In a thread started by an inquiry about Airedales as hunting dogs, a discussion--I'm not going to call it an argument!--developed between hicntry and Qaz after hicntry posted on 8/28/2006. Hicntry, as I recall, had successfully bred some show Airedales up to a larger, tougher, hunting variety of the black and tan terriers. Qaz suggested that they were no longer purebreds: he called them mutts. He made an interesting statement: If a breed is the result of combining predecessor breeds A, B, C, and D to produce Breed E, and if you select back from E to C to the point that you have C, you no longer have Breed E. (Qaz, I hope that I have correctly restated you.) Hicntry countered by showing pictures of two dogs that, although large, certainly looked like Airedales to me. (Find that thread and read through it--if you are interested.
We've all seen dogs evolve, or devolve, over a period of time, and it is something that interests me. My math teacher in high school gave me a Doberman when I was sixteen. He was German bred, and a superb dog. He had a pedigree as full with champions and inter-national champions as it could be. Suffice it to say, the Dobermans that I have known in more recent years--Dobermans after years of being bred for pets--are not even in the same class with the one that I had. He was a natural born kill dog. He would starve for water before he would put his head into a bucket in such a way that he could not see around him. He was always on alert. He had courage. I could go on, but I've stated my point. But let me share an observation that I made a many years ago.
It is not generally the case now, but when I was a kid, almost every farm had a group of farm dogs which were largely mixed breeds. It might have been the case that the farmer acquired an English Shepherd or a Collie to work stock. Perhaps he was bird hunter and picked up a Pointer or a Setter. Maybe his wife acquired a Cocker Spaniel to keep her company and his kid a Beagle with which to hunt rabbits. Maybe Rats in the barn necessitated a Terrier of some sort. Perhaps some coonhunter lost his Black and Tan and it ended up at the farmer's place. Then there were the strays or drop offs that showed up. (The number and type of dogs varied considerably.) These dogs almost always managed to breed--as dogs will do.
What I observed was that, the more the dogs interbred, the more the progency tended to take on the type of the wild dog: Extremes disappeared. Hair became thick but not excessively long. Muzzles were moderately long and somewhat pointed. Ears went more or less erect. Colors became more drab and less visible in a natural setting. A certain intelligence emerged. A certain hardiness became evident. They tended to look more like Coyotes or Wolves.
I am convinced that, if people and fences went away, the domestic dog would revert to Wolf-like creatures. I am convinced that, if people and fences returned, from those Wolf-like creatures, a new variety of domestic dogs could be bred.
I would never call hicntry's beautiful, large, tough Airedales mutts, but I can see Qaz's point.
It is one thing when a breed is changed by selective breeding fully within the breed. It is another thing when a breed is changed by breeding, selectively or otherwise, without the breed. Problems develop when a breed is not out-crossed. Problems develop when a breed is out-crossed.
Is a 100 pound Airedale a purebred?
Is an Airedale that will not go to game a purebred.
Is an 80 or 90 pound Pit Bull a purebred?
Is a Pit Bull that will not fight another Bulldog a purebred?
Is an Irish Setter or a Cocker Spaniel that is useless as a bird dog a purebred.
This type of question could go on at length.
