Post on 04-Jan-2016
DOG BREEDS
Dog breeds
• DNA evidence now suggests that dogs are directly related to wolves
• Species name is now Canis lupus
• Breed variation is great, from chihuahua (weighing about 3 kg) through to breeds in excess of 80kg
• About 400 breeds worldwide
Dog breeds
• A ‘breed’ is an animal that will produce a similar type if mated with an animal of the same breed
• Breeds are produced by selection for particular behaviours and physical appearances
• Breeds are placed into categories for the purpose of showing
HOUNDS
• All dogs in this group will pursue game (animals or human), corner it and, in some cases, alert the human to its presence (barking, yodelling etc)
• Scent hounds eg beagles, fox hounds• Sight hounds eg greyhounds, borzoi• Some breeds with combination eg Pharaoh
Hound• All purpose hounds eg the Spitz dogs
AFGHAN HOUND
• Sight hounds• Long fur, any colour• Males 27kg, females
23kg• Not known for road
sense
AMERICAN FOXHOUND
• Used for field trials and racing, hunting with gun
• Any colour, short coat• Weight 30-34kg• Excellent scent
hunters• Difficult to train
BASENJI
• Originally from central Africa
• Guard dog, companion and hunter
• Short coat, should be white on chest, feet and tail tip
• Males 11kg• Have no odour• Yodel, can be
destructive
BASSET FAUVE DE BRETAGNE
• From Brittany, France• Harsh, dense coat,
gold, red or fawn• 16-18kg• Relatively new to
Australia
BEAGLE
BASSET HOUND
• French monks used in middle ages for hunting, modern breed from cross breeding with bloodhounds
• 32kg
• Tenacious hunters, although tend to be lazy otherwise
• Smallest of pack hounds• Very popular worldwide• Very ‘enthusiastic’• 9kg• Dense short coat, waterproof• Can be hard to train
BLOODHOUND
• Very old breed (7C)• Blood refers to
bloodstock and is referring to superior breeding
• Coat is short, smooth and waterproof
• Dogs up to 50kg• Black and tan, liver and
tan, solid red• Can be difficult to handle
BORZOI
• Sighthound, from Russia, used for bringing down wolves
• Coat is long, silky, flat or curly, any colour
• Up to 48kg• Can be
temperamental, difficult to train
COONHOUND
• Bred from bloodhounds
• Short dense coat, black and tan is normal
• Up to 41kg• Can be aggressive
DACHSHUND
• Means ‘badger dog’• Short legs, strong jaws• Different sizes• Coat may be smooth,
wirey or long• Up to 12kg for large
versions, 4.5kg for small• Should be well trained as
they can be disobedient and wilful
GREYHOUND
• Middle East?• Sighthound/
gazehound• Up to 32kg- racing
dogs are often heavier• Fast with good
stamina• Quiet animals• Will chase small
furries
IRISH WOLFHOUND
• Very old breed• Tallest breed• Coat is rough, hard
and shaggy• Dogs up to 54 kg• Usually very people
friendly, although can be very possessive
PHARAOH HOUND
• Very old breed• Fine or slightly harsh
coat, short and glossy• About 20kg• Good hunter• Doesn’t like cold
conditions
RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK
• Developed for hunting in Africa- lions etc
• Short dense coat, glossy and sleek
• Colour light wheaten to red wheaten
• Up to 36 kg• Robust personality,
good climber• May hunt smaller
animals
SALUKI
• Sight hound• North Africa, very old
breed• Coat is soft and silky,
with feathering• Many different colours• Can be destructive if
left alone
SLOUGHI
• Sighthound from North Africa
• Not common• 13.5kg
WHIPPET
• Small sighthound• Coat is fine, dense
and short, any colour• Up to 13.5 kg• Make good pets,
gentle and affectionate
GUNDOGS
• Bred to assist in the hunting and retrieving of game
• Search for quarry by scent, points or ‘sets’, flushes game and retrieves game
• Coats tend to be weatherproof• Tend to be loyal, trainable, friendly• Less likely to be noisy (scares off game)• Pointers, Setters, Retrievers, and all purpose
dogs
BRACCO ITALIANO
• Mixed gundog and hound
• Fine dense glossy coat
• Up to 40kg• Friendly and docile• In Australia?
BRITTANY SPANIEL
• From France, hunts, points and retrieves
• Coat is flat and dense, fine and wavy
• About 18kg• Active, trainable
ENGLISH SETTER
• One of oldest gundog breeds
• Coat is wavy, long and silky
• Weight up to 30kg• Very active, needs
good training if a pet• Excellent hunting dog
GERMAN SHORTHAIRED POINTER
• Hunts, points and retrieves
• Coat is short, dense and flat
• Weight up 32kg• Very powerful, need
plenty of exercise if to be pets
• Easily trained
GORDON SETTER
• Scottish origin• Coat soft and glossy,
straight or with slight wave
• Colour coal black with tan markings.
• Up to 29kg
HUNGARIAN VIZSLA
• Tail docked to 2/3 of length
• Very active dogs• Short smooth dense
and glossy coat, rusty gold
• Weight up to 30kg• Require a great deal
of exercise
IRISH SETTER
• Have reputation for single mindedness
• Coat should be flat and free from wave or curl, rich chestnut red
• Up to 32kg• Very active dog, high
maintenance
KOOIKERHONDJE
• Dutch• Used to trap
swimming ducks into nets
• Fairly new breed internationally
• 11kg
NOVIA SCOTIA DUCK TOLLING RETRIEVER
• Canadian, arrived in Britain in 1988
• Supposedly uses its tail to attract ducks and then retrieves the kills
• Double coat• Up to 23kg• Good pet?
POINTER
• Spanish?• Short fine coat• Very strong for size,
good endurance and speed
CURLY COATED RETRIEVER
• Common in some parts of Aust and NZ
• Coat is very curly, black or liver
• Up to 36kg• Trainable, requires
much exercise
GOLDEN RETRIEVER
• One of most popular breeds of dog in world
• Multi purpose apart from hunting- guide, PAT, sniffer, pet
• Flat or wavy coat, with dense undercoat
• Up to 36 kg• Very trainable, usually
docile
LABRADOR RETRIEVER
• Also very popular, similar to Golden
• Coat is short and dense, gold, black or liver
• Up to 34 kg• Also very trainable,
docile, soft mouthed
AMERICAN COCKER SPANIELS
• Smallest of gundogs• Medium length coat,
silky and flat or slightly wavy
• Weight up to 13kg• Usually very friendly,
there have been lines with aggressive tendencies
ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIEL
• Long dense and soft coat
• Used to flush game• Up to 21kg• Needs lots of exercise
SUSSEX SPANIEL
WEIMERANER
• Hunting, pointing and retrieving dog
• Coat is short and sleek, different shades of grey
• Up to 27kg• Has a reputation for
lack of road sense
TERRIERS
• ‘Terrier’ comes from latin word for earth- bred to chase and hunt animals in burrows, dens etc
• Most are small to medium size, tenacious and strong
• Have a reputation for ‘picking’ fights with other dogs
AIREDALE TERRIER
• Largest terrier• Sometimes used as
guard dog• Coat is hard and wiry,
dense• About 20kg• Can be a problem
with smaller animals
AUSTRALIAN TERRIER
• One of only a few terriers from outside Britain
• Long, straight and hard coat, either blue or sandy
• 6kg• Tough and lively
BEDLINGTON TERRIER
• Old terrier• Thick and ‘linty’ coat,
blue, blue and tan, liver and sandy
• Gentle appearance, but typical terrier temperament
BULL TERRIER
• Derived from terriers and bulldogs
• Bred for fighting, amongst other things
• Short, flat coat• Up to 33kg• Generally good with
people, can be problem with other dogs/cats
CAIRN TERRIER
• From Isle of Skye in Scotland
• Coat is thick and harsh outer with close undercoat
• Weight to 7.5kg• Very alert, ‘fearless’,
may fight with larger dogs
DANDIE DINMONT TERRIER
• From border of Scotland and England
• Double coat• Up to 11kg• Makes a more
suitable pet than many other terriers, although can be wilful
SMOOTH HAIRED FOX TERRIER
• Very popular terrier• Coat is smooth, short,
