Explorer

The family tree

161 breeds placed by their DNA, after Parker et al. (2017). Light a branch to see who stands with whom.

Each star is a breed. The closer to the rim two branches join, the closer their DNA. Colours are families; the short arcs gather breeds of one clade. The lantern names 17 breeds at a time: click the rim, pick a breed or use the arrow keys to move it.

Hover a star, a branch or the rim, or Tab into the tree, to read it here.

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog AlpineBernese Mountain Dog AlpineSaint Bernard AlpineLeonberger MediterraneanCane Corso European Mastiff · 1/4Cane Corso European Mastiff · 2/4Neapolitan Mastiff European MastiffCane Corso European Mastiff · 3/4Cane Corso European Mastiff · 4/4Siberian Husky Asian SpitzChow Chow Asian SpitzShar Pei Asian SpitzAmerican Akita Asian SpitzShiba Inu Asian SpitzTibetan Mastiff Asian SpitzXigou Asian SpitzBasenji no clade
  • Herding
  • Sighthounds
  • Spitz
  • Mastiffs
  • Terriers
  • Hunting dogs
  • Companions
  • Ancient

29 of the 193 groupings have a DNA support below 50 / 100. They are merged: where several branches leave one point, the DNA does not decide their order. in the clade with low support (Parker et al. 2017). Families are an editorial choice, not genetic data.

Text summary of the tree

A radial genetic tree of 161 dog breeds from Parker et al. (2017), one star per breed, or one per fragment for the breeds whose dogs fall into several subtrees (194 stars), arranged in 23 clades. 29 of its 193 groupings have a DNA support below 50 / 100. Around the circle, clockwise from the top:

