| Size of Dog |
| The size of a dog is figured as follows |
| SIZE |
HEIGHT |
WEIGHT |
| Very Small: |
25 centimeters and under |
7 kilograms and under |
| Small: |
22-38 centimeters |
7-16 kilograms |
| Medium: |
30-61 centimeters |
14-25 kilograms |
| Large: |
55-69 centimeters |
23-53 kilograms |
| Very Large: |
64 centimeters and up |
50 kilograms and up |
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| Look of Dog |
| Some representative dogs for the various looks |
| Mastiff, Bulldog |
Bulldog, Boxer, Mastiff, Great Dane |
| Spitz, Nordic |
Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute |
| Terrier |
Airedale Terrier, Fox Terrier, Cairn Terrier |
| Scent Hound |
Beagle, Basset Hound, Bloodhound |
| Setter, Retriever, Pointer |
Irish Setter, Golden Retriever, Pointer |
| Toy, Miniature |
Chihuahua, Pug, Japanese Chin |
| Spaniel |
Cocker Spaniel, Springer Spaniel |
| Herding dog |
German Shepherd, Collie |
| Sighthound |
Afghan Hound, Borzoi, Saluki |
| Mountain Dog, Stock Guard |
Great Pyrennes, St. Bernard |
| Poodle, Bichon |
Poodle, Bichon Frise |
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| Examples of Coat Types |
| Short: |
Dalmatian |
| Curly: |
Poodle |
| Wiry: |
Airedale Terrier |
| Medium: |
German Shepherd |
| Feathered: |
Golden Retriever |
| Fluffy: |
Chow Chow |
| Medium-long: |
Borzoi |
| Long: |
Collie |
| Hairless: |
Chinese Crested |
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| Trainability |
| A measure of how easy it is, on average, to train a particular breed. |
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| Exercise |
| Some breeds need extensive exercise to be happy and healthy. Others are basically couch potatoes. |
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| Grooming |
| Grooming includes brushing the coat, clipping the nails, brushing the teeth, and cleaning the ears. Short haired breeds require much less coat grooming than long haired breeds. |
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| Professional Grooming |
To look their best, some breeds benefit from regular professional grooming, some more often than others.
Cost for professional grooming may range anywhere from about $18 to $100 depending on how much work your dog's coat needs.
Some groomers include 2 shampoos and a creme rinse, nail trimming, ear cleaning, and anal sac expression in their grooming package. |
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| Independence |
Some dogs are very people-oriented. If left by themselves too long, they can become bored, lonely and sometimes destructive.
Other dogs are more self-sufficient. They can get along just fine on their own for quite a while. |
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| Friendliness |
| How the dog will respond to strangers who come into the dog's territory. |
| Very Wary: |
Friendly with the immediate family, but may be confrontational with strangers. |
| Moderately protective: |
Friendly with the family, but wary and on guard with strangers. |
| Reserved: |
Friendly with the family, but cautious with strangers. |
| Fairly friendly with strangers: |
Friendly with the family, and generally friendly with strangers. |
| Loves everyone: |
Friendly with everyone. (Still may be a good watchdog.) |
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| Dominance |
A dominant person is someone who is firm, commanding, in charge.
A less dominant person will be more easy going, gentle, mellow; someone who "goes with the flow".
Though dedicated owners can learn to give their dog the right type of leadership, it's easiest to own a breed that matches your dominance style.
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| Children |
| Always supervise any dog/child interactions and train both parties how to treat each other respectfully. |
| Not recommended with children: |
Some breeds tend to be snappish or aggressive. Even though careful socialization can help, a few breeds are just not recommended for households with children. |
| Good only when raised with children from puppyhood: |
Some breeds will be very good with children if they are raised together with them from puppyhood, but not otherwise. |
| Best with older, considerate children: |
Some breeds are too small and delicate to play with young children, and some are just not as tolerant of children as other breeds. These dogs tend to do better in families where the children are old enough to really understand how to treat a dog gently and respectfully at all times. |
| Good with children: |
Some breeds are generally good with and tolerant of children, but may excuse themselves from the scene rather than allow children to climb all over them, etc. |
| Excellent with children: |
Some breeds love children so much that they may allow children to do just about anything to them without protesting. They are extremely tolerant of little ones. |
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| Other Pets |
Some breeds get along well with cats, but may treat small rodents and birds as prey.