hard and dense• Weight 7-8kg• Unlikely to withdraw
readily from a fight, usually peaceable
WIREHAIRED FOX TERRIER
GLEN OF IMAAL TERRIER
• Irish• Not common• Medium length,
coarse coat, blue, wheaten and brindle
• Weight up to 16kg• Likes water, good pet
animal
KERRY BLUE TERRIER
• Irish• Coat is soft and wavy,
blue• Puppies born black• Weight up to 17kg• Can be a good guard
dog, high maintenance coat
NORFOLK TERRIER AND NORWICH TERRIER
• Dropped ears are Norfolk, prick ears Norwich
• Coat is hard, straight and wiry
• Weight 5.5kg• Tough and active,
diggers.
JACK RUSSELL TERRIER
• Tough, active dog• Hard, dense and
close coat• Weight 6.5kg• Can be destructive,
suffer from ‘small dog’ syndrome
SCOTTISH TERRIER
• Outercoat is dense, hard and wiry, the undercoat is short, soft and dense
• Colours back, wheaten and brindle
• 10kg• Excellent guard dog,
very active and alert
SEALYHAM TERRIER
• Derived from terriers and corgis
• Hard, wiry coat with weather resistant undercoat
• 9kg• Perhaps less active than
other terriers and therefore less destructive
SKYE TERRIER
• Bred to hunt foxes, martens, otters etc
• Outercoat is long, hard and straight. Undercoat is woolly and soft
• 11kg• Good watchdog, very
loyal
STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER
• Bulldog and terrier cross• Bred for fighting bulls and
bears• Coat is smooth and short• 17kg• Needs to be trained and
handled with confidence• May be a problem with
other dogs and cats
WEST HIGHLAND WHITE TERRIER
• Harsh, long coat, without curls
• Should be pure white• 8.5kg• Very lively, friendly
personality• Can be good
watchdog
NON SPORTING
• Australian grouping• Various sizes & types of dogs• Range from Great Danes to Shih Tzu
BOSTON TERRIER
• Derived from bulldogs and bull terriers
• National dog of America?
• Short and glossy coat• Weight up to 11.5kg• Strong willed and
determined
BULLDOG
• Bred to fight and bait bulls
• Coat is fine, close and short
• Weight up to 25kg• Very friendly with
people, can be aggressive towards other dogs
CHOW CHOW
• Extremely old breed• Spitz type• Guard, hunting and food
dog• Either rough or smooth
coat, thick undercoat• Weight 25kg• Very protective of ‘pack’
and can be aggressive towards strangers
DALMATION
• Spaniel background• Short, dense, glossy
coat• Black or liver spots• Very active, but can
be good pet with appropriate training
FRENCH BULLDOG
• Derived from English bulldog
• Short, close, glossy coat
• Weight 13kg• Fairly quiet dog, can
be a good pet
FINNISH SPITZ
• One of several ‘spitz’ breeds
• Bred to track game• Fox like appearance• Coat is double• 16kg max• Lively, needs lots of
exercise
GERMAN SPITZ
• Five varieties in Germany
• Double coat-long straight outer coat and soft wooly under coat
• Cheerful and friendly, coat can be high maintenance
KEESHOND
• Holland• Bred to guard on the
barges• Double coat• Excellent watchdog,
can be aloof with strangers
• About 19kg
LHASA APSO
• Tibetan origin, watchdog
• Dense undercoat for cold weather
• 7kg• Alert and watchful,
but very playful with people that it knows
POODLE
• Three sizes- toy, mini, standard
• Dense coat that doesn’t moult
• Standards up to 34kg• Extremely trainable,
can be excellent guard dogs, surprisingly robust
SHAR PEI
• Bred as guard, herding and hunting dog
• Coat is short and hard• Active, can be
unpredictable
GREAT DANE
• German dog• Up to 54kg• Very tall, short
lifespan• Can become
overprotective of human companions
SHIH TZU
• Tibetan origin, developed in China
• Long, straight and dense coat
• Weight about 6kg• Enthusiastic dog that
