If you love dogs then you should know about the oldest dog breed in the world. How old is the world’s oldest pet dog? Some research places dogs domesticated as early as 40,000 years ago, but fossil evidence also suggests that dogs became man’s best friend around 14,000 years ago. What is the oldest dog breed in the world? While those early breeds of dogs have died out, many modern breeds have survived for thousands of years. So sit back and enjoy our analysis of the world’s oldest dog breeds.
List Of 10 Oldest Dog Breed
The following list contains 8 of the oldest dog breeds in the world, all of which are popular pets today.
- Akita Inu
- Greenland Sled Dog
- Basenji
- Tibetan Mastiff
- Afghan Hound
- Alaskan Malamute
- Samoyed
- Saluki
- Chinese Shar-Pei
- Chow Chow
10 Oldest Dog Breed
From the above list, there is the top ten oldest dog breed. Let’s take a look at these breeds that have been man’s best friend for centuries.
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Akita Inu
The Akita Inu is a historic and oldest breed of dog that originated in the mountains of northern Japan. The Akita Inu has a short double coat like many other Northern Spitz breeds. In 1937, Helen Keller was introduced to the first two Akitas to enter America, and today there are two distinct breeds of Akita, the Japanese Akita, and the American Akita.
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Greenland Sled Dog
The Greenland dog is a large breed of husky-type dog kept as a sled dog. The Thule people brought the Canadian Eskimo dog to North America from Siberia over 1,000 years ago. Today the breed is considered nationally and culturally important to Greenland, and efforts are made to preserve its purity. They can live up to 13 to 14 years and are the oldest living dog breed.
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Basenji
Do some people ask what are the 14 ancient dog breeds?
Basenjis are often cited as one of the most ancient dog breeds in the world and are believed to be the hunting dog depicted in cave paintings found in Libya around 6,000 BC. It was bred from stock in Central Africa and can live for 14 to 16 years. Basenjis are curious, highly energetic, and need a lot of exercises as inactive Basenjis are often destructive.
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Tibetan Mastiff
The Tibetan Mastiff is a large breed of Tibetan dog and the oldest domestic dog breed. Tibetan Mastiffs were originally used as guard dogs, guarding both property and livestock, so it’s no surprise that they are very territorial dogs. Since the 1980s, this breed has been gaining popularity worldwide and its lifespan is 12 to 15 years.
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Afghan Hound
The Afghan Hound is a hound known for its thick, fine, silky coat and the ring curl at the end of its tail. The breed is selected for its unique characteristics in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. The oldest dog breed lifespan is up to 13 to 17 years and they have a good running and turning abilities. The Afghan Hound is known as the foundation breed before the modern breed emerged in the 19th century.
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Alaskan Malamute
The Alaskan Malamute is a large breed of dog originally bred for strength and endurance to carry heavy loads as a sled dog and hunting dog. The Alaskan Malamute is the oldest and largest of the Arctic sled dog breeds, having been bred by the Mahlemut tribe, for whom the breed is named, around 2000 – 3000 years ago. They can live 10 to 14 years and it is the oldest dog breed alive.
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Samoyed
The Samoyed is a medium-sized breed of dog with a thick, white, double coat. The dogs were first brought to England in the 1800s and were given as a gift to Queen Alexandra, who promoted the breed widely. Samoyeds were originally used for hunting, herding reindeer, and pulling sleds and they can live 12 to 14 years.
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Saluki
Salukis are one of 14 breeds shown to be at least as distinct from wolves by DNA evidence. In fact, this breed has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest dog breed Wikipedia. Evidence of the origin of the Salukis dates back to ancient Egypt around 329 BC. They can live up to 12 to 14 years.
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Chinese Shar-Pei
Apart from the oldest dog breed in America, the Chinese Shar-Pei, often known for its folded and wrinkled skin, is an ancient breed that was first depicted on Chinese clay figurines as early as 206 BC. The Shar Pei is a short-coated medium-sized breed of dog, known for its highly wrinkled skin, and lives up to 11 to 12 years.
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Chow Chow
The Chow Chow is a spitz-type dog native to northern China and it is the purest dog breed. This breed is known for its blue-black tongue, which extends to its lips, making it the only breed with blue-black lips and an oral cavity. Chow Chows are a popular breed and many famous people keep them as pets, and they live for 11 to 13 years.
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FAQ
What Is The Oldest Dog Breed In America?
Known to exist in Mexico for over 3,000 years, the Xolo can justly claim the distinction as first dog of the Americas. The Xolo has three sizes – toy, miniature and standard, and two varieties, hairless and coated. The Xoloitzcuintli is AKC’s 170th breed.
Is There A 20 Year Old Dog?
Augie the Golden Retriever celebrated her 20th birthday – making her the oldest Golden ever. She was 20 years and 11 months when she passed away peacefully at home in Oakland, Tennessee. She was likely the 19th oldest dog ever as well as the oldest Golden.
Were There Dogs 2000 Years Ago?
Dogs were considered an important member of the human family, helping people hunt, about 8,000 years ago. Ultimately, that relationship led to the idea of dogs as pets—tamed animals kept for companionship inside the home—which can be seen as early as 2,000 years ago during the Roman years, Larson said.
Will Dogs Ever Be Immortal?
No, it’s not possible to make your pets immortal. But it’s easy to understand why people wish it were. The most painful part of being a pet owner is knowing that their beloved furball’s life will probably end before their own.
Conclusion
In this article, we share the details about what is the oldest breed of dog and some of their details like what is their lifespan and where they are from. We all know that dogs are man’s best friend and it is often noted that dogs have been an integral part of human history. The relationship between humans and dogs is thought to have first formed between 18,800 and 32,100 years ago when wolves came into contact with European hunter-gatherers. I hope you enjoy reading this post regarding the oldest dog breed in the world.