How far back do you think the tradition of breeding “toy” sized breeds goes?
In Europe, merchants and sailors were trading small dogs from 2,000 BC, especially a small white companion dog known originally as a ratter.
In Central America, there is record of a small dog with a “globular shaped head” was bred to a companion, a dog that was probably the predecessor of the modern Chihuahua. This was around 2,500 BC.
But wait! Africa, around 3,000 BC, is when the earliest civilization involving companion dogs appeared, but it’s a translation by Pauthier of the ancient Chinese Sacred Book In Asia that suggests that as early as 3,468 BC, “Fo-Hi” was already encouraging the breeding of little ‘sleeve dogs” in Asia.
From JaneDogs
Image by Anne Zoutsos