fits well into families• Coat is high
maintenance
WORKING DOGS
• More breeds than any other- can be split into working dogs and herding dogs
• Working dogs do a variety of jobs- guarding, herding, pulling loads or sleds, law enforcement, rescue work etc
• Great diversity of size and shape
• Highly bred group- usually old breeds
ANATOLIAN SHEPHERD
• Developed from mastiffs
• Black muzzle and ears, coat is short, flat and dense
• Up to 64kg• Guard dog
AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOG
• Dingo?, Dalmation and bulldog heritage
• Double coat, outer is weather resistant
• Up to 20kg• Prone to obesity if not
worked, temperament can be questionable
• Untiring when working
ROUGH COLLIE
• Up to 30kg• High maintenance• Have a reputation for
being ‘snappy’• Can be very good
guards
COLLIE SMOOTH
BEARDED COLLIE
• Lean under all the fur, very active
• Double coat• Up to 27kg• Great stamina,
considered a very people friendly working dog
BELGIAN SHEPHERD
• Three separate coat types and four coat colours
• Basic body shape same for all types
• Groenendael=black• Tervueren= red, fawn or
grey with black tipping• Malinois=shorter coat,
same colour as above• Laekenois=wiry but not
curled coat, reddish fawn with black shading
KOMONDOR
• Bigger than Puli, used as guard dog, has white coat
• Up to 60kg• Not suited for living in
cities• Coat is high
maintenance
BORDER COLLIE
• From border of England and Scotland
• Very popular breed in Australia
• Controls stock by ‘eye’
• Can exhibit behavioural problems if not working
GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG
• Once the most popular breed in world
• Many genetic faults, now attempting to eliminate
• Up to 37kg• Temperament can
vary depending on lines used
HUNGARIAN PULI
• Sheepdog• Easily recognised by
coat• Up to 15kg• Tends to be wary of
strangers
KELPIE
• Older breed than cattle dog
• Up to 20.5 kg• Can be difficult to
deal with if not working
• Wary of strangers• Great stamina and
will to work
CORGIS
• Pembroke (no tail) and Cardigan (tail)
• Cattle dogs• Both about 11kg• Reputation for being
‘snappy’ particularly the males
• Trainable
OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG
• Shaggy coat, undercoat is waterproof
• Up to 37kg• Very active dog that
loves to play and be with people
• High maintenance coat
MAREMMA SHEEPDOG
• Large dog with thick long coat
• Bred to bond with stock animals and therefore doesn’t always make good pet
• Up to 45kg• Very ‘brave’
BOUVIER DES FLANDRES
• Belgium and France• Name means
Flanders Ox driver• Coarse, thick coat• Up to 40kg• Excellent guard dogs,
usually not aggressive
BRIARD
• French sheep dog• Long, slightly wavy
coat, dense undercoat
• Up to 38.5kg• May be used as
guard dog, must be trained to get full benefit
SHETLAND SHEEPDOG
• Sheepdog• Up to 9kg• High maintenance
coat• Otherwise
undemanding
UTILITY DOGS
• Many different sizes and shapes, for a variety of tasks
• Most breeds have an aptitude for guarding and defending
• Includes many of the ‘spitz’ dogs
BOXER
• Extremely vibrant dogs, need an owner with good discipline
• Up to 32 kg• Short coat, dropped
ears• Very confident dog,
can be good guard, can be dog aggressive
BULLMASTIFF
• Very large dog, bred for guarding and accompanying gamekeepers
• Up to 59kg• Not recommended for
inexperienced owners, can be strong willed
JAPANESE AKITA
• Also known as Akita Inu=‘large dog’
• Double coat• Weight up to 50kg• Bred for fighting and
hunting• Dominant personality,
poor pet
DOBERMANN
• Bred by a tax collector (Herr Dobermann)!
