Designer dogs: What is a breed anyway?

Australia Broadcast Center

23-05-2025

There's designer clothes, but they have nothing on designer dogs!
They come in a huge range of shapes and colours and sizes, from the tiny Chihuahua to the Great Dane.
In the animal world this much variation usually means different species, but not for dogs — so where did they all come from?
And what role did Victorian-era rats play in the development of 'breed standards'?
Featuring:
Joyce Sullivan, papillon breeder
Joyce Sullivan, papillon breeder Wayne Douglas OAM, Afghan Hound breeder
Wayne Douglas OAM, Afghan Hound breeder Esther Joseph, all breeds judge
Esther Joseph, all breeds judge Michael Worboys emeritus professor the University of Manchester
Michael Worboys emeritus professor the University of Manchester Professor Greger Larson, evolutionary genomics at the University of Oxford
Professor Greger Larson, evolutionary genomics at the University of Oxford Dr Angela Perri, zooarchaeologist, Chronicle Heritage
Dr Angela Perri, zooarchaeologist, Chronicle Heritage Dr. Elaine Ostrander, geneticist at National Institutes of Health (US)
Dr. Elaine Ostrander, geneticist at National Institutes of Health (US)
Dr Heidi Parker, geneticist at National Institutes of Health (US)
Further reading:
Production: