BREEDSDiscover 164 Dog Breeds

Choosing a Dog Breed

Types of Dogs

BulldogAustralian Shep-

herdBasset Houd

Bearded CollieChow ChowPomeranian

Shih TzuShiba Inu

DalmatianGreat Pyrenees

Prevention Tips

164DOGS

ISSN 1656-5576

breed magazine

Choosing a dog breed You will find many wonderful fam-ily and companion dogs in each of the types of dog breeds. But not all types of dogs make good family pets. A fam-ily dog needs to be tolerant enough to allow for some child play, such as tail and ear tugging. And dogs living with children need to have enough energy to withstand hours of play!Many types of dogs can work well with children and there are some character-istics you can look for in a family dog to help ensure a good experience. When choosing a dog breed, It is important to remember that there are good and bad dogs in every breed. Individual dogs within breeds can demonstrate their

own unique personality traits. No matter what breed you choose, make sure to be very careful about the safety of both your children and the dog. It's not a good idea to leave them together unsuper-vised unless you are very familiar and comfortable with how each will behave.

PAGE 8-9Do You Have Time To Exercise Your Dog?

PAGE 10Do You Have Children?

PAGE 10-11Coats and Shedding

PAGE 13-15ProtectionTypes of Dogs

PAGE 6Discover 164 Dog BrEEDS

Discover 164 Dog BrEEDS

Must-know information on over 160 dog breeds! Read descriptions and view photos of over 160 dog breeds. Find out about the temperament, behavior, and characteristics of each breed and discover what the breed is like to live with. View lists of breeds with common characteristics. And use our dog breed selector to sort through all 160+ dog breeds to find the one that’s perfect for you.

Choosing a Dog

Before you start learning about the personalities and traits of the many dog breeds in our dog breed profiles, here are some points you should con-sider when deciding which dog is perfect for you:

Your Dog's Temperament

Your dogs temperament should match yours. Don't choose a breed that is highly energetic if you're a couch potato. On the other hand, if you want a dog that will follow you everywhere around the house and who is always ready for a game of fetch or tug of war then you should consider a dog that is highly active and always has a lot of energy, instead of one of the lethargic breeds.

You don't have to have own a large house to own a large dog (although a tiny apartment isn't going to be big enough for one of the giant breeds). If you can take him outside for a good hour of two of exercise every day... a large dog can live in a small house or apartment just fine.Keep in mind that large dogs are more expen-sive to keep. They eat more food, which costs you more money. Tick and flea preventives cost more for large dogs, as do other mediations.When large dogs eliminate, they eliminate a lot more than small dogs. More goes in and more comes out of large breeds. Which is some-thing to keep in mind if your dog will live in-side - especially if you live in a high rise apart-ment and he will have to be litter box trained (there's always going to be more to clean up).

Tiny, Small, Medium, Large or... Giant

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Do You Have Time To Exercise Your Dog?

All dogs should get as much exercise as possi-ble. A daily walk is sufficient for most breeds. But most small dog breeds, for example Toy dogs such as Pugs, Maltese or Yorkshire Terriers, will get the majority of their required exercise needs just be walking, running and playing around indoors.Some breeds have so much energy and are so active that if you don't give them a suf-ficient workout every day - a long walk and hard run - their pent up energy will quite like-ly manifest itself in destructive behavior.If you don't have time to exercise your dog daily with a brisk walk and lots of running choose a breed

that doesn't have high exercise requirements. All of the breeds who require high amounts of exercise make terrific jogging, hiking, and ridding compan-ions. So if you want your dog to accompany you on long runs choose one of these highly active breeds built for endurance and as much exercise as you can throw at them - they'll love you for it (and a tired dog isn't destructive).

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Most all dogs will get along well with chil-dren if they are raised with them. However, some breeds have a protective streak in them and may become aggressive with children who get to close at meal time (although this should not be tolerated), or aggressive with children they've never met. These breeds will likely see the children as being underneath themselves in the "pack order" and may try to dominate them.Some dogs will patiently put up with lit-tle children who pull their ears or acciden-tally poke them in the eyes, while others will not and map nip or bite back in defense.So if you want a dog who is excellent with chil-dren avoid breeds which may have a domi-nance streak or that have short tempers.

Coats and Shedding

Dogs with short coats require virtually no groom-ing, just a brush and wipe down every so often. Pet dogs with long coats require either regular clipping

Do You Have Children?

every eight weeks or so (where their coats are clipped short) or there long coats need to be brushed practically every day. Show dogs, or dogs with long coats, require daily brushing or else there coat will become matted and tangled. Not only can it hurt your dog if he has tangled and matted hair, but it will also become dirty and he will look shaggy and ugly if you don't regularly brush his coat.So keep in mind that if you choose a breed with a long coat you will either need to get it clipped regularly if you want to avoid brushing it so much, or if you choose to keep it long or even medium length you will have to brush it every day.

Dogs with short coats also have another advantage. It's easier to find ticks and fleas on their body. You probably spend eight times as long searching for fleas and ticks on a dog with a long coat than you do on a dog with a short coat.If you don't like loose dog hair and don't want to be vacuuming the house every day, then don't buy a high shedding breed. If you own a high shed-ding dog you will find hair everywhere! Including on your clothes, on your furniture, in your bed, and even in your food. Additionally dogs that have a high shedding rate need to be brushed more often to brush out the dead hair.

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Are You Allergic To Dander?

It isn't the dog hair that causes allergies - it's the dander! Dogs continually shed dander, or dead microscopic skin flakes, from their bodies. When this dander is airborne it can be inhaled and this is what causes an allergic reaction in some peo-ple (itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, wheez-ing, etc). If you have allergies to dander, and still want a pet dog, then you should consider one of the low shedding dog breeds because they pro-duce less dander. Some of these breeds include the Poodle, Maltese, Bichon Frise, Bedlington Terrier and Chinese Crested just to name a few. Choose a breed which is rated low for shedding if you have allergies. To be on the safe side, check the breed you are thinking of owning doesn't cause you to have an allergic reaction by spend-ing several hours around a dog of that breed be-fore you purchase one! Any responsible breeder will let you spend time around the breed to let you check if the breed is okay for your allergies.Intelligent And Easy To Train

Every breed can be trained to learn almost every command. However, some breeds learn a lot faster than others - making them a lot easier to train. These highly intelligent breeds pick up a command after only about five or six repetitions, they more often respond on the first time you give the command, and they remem-ber commands even if they aren't practiced of-ten. They also learn commands even when the trainer is inexperienced and makes mistakes.So if you don't have a lot of the time to spend dog training, or you're the impatient type who gets frustrated easily, choose a breed which has a high ease of training rating.

Protection

Dogs can either serve as watchdogs or guard dogs or both. A watchdog's job is to bark and raise the alarm when a stranger enters your property. Their job is to warn you. Many small dog breeds make great watch dogs. Whereas a guard dog's job is to look intimidating and protect his family by keeping in-truders out. Some breeds are great guard dogs but not great watchdogs. And vice versa. And a few breeds are both great guard dogs and great watchdogs.These are some of the factors to consider when making a decision about which breed is right for you. With these points in mind, browse through the dog breed profiles and discover which dog will be a suitable match for you.

How to Pick a Dog• What type of person are you?First look at where your home and the area where you live. Then con-sider your lifestyle, how much time you can devote to your pet, your budget, and how much you are willing to spend. Finally determine what expectations you and your family have of a companion dog.

• What type of dog fits you and your lifestyle?Do a thoughtful analysis of each type of dog. Dog breeds come in a wider variety of sizes, shapes, and temperaments than any other single species on the planet. They run the gamut from 2 pounds to 200 hun-dred pounds, short, squat and round to long, lean and lithe, friendly and social to wary, cautious and protective, and everything in between.Take a careful look at each dog breed's characteristics and what you envision doing with your dog. characteristics to the same magnitude. And with mixed breed dogs, trying to guess the various attributes that will develop can be even more difficult. That is because there is no way to know in advance which trait or characteristic will dominate. So be prepared for an element of surprise!You've decided you are ready for a cat, so now comes the fun part... What type of cat do you want! Check out the dogs types, see the 10 for you!

• Determine a set of criteria to use during the selection process. Include what size of dog you want, breed type, amount of exercise needed, groom-ing requirements, health concerns, and your level of experience with dogs.

• Putting the two togetherCombine your lifestyle, accommodations, tempera-ments, and tastes to what each type of dog has to offer. Once you have a good overview by type of dog, narrow this

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Types of DogsDogs types are organized into several groups, and each group contains a number of dog breeds. Each member of a group may share a number of similar characteristics. These can be things like dog backgrounds and ancestry, physical appearance, and temperament. One of the most important aspects of these groups, is based on what function the dogs were bred for.Breed registries differ somewhat in how they categorize types of dogs into groups. In each of these registries, characteristics like small dog breeds, large dog breeds, miniature dogs, types of terriers, hunting dogs, guard dogs, and com-panion dogs, can cross from one class to an-other. The dog types we group them into follow the groupings as set by American Kennel Club (AKC), and are as follows:• Herding Dogs:Herding dog breeds were primarily used on farms to guard livestock and move livestock between fields. These dogs are noted for intel-ligence and trainability. They are not aggressive and make loyal and affectionate dogs. Being very energetic, they will need to be kept busy. If not given a job they may very well find their own activities which may be chewing your slippers or digging in the yard.See Herding Dog Information for a more in depth discussion on this type of dog.• Hound DogsHound dog breeds were primarily used for hunt-ing, either by sight or sound, but all have one trait in common, stamina. Many hounds make exceptional pets, but they are instinctual hunting dogs. Nothing makes them happier than sniffing out or sighting a varmint, and they pursuing it to the end. Most are best kept on a leash or se-curely fenced.See Hound Dog Information for a more in depth discussion on this type of dog.• Sporting DogsSporting Dog breeds excel in strong water and

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nature instincts. This group includes pointers, setters, retrievers, and spaniels.These dogs are the embodiment of what con-stitutes a good companion dog. They are loyal, friendly, active and affectionate. Many will fit well into an active family life and enjoy children. Most get along well with other pets, though there are a few with a strong prey instinct that can't be trusted around small pets. They do need a good deal of exerciseSee Sporting Dog Information for a more in depth discussion on this type of dog.• Non-Sporting DogsNon-Sporting Dog breeds often serve as com-panion dogs but are very diverse in back-grounds. They were bred for many uses from hunting dogs, herding dogs and guard dogs, to affectionate lap dogs.This wide variety of dogs hail from all across the globe and includes small dog breeds and large. They also vary in coat, personality, and overall appearance from the northern dogs, the popu-lar bulldogs, and the rather rare Tibetan Spaniel and Terrier, to the only spotted breed dog, the Dalmatian.See Non-Sporting Dog Information for a more in depth discussion on this type of dog.• Terrier Dogs Terrier dog breeds include the traditional terri-ers that were originally developed to hunt and kill vermin, dig out prey or burrow into dens. They are noted for peppiness and tenacity, but are not known to have a lot of tolerance for other animals, including other dogs. Terriers include the bulldogs and require owners that can match their determined characters and high energy.See Terrier Dog Information for a more in depth discussion on this type of dog.• Toy DogsToy dog breeds were bred as house pets and have served as companions for hundreds, even thousands of years. A lot of small dog breeds were once the prize possessions of members of the ruling class, and many are a scaled down version of another breed.

Australian Shepherd Tempera-ment

The Australian Shepherd, lovingly called an "Aussie," is a highly intelligent, incredibly ener-getic, people-loving dog who needs to have a job to do. They need lots and lots of exercise and will fit in well with an active person or fam-ily. They are bred to herd, and might try to herd anything, including you, your children, your neighbor's child on a bicycle, innocent stran-gers jogging past your house, ducks, squirrels, cats, and cars. You will need a fence to keep them off the road. They also have strong guard-ing instincts, and want to be near their family at all times. Originally bred as all-purpose farm dogs,Aussies were left to supervise the children while the parents worked in the fields. They are good with children, except for the occasional nipping at their heels to herd them into position. They will follow you from room to room and su-pervise you in the bathroom. They are very af-fectionate and will want to lick your face. They are assertive by nature, highly territorial and can be pushy. They are very protective of their family and home, and are cautious around strangers. They need lots of mental stimulation and physi-cal exercise, or problem behaviors will arise. They are the opposite of the couch potato dog. They need to have a sense of purpose, which is why so many of them excel in obedience and agility competitions. They are highly trainable, versatile, and are quick learners. They usually love to play ball and Frisbee, and many of them enjoy swimming. If you are in the market for a full-time center of attention family pet, full of exu-berance and demanding of your attention, then an Aussie might be for you. They are good-na-tured, eager to please, and remarkably loyal. But they will need to be at the top of your priority list.

