So many different breeds of dog!

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Stunning dog breed photos
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There are up to 400 different breeds of dog in existence today, and still more are being created, and they`re all amazing!

TheAKC (American Kennel Club) has 173 `Recognized Breeds`, another 14 inthe `Miscellaneous` category, and 47 considered to be `Rare Breeds` intheir Foundation Stock Service Group. These figures are always growing.

Dogs come in a much greater variety of sizes, shapes, colors andcharacteristics than any other animal in existence... and this has beenachieved by the selective breeding practices we`ve developed over thelast couple of centuries.

Originally dogs were bred forcharacteristics that made them better at the roles/jobs that we hadgiven them, for example herding or guarding.

Over time thispractice extended to include breeding dogs who were purely companions,and eventually certain combinations of features and characteristics werechosen just for the `look` or because they were different, rather thanwith a particular function in mind.

Video: How Different Are Different Types of Dogs?

This is the basis for the incredible variety of different breeds of dog we`re lucky enough to share our planet with!

Stunning Dog Breed Photos

Although there are literally hundreds of different `styles` of dog tochoose from, each one is stunning and intriguing in it`s own right.

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National Geographic Magazine`s February 20112 Editionhas a fascinating article devoted to the subject of canine diversitywhich takes a look at how the of canine genetics is contributing to ourunderstanding of human genetic diseases and conditions.

Inaddition to the article`s fascinating scientific theories anddiscoveries, there are some gorgeous photos that clearly show themind-boggling variations that exist between breeds.

NationalGeographic Magazine, and the photographer Robert Clark have kindly givenme permission to share these photos with you, so I hope you enjoy them.

Thesedogs were all participants in the 2011 Westminster Dog Show and arestunning representatives of their breeds... under each photo you`ll alsofind that specific breeds place in the AKC`s 2010 Popularity Ranking.

You can see the following photos and many more on the National Geographic website by clicking on this link.

Afghan Hound AKC Rank #86

Photo Credit ©Robert Clark/National Geographic

Great Pyrenees AKC Rank #71

Photo Credit ©Robert Clark/National Geographic

Puli AKC Rank #145

Photo Credit ©Robert Clark/National Geographic

Belgian Malinois AKC Rank #76

Photo Credit ©Robert Clark/National Geographic

Papillon AKC Rank #35

Photo Credit ©Robert Clark/National Geographic

Rhodesian Ridgeback AKC Rank #46

Photo Credit ©Robert Clark/National Geographic

I hope you`ve enjoyed these beautiful dog breed photos as much as I did,and that it`s given you a quick glimpse into the diversity which existsbetween the different breeds of dog that are such a big part of ourlives.