What is the first known breed of dog?

Answer 1

Evolutionary ethologists don't think there was one dog in the beginning. Dogs evolved from wolves, but wolves like dogs also have many breeds. Various breeds of dogs have evolved from the different types of wolves.

The table below outlines all the different groups of dogs and where they came from. We're not sure how long ago this all was, but dogs were first domesticated around 14,000 years ago.

Clutten-Brock, J. (1999). A natural history of domesticated mammals. Cambridge University Press.

1.Canis lupus chanco (small Chinese wolf) > Early Chinese and Mongolian Dogs

2.Canis lupus lycaon (large Northern wolf) > Eskimo breed of spitz type

3.Canis lupus Arabs (small western Asiatic wolf)

>European and Southern Asiatic Dogs

>Canis familiaris metris-optimae (Shepard dogs)

>Canis familiaris inostranzewi (Northern Indian moloses)

>Canis familiaris intermedius (braques)

>Canis familiaris leineri (harriers)

My guess would be to look into the Kennel Club, as they are the registered organisation that deals with dog breed definition: when they started was when dog breeds were defined as they are today. All others from art, or literature in history are simply close resemblences physically to the breeds we have today, but they may not actaully be the same or related breeds