I like to think about random subjects, and this is my newest one! Take your best shot at not being biased when answering this question please (aka don’t go ‘No such and such breed is better than other breeds’ just because you happen to have this breed).
How do you feel about the over 400 different dog breeds there are? Were all dogs created ‘equally’? Equally being defined as they all have the abilities to preform any task, given vigorous training? If you agree, then do you believe a hound has the ability to adequately perform in herding (this is just a randomly picked pair; I could have also said a bulldog doing retrieving work, but you get the idea)? If you disagree – explain. Does one dogs purpose, rank higher than another dogs purpose? I want reasoning!
I realize this question is completely random, but it stems from the ‘All men are created equally’. Since in present society we have a tendency to ‘humanize’ dogs, it got me thinking…
Are all canines created equally?
I don’t think you can define them as “Equally being defined as they all have the abilities to preform any task, given vigorous training” as each breed was created to serve a different purpose.
For example, the border collie was bred for herding, the chihuahua was bred to be a companion. Those are two completely different purposes, neither is more valuable than the other in the grand scheme of things. It really depends on what your needs are.
Also, no amount of training is going to compare to the gifts each were bred with. Can you expect a border collie to track as well as a bloodhound?
You could say, all are equally important in that they all serve a different purpose. But to try and state that all should be able to perform all tasks, or that one task is more important than another, is really quite biased.
Edit: I think you meant me. I wasn’t implying that you were defining them as such, merely explaining my reasoning for why it couldn’t be so.
Edit: No pickle. Such are the drawbacks of written communication.
Sure, I think given the proper training almost any dog could perform any task (given they were physically able.) Just some breeds are better suited for the task, and that is why they are used.
As far as whether they are all created equal, no, I don’t think so. It goes back to the same thing I mentioned before, that some breeds are truely suited for certain tasks.
But all breeds have their strong points, so they are all equal in worthiness.
no, all dogs are not created equally, there are so many wonderful breeds b/c they were “created” for specific purposes. Yes, you can train some breeds to do things they weren’t intended for, I have dobes- dobes have been trained to herd, and work as retrievers, but can you see a yorkie herding sheep? thank goodness there are so many wonderful breeds to choose from, different strokes for different folks
Created equally-yes. Bred to do equal tasks? I dunno. I guess it depends on what is important to you. A sheep farmer finds his dog valuable, because the dog saves him so much time and energy, herding and caring for his investment. My Pomeranian was bred for companionship, and that’s very valuable to me. I think all purposes they have been bred to are useful. How’s that for a random answer??
I believe dogs were created equally, just as humans. however they are not equal in the same way. just as you said, hounds were not bred for herding, but the dogs that were are good at it. so i believe that no dog is greater than another, but that each dog has its own purpose, which is equal to any other dogs purpose.
=]
to answer your question no not all dogs are created equally. some are bread to look better and some are bread to be stronger and bigger than others. if you are interested in breeding dogs then you should visit the american kennel club website, you will find a lot more information aobut this question there. but back to the question no not all dogs are created equally.
hope i was helpful
http://www.akc.org
i bet most dogs could do the work of other breeds
i mean, thats what has been happening
mutts do alot of jobs ONLY fullbloods were to do
but yeah
as long as they have the same size,,,
but it really depends on the dog itself
i mean
rotties were for herding origionally
and so are corgi’s
totalyl different types
sooo yeah
Certain dogs were bred to do certain jobs and as a whole the breed that was bred to do the job is the best at it. That does not mean there are not exceptions. So, no they were not created equally but each better in its own right.
A DOG IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS OWNER.
THE BREED IS IRRELEVANT. THEY ALL LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY.
What counts is the human-canine bond and if it’s a good match. Committment, love, trust…
What you give you get back…and more
I’ll just jump in and say I have seen a Pit Bull herd a flock of sheep before!
It can be done!
Add: All dogs are NOT created equal. With all the breed banning and BSL, how are they created equally?
Livestock guardians and guide dogs would rank at the most useful.
If we could keep one breed and all others had to go the german shepherd is probably the most useful and flexible.
Edit: i see some silly answer with people saying any dog can perform any task, Thats total nonsense, some breeds are incapable of being watch or guard dogs, same as some dogs are incapble of pulling a sled in cold conditions or doing water rescue or leading the blind. what waffle! lol
“Equally being defined as they all have the abilities to preform any task, given vigorous training?”
In this context, no. Some dogs are just not build to do some things that other dogs are. For example: Asking a chihuahua to corner bears for you.
Or: Asking my doberman to retrieve ducks in the water for you. He sucks at swimming, not physically built to swim well with small cat-like paws.
I don’t think that some dog “purposes” are higher than other, for example, herding vs sporting vs working. They’re just different, serving different needs.
“All men are created equal” only means in terms of political rights. Obviously people are not created equal. People all have different interests and natural propensities and skills, just like dogs.
Dogs have been selectively bred for hundreds of years with breeders breeding only from those dogs who excel at doing a particular job – that’s why Sheepdogs herd, Bloodhound follow trails and Terriers dig holes!
They have been bred up in size to produce guarding breeds like the Great Dane & down in size to produce Lapdogs like the Pomeranian.
If I want a dog who can run I’ll get a Saluki (which are actually faster than a Greyhound) not a Basset hound.
If all dogs were created equally we’d have a species which was Jack of all Trades – and master of none!
No, canines are not created equally – horses for courses.
I dont think all men or dogs are created equal. Like dogs people have lots of different talents. There are fast runners and herders and plodders. Each one has a talent for different things and all of them important. If you are going to buy a greyhound and expect it to keep you company as a lapdog then you are going to be disappointed. My dogs keep me company, love to go for walks but dont need a huge amount of exercise, and stand guard over me when I need it. A farmer or a gamekeeper would need a different kind of dog. The reason there are so many breeds is because people have so many requirements and you have to pick one that suits your lifestyle. Edit: Having said all that I have two huge Mastiffs and a Rottie and they all try and sit on my lap and just one of them weighs in at 70kg!
Great question!
I do think they’re equal in the eyes of their creator. There are lots of breeds but each breed (and each dog within the breed) is unique. My dog might bark too much and eat weird things, but he’s also adorable, loves humans and makes me laugh.
Another dog might not be pleasing to me in appearance, but might be the most loyal dog on the planet.
It’s “our” job to celebrate what’s good in our unique dogs, and overlook what isn’t. They’re not perfect, but then neither are we.
I have had six dogs (still have two) over the years, they were/are large dogs and all but the two living kept it up for 15 years or more each. Each had distinct personalities. Dogs for the most part do what they want. I had one that, although not the breed for it, I could not keep out of the back yard pond. One of my labs I could not get out of the river when our walks were over but she never went in the pond. One would chase anything I threw and another would only chase the one chasing the thrown object. Dogs love to learn and will do what they are capable of. But each one is as different as you and me. Only two of my dogs were what you might call pure bred but they came from the pound. So I recommend a pound mutt anytime, you may not think so but they will be eternally grateful and they will show it.
LOL!!
When you said that thing about hounds and herding it brought back an infamous image to my head.
I frequent sheepdog trails a lot. And I have once seen a bloodhound herding. His owner had stated that he was bored with his dog only being able to track, and since he wasn’t in law enforcement wasn’t able to show off his dog’s skills that much.
Nevertheless, not all dogs are created equal. Chihuahuas can not be service dogs, Great Danes are not lap dogs, although they think they are, and no dog can beat a racing Greyhound.
When you look at some of the facts there are dogs superior to another in a certain field, just like a doctor has no right doing construction or a garbage man transplanting a kidney.
Like humans all dogs have their speciality.
Therefore, men are not equal to one another in speciality or intelligence and neither are their dogs (although my corgi is a world reknown writer and painter lol j/k!)
