Oldest Dog Breeds: List Of 14 Ancient Dog Breeds

Ancient dog breeds are breeds whose DNA sits far apart from most modern European breeds and whose history goes back at least 500 years. The 14 below are the ones people most often list: the Chow Chow, Shar-Pei, Akita, Shiba Inu, Basenji, Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Afghan Hound, Lhasa Apso, Pekingese, Saluki, Samoyed, Shih Tzu, and Tibetan Terrier. For each one you get the history the American Kennel Club (AKC) gives, the size, and a trait you can spot on sight.

Two things from the genetic studies change how to read the list. Ten of these 14 breeds show the ancient signature in the DNA, and the other four are old by record only. None of the studies names one breed as the single oldest. The section after this one explains why.

What "ancient" means in the DNA studies

The word comes from a 2010 study in Nature by vonHoldt and colleagues, who compared the DNA of dog breeds. They found that most of the breeds on a short list are "highly divergent from other dog breeds," and they explained the label this way: these breeds "have been identified previously and termed 'ancient' breeds (as opposed to 'modern') because, consistent with their high levels of divergence, historical information suggests that most have ancient origins (>500 years ago)." The breeds on that list were the Basenji, Afghan Hound, Samoyed, Saluki, Canaan Dog, New Guinea Singing Dog, Dingo, Chow Chow, Chinese Shar-Pei, Akita, Alaskan Malamute, Siberian Husky, and American Eskimo Dog.

Notice what the label does not say. It does not say these dogs are the oldest dogs, and it does not say they are the closest to wolves. The same study found wolf ancestry in only a few breeds. A major 2022 study in Nature looked at the wolf ancestors of dogs as a whole, and it did not rank breeds at all.

A 2012 paper in PNAS by Larson and colleagues went a step further. To avoid mixing up "genetically different" with "old," they renamed these lineages "basal." Their finding was that "the unifying characteristic among all genetically distinct so-called ancient breeds is a lack of recent admixture with other breeds likely facilitated by geographic and cultural isolation." In plain words, these dogs look different in the DNA because their ancestors lived in places where other breeds did not reach them. Their basal list has 14 breeds, and 10 of them are on our list: the Afghan Hound, Akita, Alaskan Malamute, Basenji, Chow Chow, Saluki, Samoyed, Shar-Pei, Shiba Inu, and Siberian Husky.

Larson also found that the Lhasa Apso, Pekingese, Shih Tzu, and Tibetan Terrier would qualify as basal except for a recorded or suspected mix with European breeds, and that "no toy breeds possess a basal signature." Those four breeds are still very old. Written and pictorial records show toy dogs living with people for at least the last 2,000 years. We kept them in the list because the AKC documents their long history, and we say so in each entry.

A 2017 study in Cell Reports by Parker and colleagues found that the Asian Spitz and Mediterranean groups had the lowest haplotype sharing with other breeds, which means those groups "are most divergent and possibly older than the rest." The Akita belongs to the Asian Spitz group and the Saluki to the Mediterranean group. An earlier Parker study, from 2004 in Science, reported that its analysis "separated several breeds with ancient origins from the remaining breeds with modern European origins."

Here are the 14 breeds, in the order most people list them.

1. Chow Chow

The AKC says the Chow Chow was "depicted in artifacts of China's Han Dynasty (c. 206 b.c.)." It is on the vonHoldt and Larson ancient lists, and vonHoldt notes the breed "originated more than 2,000 years ago." One story the AKC repeats is that a Tang Dynasty emperor, around the eighth century, kept a kennel of some 5,000 Chows.

The Chow is easy to pick out. It has a lion-like ruff, a stiff-legged gait, and a blue-black tongue. Adults stand 17 to 20 inches tall and weigh 45 to 70 pounds, and the coat comes in red, black, blue, cinnamon, or cream.

2. Shar-Pei

The AKC says the Chinese Shar-Pei "goes back more than 2,000 years to the Han Dynasty." The breed nearly vanished. In 1973 a Hong Kong breeder named Matgo Law asked American dog fanciers to save the Shar-Pei from extinction, and the AKC did not recognize the breed until 1992. The Shar-Pei is on both the vonHoldt and Larson lists.

The wrinkles are the first thing you notice. Folds sit on the head, neck, and shoulders, the muzzle is wide, the tongue is blue-black, and the short coat feels like sandpaper. The name means "sand skin." Adults weigh 45 to 60 pounds.

3. Akita

The AKC says the breed as we know it "was developed in the early 17th century in the Akita prefecture of northern Japan," and a national breed club formed there in 1927. That makes the modern Akita younger than many dogs on this list, but it is on the vonHoldt and Larson lists, and the Parker 2017 study places it in the Asian Spitz group. The most famous Akita is Hachiko, the loyal dog of 1920s Japan.