• Short, close lying coat• Up to 38kg• Very loyal and
trainable pet• Reputation probably
unwarranted
NEAPOLITAN MASTIFF
• Rare in Australia• Very old breed• Ugly, short coat• Up to 70kg• Bred to guard, not
suitable for inexperienced owners
SCHNAUZER
• German origin• Placed with terriers in
America• Rough wiry coat• Different sizes• Very active dog,
adapts well to family situations
NEWFOUNDLAND
• Very large dog with oily waterproof double coat
• Up to 68kg• Love water• Docile and
affectionate, but can still be good guards
PYRENEAN MOUNTAIN DOG
• Guard dog against wolves and bears
• Double coat• Usually white• Make good pets if
experienced handler• At least 50kg for
males
ROTTWEILER
• Up to 50kg• Bold, active, requires
exercise• Should be trained to
harness natural guarding and working behaviours
ALASKAN MALAMUTE
• Exact origin not known• Largest of sled dogs• Thick coarse outercoat,
dense undercoat• Up to 58kg• People friendly, very
dominant personality. Needs training and may resist discipline
SAINT BERNARD
• Very recognisable breed
• Rough or smooth coated
• Up to 75kg• Usually very placid
dogs• Many health problems
SAMOYED
• Bred as guard for reindeer and to pull sleds
• Up to 23kg• High maintenance
coat, although they love attention
SIBERIAN HUSKY
• Smaller than malamutes (27kg)
• Eyes can be blue• Many coat colours• Can be hard to train
(except to pull!)• Often dog (and cat)
aggressive
TOY DOGS
• Small
• Bred primarily as lap or pet dogs
• Often treated inappropriately by owners (as real ‘toys’) and therefore are very prone to behavioural abnormalities
• Very diverse group
• Extremely popular pets
AUSTRALIAN SILKY TERRIER
• Also known as Sydney silky
• Straight long glossy coat
• 4kg
BICHON FRISE
• Thick woolly coat• Often mistaken for
poodle with bad clip• Always white• 3-6kg
BOLOGNESE
• Type of sauce used with pasta
• Italian dog• Pure white• Rare- 3-4kg
CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL
• Very popular dog• Very placid, forgiving• 5-8kg• Has some persistent
health problems
CHIHUAHUA
• Rounded head• Often treated like
spoilt brats and behave accordingly
• Short or long coated• 1-3kg• Can be aggressive
CHINESE CRESTED DOG
• Rare• Prone to sunburn• Variety with full coat
exists• 5.5kg
GRIFFON BRUXELLOIS
• Belgium• Rat killer, alarm dog• Rough and smooth
coated varieties• 2.5-5kg
ITALIAN GREYHOUND
• Looks like greyhound, only smaller
• 3-4.5kg• Very fine boned
JAPANESE CHIN
• 2-3kg
MALTESE
• Extremely popular• See notes for
chihuahua• 2-3kg
PAPILLON
• Name refers to butterfly appearance of ears
• Very trainable• 3.5kg
PEKINGESE
• Brachycephalic toy• 5kg• Many health problems• Can be aggressive
but poor dentition usually means can’t deliver decent bite
POMERANIAN
• Toy spitz• 2-2.5kg• Excellent alarm dogs
PUG
• Another brachycephalic toy
• Many health problems• Up to 8kg• Usually very people
friendly
YORKSHIRE TERRIER
• 3kg• Coat can be high
maintenance