  1. Alpine: Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (mastiffs), Bernese Mountain Dog (mastiffs), Saint Bernard (mastiffs)
  2. Mediterranean: Leonberger (mastiffs)
  3. European Mastiff: Cane Corso (mastiffs, group 1 of 4), Cane Corso (mastiffs, group 2 of 4), Neapolitan Mastiff (mastiffs), Cane Corso (mastiffs, group 3 of 4), Cane Corso (mastiffs, group 4 of 4), Bull Terrier (terriers), Miniature Bull Terrier (terriers, group 1 of 4), Miniature Bull Terrier (terriers, group 2 of 4), Miniature Bull Terrier (terriers, group 3 of 4), Miniature Bull Terrier (terriers, group 4 of 4), Staffordshire Bull Terrier (terriers), American Staffordshire Terrier (terriers), Boxer (mastiffs), Bulldog (mastiffs), Dogue de Bordeaux (mastiffs), Boston Terrier (companions), French Bulldog (companions), Boerboel (mastiffs), Mastiff (mastiffs), Bullmastiff (mastiffs), Rhodesian Ridgeback (hunting dogs), Great Dane (mastiffs)
  4. Drover: Rottweiler (mastiffs), Black Russian Terrier (mastiffs), Giant Schnauzer (terriers), Dobermann (mastiffs)
  5. UK Rural: Border Collie (herding), Australian Kelpie (herding), Bearded Collie (herding), Cardigan Welsh Corgi (herding), Pembroke Welsh Corgi (herding), Shetland Sheepdog (herding), Rough Collie (herding), Australian Shepherd (herding), Australian Cattle Dog (herding), Old English Sheepdog (herding), Italian Greyhound (sighthounds), Greyhound (sighthounds), Whippet (sighthounds), Scottish Deerhound (sighthounds), Irish Wolfhound (sighthounds), Borzoi (sighthounds)
  6. Continental Herder: Belgian Malinois (herding), Tervuren (herding, group 1 of 2), Groenendael (herding), Tervuren (herding, group 2 of 2), Bouvier des Flandres (herding), Briard (herding)
  7. Retriever: Flat-Coated Retriever (hunting dogs), Golden Retriever (hunting dogs), Labrador Retriever (hunting dogs), Newfoundland (mastiffs), Irish Water Spaniel (hunting dogs), Curly Coated Retriever (hunting dogs), Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (hunting dogs, low support in the clade)
  8. Pointer Setter: Vizsla (hunting dogs), Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (hunting dogs), German Shorthaired Pointer (hunting dogs), German Wirehaired Pointer (hunting dogs), Large Münsterländer (hunting dogs), Spinone Italiano (hunting dogs), Gordon Setter (hunting dogs), English Setter (hunting dogs), Irish Setter (hunting dogs), Brittany (hunting dogs), Weimaraner (hunting dogs), Dalmatian (hunting dogs, low support in the clade)
  9. Spaniel: Field Spaniel (hunting dogs), English Cocker Spaniel (hunting dogs), American Cocker Spaniel (hunting dogs), Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (companions), English Springer Spaniel (hunting dogs)
  10. New World: Peruvian Hairless Dog (ancient, low support in the clade, group 1 of 3)
  11. Scent Hound: Beagle (hunting dogs), Redbone Coonhound (hunting dogs, group 1 of 2), Otterhound (hunting dogs), Bloodhound (hunting dogs), English Foxhound (hunting dogs), Redbone Coonhound (hunting dogs, group 2 of 2), Basset Hound (hunting dogs), Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen (hunting dogs), Dachshund (hunting dogs)
  12. Mediterranean: Afghan Hound (sighthounds), Saluki (sighthounds, group 1 of 4), Saluki (sighthounds, group 2 of 4), Saluki (sighthounds, group 3 of 4), Saluki (sighthounds, group 4 of 4), Sloughi (sighthounds, group 1 of 3), Anatolian Shepherd (mastiffs), Sloughi (sighthounds, group 2 of 3), Azawakh (sighthounds), Levriero Meridionale (sighthounds), Sloughi (sighthounds, group 3 of 3), Abruzzese Mastiff (mastiffs), Kuvasz (herding), Komondor (herding), Pyrenean Mountain Dog (mastiffs), Cirneco dell'Etna (sighthounds), Pharaoh Hound (sighthounds), Ibizan Hound (sighthounds)
  13. New World: Chinook (spitz), German Shepherd (herding), Cane Paratore (herding, group 1 of 2), Picardy Shepherd (herding), Cane Paratore (herding, group 2 of 2), Peruvian Hairless Dog (ancient, low support in the clade, group 2 of 3), Xoloitzcuintle (ancient, low support in the clade), Xoloitzcuintle (ancient, low support in the clade, group 1 of 4), Xoloitzcuintle (ancient, low support in the clade, group 2 of 4), Peruvian Hairless Dog (ancient, low support in the clade, group 3 of 3)
  14. Terrier: Yorkshire Terrier (terriers), Australian Silky Terrier (terriers), Australian Terrier (terriers), West Highland White Terrier (terriers), Cairn Terrier (terriers), Scottish Terrier (terriers), Norfolk Terrier (terriers), Norwich Terrier (terriers), Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier (terriers), Irish Terrier (terriers), Glen of Imaal Terrier (terriers), Kerry Blue Terrier (terriers), Airedale Terrier (terriers), Wire Fox Terrier (terriers), Jack Russell Terrier (terriers, group 1 of 4), Jack Russell Terrier (terriers, group 2 of 4), Jack Russell Terrier (terriers, group 3 of 4), Parson Russell Terrier (terriers), Jack Russell Terrier (terriers, group 4 of 4), Bedlington Terrier (terriers), Border Terrier (terriers)
  15. New World: Xoloitzcuintle (ancient, low support in the clade, group 3 of 4)
  16. Pinscher: Toy Manchester Terrier (terriers), Miniature Pinscher (terriers)
  17. New World: Xoloitzcuintle (ancient, low support in the clade, group 4 of 4)
  18. American Terrier: American Hairless Terrier (terriers, group 1 of 3), Toy Fox Terrier (terriers), American Hairless Terrier (terriers, group 2 of 3), Rat Terrier (terriers, group 1 of 2), American Hairless Terrier (terriers, group 3 of 3), Rat Terrier (terriers, group 2 of 2)
  19. American Toy: Chihuahua (companions), Chinese Crested Dog (companions)
  20. Poodle: Portuguese Water Dog (hunting dogs, low support in the clade), Coton de Tulear (companions, low support in the clade), Bichon Frisé (companions), Maltese (companions), Havanese (companions), Poodle (companions, group 1 of 3), Poodle (companions, group 1 of 4), Poodle (companions, group 2 of 4), Poodle (companions, group 2 of 3), Poodle (companions, group 3 of 3), Poodle (companions, group 3 of 4), Poodle (companions, group 4 of 4), Poodle (companions)
  21. Hungarian: Pumi (herding), Puli (herding)
  22. Small Spitz: Pomeranian (German Spitz) (spitz), Volpino Italiano (spitz)
  23. Nordic Spitz: American Eskimo Dog (spitz)
  24. Toy Spitz: Papillon (companions), Brussels Griffon (companions), Pug (companions), Schipperke (spitz)
  25. Schnauzer: Miniature Schnauzer (terriers), Standard Schnauzer (terriers)
  26. Nordic Spitz: Norwegian Elkhound (spitz), Keeshond (spitz), Icelandic Sheepdog (spitz), Swedish Vallhund (spitz)
  27. No clade in Parker 2017: Tibetan Terrier (companions)
  28. Asian Toy: Pekingese (companions), Shih Tzu (companions), Lhasa Apso (companions), Tibetan Spaniel (companions), Japanese Chin (companions)
  29. No clade in Parker 2017: Finnish Spitz (spitz), Samoyed (ancient), Eurasier (spitz)
  30. Asian Spitz: Alaskan Malamute (ancient), Greenland Dog (ancient), Siberian Husky (ancient), Chow Chow (ancient), Shar Pei (ancient), American Akita (ancient), Shiba Inu (ancient), Tibetan Mastiff (mastiffs), Xigou (ancient)
  31. No clade in Parker 2017: Basenji (ancient)