A breed is a group of dogs that more or less have similar qualities, behaviour and looks.
A dog whose parents belong to the same breed is called a purebreed, whereas a dog whose parents belong to different breeds is called crossbreed and dogs from unknown parents are called mixbreeds.

The dog evolved from its wolf like ancestor thousands of years ago, and since then has been serving humans one way or the other. Through controlled breeding dogs were bred for specific qualities. There are well over 300 different breeds of dogs, each having a special quality. But today, most of these breeds have lost their duties and serve as 'Companions' to humans.

For thousands of years humans have been involved in selective dog breeding. The result of this has been amazing, from the Great Dane & St Bernard to the Chihuahuas and the Tibetian breeds. Dogs are mainly bred for behaviour, abilities, size, color and coat. Whatsoever they may look like through controlled breeding they are all 'descendents of the wolf', hence even the smallest of dogs can be truly dangerous.

Broadly speaking there are six main groups of breeds :

 

The Working Dogs These include Guarding dogs, Herding breeds and the Huskies. Guarding dogs as the name suggests were bred to protect humans and their properties. Herding breeds were bred for stamina, they evolved to work as a team with farmers and shepherds e.g the Alsatian & the Collie. Different Breeds in this Group

The Gundogs Setters, Pointers, Retrievers and Spaniels are mainly used by hunters to detect and retrieve game. They were bred to be cooperative and respond to human commands. Different Breeds in this Group

The Hounds These are mainly of two types, the Sight hounds (e.g Greyhound) and the Scent hounds (e.g Bloodhound). The hounds help to track down and catch prey. Different Breeds in this Group

The Terriers Originally developed to chase small game and vermin, generally with short and powerful legs which make them great diggers. They are stubborn and seldom back down when challenged. Different Breeds in this Group

The Utility Dogs The tasks performed by certain dogs have faded over the years and they have been grouped together as the 'utility' breed. Dogs such as the Bulldog, Dalmation & Sharpei come under this category. Different Breeds in this Group

The Toy Dogs These dogs are essentially small in size and what keeps them going is affection and human contact. e.g the Chihuahuas, Maltese and the Pekingese. Different Breeds in this Group