16 Dogs by Design-High

Dogs by Design FOCUS Question How and why have people created so many dog breeds?

人们是如何以及为什么创造了这么多狗的品种?

Survival! of the Chosen Genes are a part of every cell in every living thing. They control how living things look and behave. In order to survive, wild animals must adapt to changes in their habitat. The ones that succeed are able to reproduce. Then they pass on their genes to the next generation. This process is known as natural selection, or "survival of the fittest." But sometimes people decide which animals get to pass on their genes. We might want pigs that gain weight faster. We may want chickens that lay more eggs. Over the years, people have bred many kinds of animals to be tame or to serve a special purpose. These are domesticated animals. They are different from wild animals. They are part of an artificial process.

生存!被选择的基因是每个生物的每个细胞的一部分。 它们控制着生物的外观和行为。 为了生存，野生动物必须适应栖息地的变化。 那些成功的能够繁殖。 然后它们把基因传给下一代。 这个过程被称为自然选择，或“适者生存”。 但有时人们决定哪些动物可以传递他们的基因。 我们可能想要增重更快的猪。 我们可能想要下更多蛋的鸡。 多年来，人们培育了许多种动物来驯养或用于特殊目的。 这些是家养的动物。 它们不同于野生动物。 它们是人为过程的一部分。

Taming Wolves The dog was the first domesticated animal. About fifteen thousand years ago, humans formed relationships with wolves for the first time. Perhaps people found abandoned wolf pups and raised them. Or maybe tamer wolves spent time near humans, hoping for easy food. People liked wolves that showed certain traits, or qualities. They wanted wolves to help them hunt or protect them from danger. The most important trait people wanted in wolves was tameness. Tamer wolves were friendlier. So people bred the wolves that were the tamest. Over many generations, these tame wolves became what we now call dogs.

狗是最早被驯化的动物。 大约一万五千年前，人类第一次与狼建立了关系。 也许人们发现了被遗弃的狼崽并抚养它们。 也可能是温顺的狼花时间在人类附近，希望得到简单的食物。 人们喜欢表现出某些特征或品质的狼。 他们希望狼能帮助他们狩猎或保护他们免受危险。 人们希望狼具有的最重要的特征是温顺。 温顺的狼更友好。 所以人们饲养了最温顺的狼。 经过许多代，这些温顺的狼变成了我们现在所说的狗。

Why We Breed Dogs Since the first dogs were designed, people have created more than four hundred dog breeds, or types of dogs. They selected dogs with certain traits and bred them. Those desired traits were passed along to the offspring. Dog breeds come in many shapes and sizes. They also behave in very different ways. But all dog breeds are part of the same species, Canis lupus familiaris. Some breeds are great at hunting. Some breeds herd animals or carry loads. Other breeds are simply our companions. The American Kennel Club divides dog breeds into seven groups— sporting, hound, working, herding, terrier, toy, and non-sporting. One of the tallest dogs ever was a Great Dane named Zeus. He was 112 centimeters (44 in.) tall. The smallest dog alive is a pocket-sized pooch named Miracle Milly. This Chihuahua measures only 9.5 centimeters (3.8 in.) tall. Now, that's small!

自从第一只狗被设计出来以来，人们已经创造了400多种狗的品种或类型。 他们选择了具有某些特征的狗并进行繁殖。 这些理想的特征被遗传给了后代。 狗的品种有很多形状和大小。 它们的行为方式也非常不同。 但是所有的狗品种都是同一物种的一部分，犬科狼疮。 有些品种擅长打猎。 有些品种放牧或负重。 其他品种只是我们的同伴。 美国养犬俱乐部将犬种分为七类——运动犬、猎犬、工作犬、牧犬、梗犬、玩具犬和非运动犬。 曾经最高的狗之一是一只名叫宙斯的大丹狗。 他身高112厘米(44英寸)。 世界上最小的狗是一只口袋大小的狗，名叫奇迹米莉。 这只吉娃娃只有9.5厘米(3.8英寸)高。 现在，这是小!

Hunting Dogs The sporting and hound groups are considered hunting dogs. Retrievers, setters, spaniels, and pointers are examples of sporting dogs. They were bred to help locate and retrieve game birds, such as pheasants on land or ducks in the water. Hounds were bred to hunt for game on land, such as rabbits, raccoons, or deer. They hunt with their strong sense of sight or scent. This group includes greyhounds, dachshunds, bassets, and beagles.

运动犬和猎犬被认为是猎犬。 寻回犬、塞特犬、西班牙猎犬和指针犬都是运动犬的例子。 它们被培育来帮助定位和找回狩猎鸟类，比如陆地上的野鸡或水中的鸭子。 人们饲养猎犬是为了在陆地上寻找猎物，如兔子、浣熊或鹿。 它们凭借强烈的视觉和嗅觉来捕猎。 这一群体包括灰狗、腊肠犬、巴吉犬和小猎犬。

Working Dogs Three dog groups are considered working dogs. One of the groups is actually called the working dog group. Its members include huskies, Saint Bernards, and Doberman pinschers. They may pull sleds, perform search and rescue operations, or act as guards. Herding dogs such as collies, German shepherds, and English sheepdogs help ranchers or shepherds. These breeds round up livestock, such as sheep or cattle, into pastures or pens. Terriers, including Airedales and Scottish terriers, are bred to control pests. These dogs kill rats and other vermin. The dogs chase the pests or dig them up from underground dens. Wowser! Huskies in the Iditarod race pull a sled for 1,688 kilometers (1,049 mi.) over nine days.

工作犬有三种类型。 其中一个群体实际上被称为工作犬群体。 它的成员包括哈士奇、圣伯纳犬和杜宾犬。 他们可以拉雪橇，执行搜索和救援行动，或充当警卫。 牧羊犬，如牧羊犬，德国牧羊犬和英国牧羊犬帮助牧场主或牧羊人。 这些品种把家畜，如羊或牛，赶到牧场或围栏里。 包括爱尔兰梗和苏格兰梗在内的梗是用来控制害虫的。 这些狗杀死老鼠和其他害虫。 狗追逐害虫或从地下洞穴中挖出它们。 老古板!在Iditarod比赛中，哈士奇拉着雪橇在9天内跑了1688公里(1049英里)。