Great Pyrenees Temperament

This giant, gorgeous dog was bred to be a guard dog and has strong ter-ritorial instincts. And the Great Pyrenees defines his territory as "as far as his eye can see." He will run off if not contained by a fence or leash. These dogs were bred to think independently and to make decisions on their own, so if you are looking for an obedience champion who hangs on your every word, the Pyrenees probably isn't it. But they are good watch-dogs and will bark to raise the alarm of someone on their turf. They are protective, even possessive, of their family, property, and livestock. This dog will make protecting you his life goal. He will want to be with you as much as possible so that he can know where you are and what you are doing at all times. The sheer size of them is enough to deter evildoers, and they have a unique ability to tell friend from foe. They have a deep, booming bark. They are expert barkers. They bark at things you will never even know exist, especially at night, when your neighbors are trying to sleep. Early obedience training is necessary, because you do not want to end up in a wrestling match with a giant Pyrenees. Yet, don't expect miracles. Pyrs don't usually excel at obedience training, and due to a com-bination of lethargy and stubbornness, they tend to take their sweet time obeying your commands. They like to see what they can get away with. Great Pyrenees do well with children and seem to have a built-in sense of responsibility for watching over them. Of course, all children need to be taught how to behave around dogs. The Pyrenees are loving and affec-tionate with their families: gentle, patient, and calm. They get along well with other dogs and household pets. (They don't get along with same-sex dogs and can be aggressive with them.) They are remarkably sensitive and sympathetic to your emotions and will comfort you when you need it. In turn, they require affection, kindness and human companionship. A bored or lonesome Pyr can be destructive. Pyrs should be exercised daily and they make great walking partners, as they tend to walk along beside you calmly instead of pulling you across town. The Great Pyra-nees is intelligent, dependable, confident, brave, devoted, sweet, stub-born, and really tall, so don't keep your steaks thawing on the counter.

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Bearded Collie Temperament

The Bearded Collie is an active, outgoing, intel-ligent, affectionate, and sometimes boisterous dog who makes a great family pet for an active family. The Bearded Collie needs exercise, both physical and mental. Beardies are playful and like to jog, swim, wrestle, play Frisbee, and go for brisk walks. They are always ready for ac-tion and are happy to join their family in any ac-tivity. With what seems like boundless energy, they also enjoy agility, herding, obedience, and tracking. They love to work in partnership with their masters and are very r e s p o n s i v e to you. They also make good therapy dogs because they love peo-ple. They see everyone as either a friend or a poten-tial friend. They need to be with their loved ones and can be-come destruc-tive if left alone for hours at a time. They will bark when lonely or bored. Barking is an important part of this breed's working style, but it can be a problem for some people, espe-cially those with close neighbors. Beardies are usually not "yappy" problem barkers, but they do bark when excited and they announce all visi-tors with joy. And once those visitors cross the threshold, Beardies will greet them by jumping

on ntle, and devoted. And they can sweep your coffee table clean with a single wag. them, unless you train them not to. But with all the training in the world, Beardies are still jumpers. Beardie owners affectionately call them "bouncy." They can easily jump a four-foot fence. (They can also dig under them.) When you get home from work, they will probably greet you by jumping up and kissing your nose. Beardies can be a touch stub-born and need obedience training. They are independent thinkers, but are also anxious to please you. They will do just about anything for your approval, but sometimes they add their own special twist. They may not obey commands if they don't see the point, and they are rather famous for keeping their owners humble. They've been known to open cupboards and steal food, counter surf, and eat television remotes. They can have quite a sense of humor. They usually get along well with children and

other animals, especially when raised around them. However, Beardies will often try to herd their family members and some will nip at the ankles of young children. Within the breed, tempera-ments range from laid back to rowdy, but they can all be a bit silly. They are sensitive, responsive, adaptable, ge

Shih Tzu Temperament

The Shih Tzu is a dignified, lively, alert, happy, sweet and playful. He craves yourcompanionship and just wants to be with you. He's very affectionate and loves to cuddle and kiss and sit on your lap. He may be sweet, but he knows how to stand up for himself if confronted. He's friendly and sociable with strangers. He doesn't need much exercise and will get most of it just run-ning around inside. He's one of the most popular dogs inthe United States.

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