There have been a few threads about dogs lately and it reminded me of a question that's been on my mind for a while. Namely, Why did we (humans in general) breed dogs with floppy ears?
I know that the extra long floppy ears on a Bloodhound aid it's sense of smell by rubbing the ground and stirring up the spore as it trails. But that's the only breed I know of where it serves any purpose. Yet it's definitely a trait that was deliberately bred as it doesn't occur naturally in any other canine species. In fact dogs with floppy ears usually develop more ear infections or wounds from thorny brush.
Some breeds are particularly curious as they traditionally have/had their ears cropped. I know that's no longer legal in the UK but the fact that it was done at all suggests that erect ears would have been more desirable for what these breeds were originally developed for.
So why did we ever breed them with other than erect ears? And I suppose more to the point; If the desired trait is still erect ears, then why are we still cropping their ears (in those countries where it's legal) instead of trying to breed for that trait?
I know that the extra long floppy ears on a Bloodhound aid it's sense of smell by rubbing the ground and stirring up the spore as it trails. But that's the only breed I know of where it serves any purpose. Yet it's definitely a trait that was deliberately bred as it doesn't occur naturally in any other canine species. In fact dogs with floppy ears usually develop more ear infections or wounds from thorny brush.
Some breeds are particularly curious as they traditionally have/had their ears cropped. I know that's no longer legal in the UK but the fact that it was done at all suggests that erect ears would have been more desirable for what these breeds were originally developed for.
So why did we ever breed them with other than erect ears? And I suppose more to the point; If the desired trait is still erect ears, then why are we still cropping their ears (in those countries where it's legal) instead of trying to breed for that trait?