Mass of a Dog

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The Appearance of New Breeds

This graph, compares the maximum mass of most of the dog breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the year in which the breed was created. For example, the Yorkshire Terrier was bred during the 1800s and its maximum mass was 3 kg. Where a specific date of first appearance is not available the year in the middle of the range was assumed (i.e. 1800s is replaced with 1850). According to the graph, there was no relationship between dog size and year of breed creation. The change in dog size is not directed in any particular direction.

Click for a larger image or to view the raw data file.
Source: "Dog."World Book Encyclopedia. New York: World Book, Inc., 1989.

Dogs are one of the most popular pets worldwide. They were the first animals to be domesticated approximately 12,000 years ago. There are several breeds of dogs that are older than written history (the Mastiff, for example). Dogs vary greatly in size. The lightest is the Chihuahua, having a maximum mass of 3 kg, and the heaviest is the St. Bernard, with a maximum mass of 90 kg.

In the United States, there are over 50 million dogs kept as pets. There are hundreds of breeds of purebred dogs throughout the world. Approximately 150 of these breeds are recognized by the AKC. A purebred dog is a dog whose mother and father are of the same breed. In the AKC the breeds are separated into 7 groups: sporting, hounds, working, herding, terriers, toys, and non-sporting. Dogs within each group serve a specific purpose.

Jordan Levine -- 2002

Data and Story Project