Dogs are man's best friend. Everyone is aware of foreign dog breeds such as Rottweiler's, Pugs, Pomeranians and Dachshunds. Odds are you don’t know much about our own breeds. Breeds that originate in India and were developed here. These breeds have been ignored so much that their numbers are vastly depleted. Most of these breeds are quite unheard of let alone seen by most of the people in India.
1. Chippiparai is bred by royal families in Chippiparai near Madurai district Tamil Nadu. Primarily used for hunting; it was later kept as a symbol of royalty and dignity.
2. This is the original dog of the country, found free-living as a commensally of humans all over the Indian subcontinent. This breed is thought to have a heritage going back nearly 15,000 years, making it one of the oldest in the world.
3. The breed is popular in and around the Mudhol Taluk of Karnataka and thus the breed got the name 'Mudhol hound'. Shrimant Rajesaheb Malojirao Ghorpade of Mudhol (1884-1937) of the Mudhol State is credited with reviving this particular breed. He noticed local tribal people called Beda using these hounds for hunting. Using selective breeding, he was able to restore the royal Mudhol hound. The postage stamp with face value of Rs.5.00 released by Indian Postal Department was in recognition of the Mudhol Hound.
4. The Rampur Greyhound is a breed of dogs native to the Rampur region of Northern India, which lies between Delhi and Bareilly. His Royal Highness Ahmad Ali Khan of Rampur, Nawab of Rampur State, bred these dogs by combining the blood lines of very powerful but ferocious Tāzī (afghan hound), brought in by the Afghans, and the English Greyhound that were more obedient but less resistant to the varying climatic conditions.
5. The Bully Kutta, known as the ‘Beast from the East’, for its incredible shoulder muscles and formidable lock-jaw strength is a muscular dog that was developed in Present day Pakistan primarily for the purpose of big-game hunting.
6. The Rajapalayam, also known as a Poligar hound, was the companion of the royalty and aristocracy in Southern India. Rajapalayam hounds were primarily bred and used by the Nayakar dynasty of Tamil Nadu, it is speculated by some researchers that the Rajapalayam may have been one of the dogs used in the breeding of the modern Dalmatian.
7. The Combai is a very ancient breed of dog, used in hunting. The Combai was used for hunting boar, bison and deer. Once available in large numbers throughout Southern India, the Combai is now restricted to certain parts of Tamil Nadu and to some special kennels. The original old bloodline of the Combai has become very rare.
8. Gaddi Kutta is a mastiff-type mountain dog found in northern India, especially states in the western Himalayas region (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Kashmir). They are also called the Indian Panther Hound, as well as Mahidant Mastiff, the former pointing to the breed’s skills and the latter to its origins. Though initially bred for hunting purposes, the multi-talented Gaddi Kutta is widely used by local shepherds.
9. The name Kanni, which means Virgin Girl, comes from the fact that these dogs were given as gifts to the bridegroom just before marriage; it was in the list of dowry items offered to the groom. Kanni is a rare indigenous South Indian dog breed found in the state of Tamil Nadu.
10. The Jonangi is a native dog breed of India found around kolleru region of Andhra Pradesh. Jonangi is used as a watchdog and for herding ducks. They are extremely agile, easily trainable and a very intelligent breed of dog. Their coat is extremely short and shiny, this is one of the unique quality of this breed.
11. The Pandikona is a primitive-type hunting dog from Pattikonda taluk in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh state, India. "Pandikona" is a medium size sight hound that can adapt to the harsh climatic conditions of Kurnool district. This breed is associated with shepherd families of that region. PandiKona dogs need very little care.
12. Himalayan mastiffs dogs are native Indian dogs from the Himalayas. Also recognized as Himalayan guard dogs or indigenous Tibetan mastiffs. They can mainly be found in the Ladakh region of Himalaya.
13. The Bakharwal Dog is an ancient working breed of dog found in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India, where it has been bred for many centuries by the Bakarwal and Gujjar nomadic tribes as a livestock guardian dog and settlement protector. A recent study says that this species is on verge of extinction.
14. The Indian Spitz was one of the most popular dogs in India in the 1980s and the 1990s when India's import rules made it very difficult to import dogs of other breeds. The Indian Spitz is a spitz-type dog breed belonging to the Utility Dog group. It is very similar to the German Spitz in appearance.
15. Kumaon Mastiff is a rare breed of dog originating in state of Uttarakhand. Originally bred as a watch dog in the hills of Kumaon, this dog is today rare, even in the region of its origin. It is estimated that only 150-200 individuals of this breed exist in India.














