Want to hear some theories on domestication and breeding. What

>>2446149
I believe a breed is properly produced when you can start reliably predicting the offspring enough to fit a standard. For example, let's say fanciers want the labradoodle to be a recognized breed among major kennel clubs. First, the breed club would get together and decide what the standard should be. When people hear standard they usually just think physically, but standards also include personality to an extent. Like is the labradoodle generally friendly towards strangers? Are they usually stubborn? Are they smart? Etc. This standard is based on what most labradoodles are currently or thought to be, maybe with some small improvements to the breed like slightly longer ears or shorter snout or they will only accept certain colors and coat types. But the main idea is there now. Now, they have to be able to reliably get dogs that fit the standard in a litter. This part is usually made faster by inbreeding, but it still takes a long time and a lot of careful breeding. For example, the standard for height may be 18-22 inches. But if litters keep having huge deviations from that, like 16 inches and 25 inches, there's going to be an issue. Some odd ones are fine, but you should not have a mixed bag every breeding. Another thing is you can't outcross to poodle or lab and expect fast results to correct things. Yes, outcrossing is necessary for breeding a new breed. However outcrossing will bring you back many steps from getting reliable litters again, although it may bring along much needed genetic diversity. It's almost like a soft reset. Then your breed has to be accepted by kennel clubs like the AKC, really shouldn't be hard once most labradoodles fit a standard because the AKC gives few fucks about health. The CFA is another story entirely.

>>2446149
>What criteria does an animal have to reach to be a new breed?
Bred to a standard that the basic temperament and physique are uniform throughout a litter.
What direction do you think some of our current breeds will go over the next few decades/centuries?
German Shepherds will cease to be bred with that abominable slope back due to the attention it's been given today.
Malinois will become the new GSD, backyard bred and very common. Due to their hyperactive nature and NEED to be trained they will/their mixes will fill shelters and be responsible for many maulings.
Small Breeds will continue to degenerate in both health and temperament due to poor breeding habits and accessibility.
>For me I want to see more patterns develop in rodents.
Rats are awesome pets and the lack of truly established breeds is depressing. I'd hope that would change in the future but something tells me rats will never be dog/cat tier companions in the mainstream.

>>2446245
>>2446149
I too wish small animals were given more attention with breeding, specifically health wise. Rats have had the short end of the stick on that for far too long. Unfortunately I don't see that happening on any large scale for some time yet.

Who the hell in their right mind wants to breed RATS? I am mad enough at catfags for thinking their dumb beasts cull the rats when arguably they attract more. Cats and rats belong far removed from society and pups

>>2446239
I'm assuming there are still plenty of breeds left to be crossbred and developed. I was just reading about the recently recognized breeds in 2017 that debuted at the Westminster dog show. I really want a Pumi now lol.

>>2446245
The German Shepherd is so fucked compared to back in the 1920's. If you look at them side by side todays look like a fucking cartoon. Didn't know Malinois were being bred to that extent. Seem like they're not suitable for the average suburban family.

I'm hoping Harley/Angora rats are bred to become more socialized and acceptable. They're trickier than nude rats due to lactation issues and aggression but you still see those getting bred and raised.

>>2446333
Have you ever had a rat? They're like the best small pet you can own, and one of the cheaper ones. They get a bad rep because people assume they're like wild ones or are pussies over the rat's tail. Every other rodent can fuck off they're either boring or dumb as shit. Cats can get fucked too but I just hate them and their personalities.

>>2446149
is the dog on the bottom left the grandfather of all SMASHED AND SLAMMED MINI MICRO BULLIES?

>>2446644
Honestly it kind of looks like a melted pitbull

>>2446491
agree, had a rabbit and it was comfy to watch it like eat and cuddle with it but it didn't really interact with me. Would rather have a shoulder pet.

>>2446321
> I don't see that happening on any large scale for some time yet.
Not in our lifetime anyway. I plan on getting a rat for my child's first pet, even though " basically am running my own farm at this point.

>The German Shepherd is so fucked compared to back in the 1920's
Agreed, but there is a lot of conversation happening in the Shepherd breeding community and working line shepherds are being bred closer to the original model. Show lines are fucked, especially American Show, but working line breeders are getting their shit together.
> best small pet you can own
When did /an/ become so intelligent and good looking?

File: steroid cow.jpg (67KB, 1280x720px) Image search: [Google]

67KB, 1280x720px

>>2446979
Rats are goat-tier. Have gone through 7 myself. I hate the stigma against them, there's irrational fear from the stone age or something too. Doesn't help that most people willing to raise them are generally white trash and that they're hardly bred by pros. Wish I could live in the future to see what happens to our animals of today.
First thing I thought of was super cows. I read they're trying to learn to 3D-print meat so hopefully over a few hundred years we can stop slaughtering animals and let them chill out. Maybe we'll even get dwarf cows someday.

>>2447390
We already have miniature cattle. Or do you mean even smaller? They're only about as tall as a large dog.

>>2446245

The point about malinois is unfortunately very likely, once they replace GSD's as enforcement dogs enough to make every macho dumbass want one.

They're a notorious breed in the making, unfortunately. Tragic for such a fantastic working dog.

>>2446239

There are a few more matters, on top of the challenge of just getting a consistent animal.

You need enough breeders (at least 100) with enough available stock (300-400) across enough area (20 or more states) to be considered for the AKC, as well as across the board at least 3 documented generations. Already an issue for more labradoodles, who tend to be first or second at the most.

You also can't forget good old fashioned politics. In the case of labradoodles, on top of their lack of consistency (thanks to things like the grab bag of coat types poodle mixes get) and vision (the "breed club" has pretty vague standards posted, but most breeders won't heed them) legit breed clubs don't consider them anything but mutts. The owners are regarded as backyard breeders, and annoyingly noisy ones at that. Now that they have their reputation, their dogs are tainted and would quite probably fail to achieve breed status even if they hit all the hard criteria.