Afghan Hounds are extremely ancient coursing sighthounds from the cold mountains of Afghanistan. The flowing, long-haired variety we are used to are a Western kennel club creation, and those hounds still used in their homeland are called Tazi. Tazi have slightly shorter fur, which is typically limited to their legs, ears, neck, and tail, as they’re still active hunting hounds.

Akitas are possibly the oldest of the Japanese dogs, historically hunters of large game like bears. Hachikō is the famous Akita who waited for his owner at the train station for 9 years, and is now immortalized as a statue, reunited with his owner at Shibuya Station.

Alaskan Malamutes are large sledge dogs, meaning unlike Siberian Huskies they were made to carry heavy loads for shorter distances. They belong traditionally to the Alaskan Indigenous peoples, or Iñupiat.

Basenji are small, African hunting dogs dating back to pre-historic Egyptian carvings. They are also called the “barkless” or “yodeling” dog, as their unusually shaped larynx cannot produce barking like other dogs.

More than 9,000 years old, Canaan Dogs have been used by Bedouin peoples as guard dogs for their herds and camps. They are now being used as protection and military dogs across the Middle East.

Carolina Dogs are the only native “wild” dog in North America, similar to the Dingo of Australia. They have never been bred with human intervention, meaning they are far more wild-like than other “breeds”.

Despite the name, Chinese Crested likely originate from the now extinct African Hairless dogs, imported into China in ancient times. They are excellent lapdogs and come in hairless (except for the legs, tail, and head/ears), and powderpuff (long and silky hair all over).

Chows are extremely ancient Chinese guarding dogs, and they take their role very seriously. Many people in modern-times have categorized these dogs as aggressive, but they are simply made for very particular instances, and do not thrive in busy, small homes.

Bright Paws’ co-founder Elio Giglio dei Vignazzi is a Cirneco. The Cirneco is approximately 3,000 years old, traced back to identical skeletal remains found all over Sicily. They were imported by the Phoenicians (ancient sea-traders) from Egyptian sighthounds, and stayed on the island until today. They are also featured in many Ancient Greek reliefs and carvings all over the Greek colonies of Sicily.

Finnish Lapphunds are descendants of the Sami peoples’ reindeer herding-breeds (see Nenet‘s Herding Laika in this list). They are excellent all-purpose dogs, traditionally used for sled-pulling and herding but now popular as agility, mushing, and rally obedience.

The Inuit Dog, also called Qimmiq by the Inuit and Canadian Esk*mo Dog by various kennel clubs (which I will not use, as the Inuit are both not Canadian and Esk*mo is a derogatory term), are large, sled-pulling dogs. They are historically very central to Inuit culture (both in Greenland and the Canadian north), as the nomadic nature of Inuit culture allowed them to hunt and move according to the time of year, and Qimmiq have excellent directional awareness even in the midst of snowstorms. Today, the Inuit Qimmiq are critically endangered, as the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) attempted to wipe out their populations in the 1950s.

Irish Wolfhounds are possibly the oldest identifiable dogs found on Ireland and all of the British Isles. A group of skeletons in Haughey’s Fort, County Armagh, Ireland, showed the largest dog skull found in neolithic Ireland and Britain. Irish Wolfhounds are also thought to be the inspiration for legendary hero CúChulainn’s namesake dog.

Keeshonden (the plural of Keeshond, pronounced “kays-hond” and “kays-hond-in”) are historically the dogs of bargemen and sailors in Holland. They are identifiable by their “goggles”, lighter fur around their eyes, and extremely fluffy appearance. They are a breed of German Spitz, also called Wolfspitz, and are in the same family as Pomeranians.

The Kokoni is a still common breed of ancient Greek companion dog. They can be found in many, many pieces of ancient art, from gravestones to figurines to temple reliefs. They have been the companions of famous Greeks like Aristotle and Plato, and are found in homes across the country. The Kokoni pictured here is a friend I made while on the Cycladic Island of Zakynthos (Zante), who not only took me on a walk around the island but waited for me outside while I went into a store. They are highly loyal, loving, trainable dogs with big personalities.

The Maltese is, as the name says, a small dog from the Mediterranean island of Malta. Historically, they are the lapdogs of royalty, and anyone who’s met one knows this well! It may surprise you to see these popular little yippers on this list of primitive breeds, but Maltese actually have many “quirky” behaviors that are difficult for the average owner to train with.

The Nenet’s Herding Laika is a very ancient reindeer herding breed of the Indigenous people of Siberia, the Nenet. They are also the ancestors of Samoyeds and Finnish Lapphunds. They are friendly, all-purpose dogs that are now popularly used in tracking and scentwork in their native country of Russia.

If you’ve met a New Guinea Singing Dog, congrats! Not many people have. As the name says, NGSDs come from Papua New Guinea and are of course known for their very impressive ability to harmonize their song. They are highly, highly intelligent, very mischievous, and not entirely domesticated, much like the Carolina Dog and Dingo. As they are so extremely rare, those who own these wild dogs are very dedicated to their preservation and education. Visit the New Guinea Singing Dog Club of America for more info from owners and experts.

You may know the Norwegian Lundehund by their famous six-toed paws, their ability to seal their ears, and bend their head nearly 90 degrees and front legs horizontal to their back. They also very nearly went extinct after the Second World War, and since their gene pool has been shrunk so dramatically they are also known as the most inbred of dog breeds. The Norwegian Kennel Club has an ongoing project of 15+ years to widen this gene pool by outcrossing Lundehunden with similar breeds like Norbottenspets and Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

First and foremost, Pharaoh Hounds are actually not from Egypt! They are from the island of Malta (like the Maltese earlier on this list!) and are called Kelb tal-Fenek in their homeland (which means “rabbit dog”). They hunt rabbit and other small to medium game found on the island. Their ancestry most likely comes from the famous hunting dogs, Tesem, of Ancient Egypt, like the other Mediterranean rabbit hunting hounds. In appearance, they are nearly identical to Cirneci, just larger!

Saluki are most commonly known to be one of the oldest breeds on Earth, and based on ancient carvings and paintings found throughout the Middle-East, potentially up to 9,000 years ago! They are likely the ancestor of all modern sighthounds. Traditionally, they have been kept by the nomadic Bedouin people that live throughout the Middle-East, which is a very unique position for a dog: they are typically held on the same high-esteem as Arabian Horses and falcons, and despite dogs being seen culturally as “unclean”, only saluki are allowed into the tents and living quarters of people.