Are all canines created equally? Yes, in the same sense that humans are created equally. Are they all equally capable of performing the same task? No. Are they all capable of being trained to perform any task? Yes, I believe you can train a dog to do anything that you want to do regardless of breed. Sure, certain breeds tend to excel at certain tasks. But that doesn’t mean a breed that was bred primarily to do some other task can’t also do well at something that isn’t their “specialty.” And even if a dog was bred to do a specific task that doesn’t mean that every individual of that breed will be able to do that task…there are plenty of border collies, shepherds, etc that are useless for herding. A gun-shy sporting dog will be useless for hunting. And not all retrievers possess the soft mouth that enables them to retrieve game without damaging it. I personally know a papillon who is a titled weight pull champion. He’s damn good at pulling. This doesn’t make him useful the same way a malamute or pit bull would be for pulling heavy things, but he really enjoys it and if his owner had said “I shouldn’t even bother training that dog to pull because he’s a papillon,” would have meant that his life would be that much less fulfilling for him. I try as many different activities with my dogs as possible. If they enjoy it and I enjoy it, then we continue to do it even if they aren’t great at it. If they don’t like it or I don’t like it, then we don’t continue…simple as that. I personally love rally obedience. One of my dogs loves it and we have a great time together at rally competitions. My other dog is miserable and when I do take her to competitions we are both pretty unhappy. So she is now semi-retired from rally (we still do a few, just because I think she needs to continue to cope with doing things she doesn’t like occasionally, but never more than two trials a year and only if they are in the same town we live in).
As for one dog’s purpose ranking higher than another…as a general statement that applies to all humanity the answer would have to be hell no. The reason there ARE so many different breeds (and the reason that there are so many people set on believing that herding dogs should only herd and only herding dogs should perform this task, etc, etc) is because everyone has different needs. We spayed a 3lb yorkie at work today. She’s cute and all (and probably very smart), but I personally have no use for a dog that small. Likewise, that yorkie’s owner probably couldn’t imagine having two 70-80lb german shepherds as housedogs.
Dogs are dogs, so yes, they’re all created equally and all enjoy the same legal protection from abuse and cruelty. As far as any breed being able to perform any task with the proper training? No. You can’t turn a Labrador Retriever into a apprehension police dog. Sure he/she can sniff for narcotics but it can’t do protection work. It could be trained to bite the sleeve, but that’s because they have high prey drive, they do not genetically have fight drive which is what police service dogs are bred for. But as far as I can think, if the breed of dog is physically capable of the said task, yes, I believe they can do anything anyother breed can do given a large amount of patience. Do I believe hound could become a herding dog? Sure if he was a more athletic breed of hound with adequate prey drive. Could you train a sight hound to do scent tracking? Sure. Could you race Pugs at the Greyhound track? Sure. Can you use Collie as a sled dog? Why not. The only thing is any breed bred for a task is going to be better at that said task than any breed not bred for that said task. Now I know you said don’t be biased but, I think the highest purpose any dog or human could ever have is to take on the responsibility to protect others. I think Police Service Dogs, and war dogs are the heroes of the Dog World just as Police Officers and our Military men and women are to us. That said, any of the dog breeds suitable for police/military work have a great purpose. German Shepherd Dogs, Belgian Malinois, Dutch Shepherds, and Rottweilers seem to be the only acceptable 4 breeds for police/military work, but I think police/military are slightly “breedist” against other breeds such as the American Bulldog, and even some Pitbulls who could be just as effective at police work but have a bad wrap. But like I said, it’s all a question of drive and physical ability. Labs retrieve because they have high prey drive, but you could just as easily teach a Boxer with high prey drive to go out duck hunting with you.
I dont think that there should be dog breeds…..it helps contribute to the overpopulation of dogs….ie overcrowding than the killing of dogs.
However if I were to rank i’d put Labs at the top..they are great service dogs.
i like golden retrievers
all kinds of labs
chiwawas
blood hounds*
basset hounds