The Afghan Hound has its origins from Middle Eastern Sighthounds with roots that date back to the Egyptian Pharaohs. Most of these dogs were used by nomadic tribes in order to hunt the ground for gazelles, hare, and other small animals to bring back for food. For centuries, the Afghan Hound breed remained isolated in the Afghanistan Mountains. These mountains were practically impenetrable.

Afghan Hounds often hunted with the partnership of falcons, which were trained to swoop at the quarry. These dogs spent generation after generation hunting through rough conditions in harsh mountains.

Although the exact origin of the Bearded Collie is not known for sure, it is estimated that this dog probably originated from one of two breeds: the Lowland Polish Sheepdog or the Magyar Komondor. We do know for certain, by specific records, that two Lowland Polish Sheepdogs made their way to Scotland when Polish traders brought the dogs there sometime during the year of 1514.

While it is true that many dogs were drawn up in artwork that resembled the Bearded Collie in paintings, dating back to the 18th century, solid evidence of the breed description did not show up until sometime during the early 19th century, at the time it was officially published.

Dog fighting and bull baiting were considered to be a leading form of entertainment throughout Europe in the past. Owners of these warrior dogs were in a constant state of breeding different strains in order to produce increasingly better and stronger fighting dogs.

Sometime during the early 1800s, there was a cross between the old English Terrier and the Bulldog. The result was a dog which was known as the “Bull and Terrier”. Soon enough, the Spanish Pointer was added to the mix in order to give more size to the animal.

As you can probably tell by its name, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have Spanish roots. These dogs are also said to be the reason why European Toy dogs existed in the first place.

People bred small spaniels with various Oriental Toy breeds and the results were small Tudor lapdogs, otherwise reffered to as “comfort” spaniels. The wealthy actually use them as foot warmers and to attract fleas that were otherwise bothering the owner.

Toy Spaniels eventually became popular because it appealed to people of all ages. Sometime during the 1700s it is said that King Charles II was so taken by his Toy Spaniels that he was actually accused of ignoring important state affairs in order to spend time with his dogs.

Nobody knows for sure the exact origins of the Collie dog breed, or even where its name came from. One specific theory is that the Collie was derived from the same bloodline as the Border Collie.

Another theory concerning the name “Collie” is that it comes from the Gaelic word for “useful”, which definitely describes how useful these dogs were for farmers and as stock dogs. They were considered to be of high value to the the Celts when they first settled in the British Isles.

The Bulldog was extremely popular in England during the 19th century, particularly around the area of Nottingham. Most of these dogs were very small, weighing in at less than 25 to 30 pounds. They made their way to France when a large number of lace workers headed to the area for work and brought their small toy Bulldogs with them.

The Frenchwomen absolutely adored these little dogs, specifically the ones that had erect ears. This feature of the ears were very common, but most people did not like this look back in England. Soon enough, many more of these clown-like looking dogs were brought to France by dog dealers, which were referred to as Bouledogue Francais.

Although the Italian Greyhound has been in existence for centuries, the exact origin of this beautiful breed of dog is completely unknown. There is evidence of artwork that dates back more than 2000 years ago that depicts these dogs in areas such as the Mediterranean, Greece, and Turkey.

Italian Greyhounds were known as “Miniature Greyhounds” and were found in abundance throughout areas of southern Europe. They were especially adored by Itailian courtiers.

Sometime during the 17th century, this dog breed arrived in England and rose in popularity with the nobility.They became just as popular in England as they had been in their homeland of Italy.

Although there is a bit of confusion concerning the background and origin of the Scottish Terrier, researchers do have conclusive documentation and information that shows this dog breed thriving back to the late 1800s.

What is the confusion about? For starters, we used to refer to all terrier-types that were from Scotland as “Scottish Terriers”. In addition, today's official Scottish Terrier used to be grouped as a “Skye Terrier”. Whatever the origin may be, early Scottish Terriers were some of the hardest working hunting dogs alive. They would go in strong pursuit of their prey through any condition and terrain.

The Silky Terrier has an interesting point of origin. During the late 1800s, many Yorkshire Terrier dogs from England were brought to Australia. Most of these dogs were colors of tan and steel blue. They were then bred with Australian Terriers whom had tan and native blue colors. These breeding efforts were designed to create a dog with improved coat color while maintaining its robust conformation.

Many of the descendents from crossing these breeds started to appear with a slightly different look and were named the “Silky Terrier” because it was thought that an entirely new breed was starting to emerge. They were medium in size and coat length, as compared to its parental stock.

The Basenji is one of the oldest and most primitive of all dog breeds. This animal was discovered by Pygmy hunters in the lands of the African Congo. The early tribes used them as pack hunters which helped drive small game into net traps.

England started to see Basenji dogs brought to their lands during the 1800s and into the 1900s, but most of them did not survive due to distemper. However, sometime during the mid-1930s, quite a few Basenji's for successfully brought to England and became the basis for all future breeds that took place outside of Africa.

It was at this time when the term “Basenji” was made the official name of this particular dog breed. It means “bush thing”. More and more of these dogs were imported to England and eventually they came to America.