GENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS IN SPANISH DOG BREEDS .1. THE ANALYSIS OF MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS

The relationships between 10 Spanish dog breeds have been studied using qualitative and quantitative analyses of data from 32 morphological characters. The average distance between breeds, measured as a morphological index, has a value of 4.228 (+/- 0.681), with extreme values of 1.732 between Mastin del Pirineo and Mastin Espanol, and of 5.099 for the Gos d'Atura - Sabueso Espanol pair. The morphological phylogeny obtained in this study confirms the classifications made previously by means of dental, cranial, historical and behavioral comparative criteria. The results suggest the formation of 2 large clusters; one formed by the breeds belonging to the ancestral trunks Canis familiaris intermedius and Canis familiaris inostranzewi, and the other which includes the members of the Canis familiaris leineri and Canis familiaris metris-optimae trunks.