Look for a broad, heavy head, erect ears, and a full tail curled over the back. Males weigh 100 to 130 pounds and females 70 to 100 pounds. The AKC warns that Akitas can be aggressive toward other dogs, especially of the same sex. A dog with a strong bond to its family often shows it in small ways, and our post on loyal sleeping habits explains one of them.

4. Shiba Inu

The AKC says "the Shiba is an ancient breed, having been around since 300 b.c." The breed nearly vanished too. By the end of World War II Shibas were close to extinct, and Larson notes that the modern Shiba is a blend of three separate Japanese lineages that were saved. It is on the Larson basal list. For the full story of this small fox-faced dog, see Shiba in our animal blog.

The Shiba is the smallest dog here that is basal in the DNA. Males weigh about 23 pounds and females about 17. The coat is a double coat in red, red sesame, or black and tan, and it sheds heavily with the seasons. The AKC says the coloring and alert expression make the Shiba "almost foxlike."

5. Basenji

The AKC says "Basenjis are depicted in 4,500-year-old Egyptian artifacts," and the tombs of pharaohs are where those images turn up. In the vonHoldt study the Basenji "often appears as the most divergent breed," which led the authors to suggest it is "one of the most ancient extant dog breeds." If any breed deserves the label, the DNA case for it is the strongest here.

The Basenji does not bark. It makes a sound the AKC describes as a "chortle and a yodel" when excited. Other signs are a wrinkled forehead, erect ears, and a tightly curled tail. Males stand 17 inches tall and weigh 24 pounds, and females weigh 22 pounds.

6. Siberian Husky

The AKC says the Chukchi people of northeastern Asia bred the Siberian Husky. A 9,500-year-old dog from Siberia studied by Sinding and colleagues in 2020 shares close ancestors with modern Arctic dogs, which Guinness lists as "Greenland sled dogs, Siberian husky and Alaskan Malamute." In 1925 Leonhard Seppala "led a relay of Siberian Huskies 658 miles in only five and half days to rush a lifesaving serum to Nome," and Balto "was Seppala's lead dog on the final leg."

Huskies have almond-shaped eyes that can be brown, blue, or one of each. Males weigh 45 to 60 pounds and females 35 to 50 pounds. Sled dogs like this one are built for distance, so plan on daily exercise.

7. Alaskan Malamute

The AKC calls the Malamute "among the oldest sled dog breeds of the Arctic," named for the Mahlemiut, an Inuit tribe that settled in Kotzebue Sound in northwestern Alaska "a long, long time ago." The AKC sums up the difference between the two sled breeds this way: "Huskies are racers; Malamutes are freighters." Larson lists the Malamute as basal.

The Malamute is built for hauling. It has a broad head, a deep chest, and a thick coarse coat over a dense undercoat 1 to 2 inches deep. Males average 85 pounds and females 75. A dog this large does best with consistent training from the first week.

8. Afghan Hound

The AKC says "some authorities maintain that the Afghan Hound is the oldest breed of purebred dogs," while admitting that its "exact time and place of origin ... will never be known." English officers brought the breed to the West in the 1800s. The Afghan Hound is on both the vonHoldt and Larson lists.

The long, silky coat is the giveaway, along with hipbones that stick out, which the AKC lists as a breed trait. Adults stand 25 to 27 inches tall and weigh 50 to 60 pounds. The coat takes real grooming time.

9. Lhasa Apso

The AKC calls this a "thousand-year-old breed" that served as "sentinel dogs at palaces and Buddhist monasteries isolated high in the Himalayan Mountains." Dogs the Fourteenth Dalai Lama gave away in the late 1940s helped start the breed in America. The Larson study notes European mixing in the Lhasa Apso, so it is old by record but not basal in the DNA.

Look for a floor-length coat that parts down the back. The dog stands under a foot high and weighs 12 to 18 pounds. For how size shapes behavior in small dogs, see our guide to small breed temperament.

10. Pekingese

The AKC says the "earliest known record of Pekingese existence is traceable to the Tang dynasty of the 8th century." British troops took five Pekingese from the Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860. Larson also lists the Pekingese among the toy breeds with recorded European mixing, so the DNA does not mark it as basal.

The Pekingese has a lion-like mane, a short-muzzled flat face, and a rolling gait. It weighs up to 14 pounds.

11. Saluki

The AKC says "experts tell us Salukis might go as far back as 7000 b.c." and calls the breed a "special favorite" of kings, including Egyptian pharaohs and Alexander the Great. Many sites call the Saluki the oldest living breed. The AKC wording is "might," and the genetic studies do not rank breeds by age. Guinness names the Greenland sled dog as the oldest breed on its record page and lists the Saluki, Basenji, and Akita among the oldest. The Saluki is on the Larson list, and Parker 2017 puts it in the Mediterranean group.

