although scientists analyzing inheritance believe that in many cases the genes for physical oddity might be closely related, if only spatially on a chromosome, to those controlling some types of behavior. Thus, focusing soley on peculiar charcteristics would have the unitended consequence of limiting or even eliminating desired bahavioural traits." Mark Derr

Form follows function. When a breed loses it's function, the breed itself is lost.