The Saluki is built for speed. It has a deep chest, long legs, and either a feathered or a smooth coat, and the AKC calls it a "swift and agile" sprinter. Males stand 23 to 28 inches and weigh 40 to 65 pounds.

12. Samoyed

The AKC says the Samoyede people "migrated to Siberia a thousand years ago" and "lived in tents and huddled for warmth with their dog packs." The Samoyed is on the vonHoldt and Larson lists. The upturned corners of the mouth are the AKC's explanation for the "Sammy smile": they keep the dog from drooling and from building icicles on its face.

The coat is a thick double coat, and males weigh 45 to 65 pounds, females 35 to 50.

13. Shih Tzu

The AKC says the Chinese developed the Shih Tzu "centuries ago from Tibetan breeding stock," and that the dogs "remained hidden behind palace walls, virtually unknown to the outside world, until the 1930s." The AKC Stud Book accepted the breed in 1969. Parker 2017 puts it in a separate Asian Toy group, and Larson says European mixing keeps it off the basal list.

The topknot tied up on top of the head is the best-known feature. The breed weighs 9 to 16 pounds.

14. Tibetan Terrier

The AKC calls this "an ancient breed developed in the splendid isolation of the Lost Valley." It says the dogs were "bred and raised in monasteries by lamas almost 2000 years ago," and that they are "not true terriers." The first one to reach the West was a gift to a British surgeon, Dr. Agnes Greig, in the 1920s, as thanks for a successful medical treatment. Larson lists it among the breeds with European mixing.

The AKC describes the feet as "snowshoe" feet, which sets the breed apart from true terriers. The breed weighs 18 to 30 pounds.

What the list shows

Larson found that none of the ancient breeds come from the regions where the oldest dog remains have been found. The reason the DNA stays different is isolation, which is the one thing the basal breeds share.

A few were bred as companions, but most were working dogs that guarded, hunted, or pulled sleds. Dogs with those jobs had to make decisions on their own, which may be why many of them are independent.

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FAQ

What's the oldest living dog breed?

A common answer is that the Saluki is widely considered the oldest living dog breed. The AKC says only that Salukis "might go as far back as 7000 b.c." Guinness World Records lists the Greenland sled dog on its world record page as an oldest breed, and says the breed arose in the Bering Sea region at least 2,000 years ago. No genetic study ranks breeds by age, so the question has no settled answer.

Who is the oldest dog breed?

Several breeds have a strong claim. The Basenji is the one the DNA studies call most divergent, and vonHoldt said it is one of the most ancient existing breeds. The AKC says some authorities consider the Afghan Hound the oldest purebred, and the Saluki, Akita, and Chow Chow all show up in old art or writing. What the studies measure is isolation from other breeds, which is why no single breed wins.

Who is the oldest dog in the world?

Bobi died in October 2023 and had been credited as the oldest dog ever. On 22 February 2024 Guinness World Records said it no longer had the evidence it needed to support the claim, because the microchip database used did not require proof of age for dogs born before 2008. The record before Bobi was held by Bluey, an Australian Cattle Dog who lived from 1910 to 1939, 29 years and 5 months. Breed does not decide how long a dog lives. Food, steady veterinary care, exercise, and genetics do.

Are ancient dog breeds harder to train?

Many have a reputation for being independent. Breeds like the Basenji, Shiba Inu, and Afghan Hound did their original jobs without waiting for a person to give each order, so they do not have the same eagerness to please as breeds developed for obedience work. Short sessions and rewards work best.

Do ancient dog breeds have more health problems?

No study we read says they do as a group. Each breed has its own risks. The AKC breed pages list them one at a time, and a good breeder or rescue can tell you what runs in the line you are looking at.

Sources

• vonHoldt, B. M. et al. "Genome-wide SNP and haplotype analyses reveal a rich history underlying dog domestication." Nature, 2010. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
• Larson, G. et al. "Rethinking dog domestication by integrating genetics, archeology, and biogeography." PNAS, 2012. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
• Parker, H. G. et al. "Genomic analyses reveal the influence of geographic origin, migration, and hybridization on modern dog breed development." Cell Reports, 2017. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
• Parker, H. G. et al. "Genetic structure of the purebred domestic dog." Science, 2004 (abstract). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
• Bergstrom, A. et al. "Grey wolf genomic history reveals a dual ancestry of dogs." Nature, 2022 (abstract). nature.com.
• Guinness World Records. "Oldest dog breed." guinnessworldrecords.com.
• Guinness World Records. "Guinness World Records concludes oldest dog ever review launched after Bobi's death." 22 February 2024. guinnessworldrecords.com.
• American Kennel Club breed pages, accessed September 30, 2026: Chow Chow, Chinese Shar-Pei, Akita, Shiba Inu, Basenji, Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Afghan Hound, Lhasa Apso, Pekingese, Saluki, Samoyed, Shih Tzu, Tibetan Terrier.