Some breeds do better in a household without cats, and some do better without other dogs.
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| Agility |
| A rousing sport where dogs negotiate a series of obstacles and jumps on a timed course.
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| Assistance Dogs and
Guides for the Blind |
Some breeds help people with disabilities. There are therapy dogs, hearing assistance dogs, helpers for people with limited mobility, and even dogs trained to give emotional support. In addition, a few breeds can become guides for the blind.
Guiding the blind requires very high trainability, devotion to work, excellent health, and a balanced temperament. The most commonly used breeds are German Shepherd Dogs, Labrador Retrievers, and Golden Retrievers. Even among these breeds only a percentage of dogs who enter the specialized Guide Dog training programs actually graduate the programs to become working Guide Dogs.
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| Combativeness |
| A measure of how aggressive a breed tends to be with unfamiliar dogs.
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| Companion Dogs |
| Most breeds really enjoy being pals with their humans and make wonderful companions.
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| Guarding |
| A guard dog will not only bark to warn you of possible dangers and intruders, but will actively try to protect you, your family, and your property from harm. Not all breeds have this quality.
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| Herding |
| Dogs have helped man herd livestock for centuries, and some breeds display much more herding instinct than others. Today's sport of herding allows dogs to earn titles for herding sheep, cows, and ducks.
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| Hunting |
| Dogs have helped man hunt many types of game for centuries. Today, dogs still hunt rabbits, foxes, game birds, raccoons, bear, cougar, wild boar, and even rats and other farmyard vermin for their masters.
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| Jogging |
| Constant running for 20 or more minutes.
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| Lure Coursing |
| An exciting sport where sight hounds chase plastic lures dragged rapidly over a large field. Sight hounds include Greyhounds, Afghan Hounds, Salukis, Irish Wolfhounds, Scottish Deerhounds, Basenjis, Whippets, and other dogs who hunt by sight.
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| Competitive Obedience |
| Some breeds are known for their success at formal obedience trials. This requires more than just house manners; successful obedience competitors obey their masters promptly in strict routines in spite of all the distractions of a dog show. Dogs can earn obedience titles at several levels of difficulty.
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| Pointing |
| Pointing refers to the motionless stance some hunting breeds take when they locate game. The direction of the point shows the hunter where the game is hiding.
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| Retrieving |
| Some breeds are natural retrievers, and want to bring things back to their masters. Others don't seem to care.
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| Schutzhund |
| A dog sport, popular in Germany, that includes tracking, obedience and protection.
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| Search and Rescue |
| Highly specialized training to seek survivors at disaster sites and to find lost people.
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| Sighting |
| Some breeds, like Salukis and Afghans, are known for their ability to hunt mainly by sight rather than by scent.
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| Sledding |
| Some breeds like to pull sleds, for racing or just for fun.
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| Space |
| This refers to the outdoor space requirements of each breed, the area available to the dog for running around. |
| Acreage |
4,000 sq meters or more |
| Large garden |
approx. 500 - 4,000 sq meters |
| Average garden |
approx. 100 - 500 sq meters |
| Small garden |
approx. 20 - 100 sq meters |
| No garden |
Might have a patio. |
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| Climate |
Though most breeds are adaptable to a variety of outdoor temperatures, some do better in warm climates and some do better in cold.
If you live where the temperature drops below freezing and you own a breed that is susceptible to cold or frostbite, you can dress your dog in a sweater when going out and limit his time outdoors as needed, depending on the temperature.
If you live in a warm climate and own a dog with a very thick coat, you will need to provide cool shelter in the summer. Always make sure the dog has plenty of fresh water to drink. |
| Moderate: |
London, UK |
| Warm to hot: |
Rome, Italy |
| Cool to cold: |
Stockholm, Sweden |
| Cold winters/hot summers: |
Paris, France |
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| Tracking |
| The ability to follow a scent. Several organizations offer titles in this skill.
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| Tricks |
| Some breeds are known to be quite good at learning tricks.
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| Watchdog |
| A watchdog will bark to indicate the presence of an intruder, but may not actually be willing (or able) to physically protect his owner and the owner's property.
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| Water Rescue |
| Some breeds are talented at saving drowning swimmers.
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| Weight Pulling |
| A sport for breeds that enjoy pulling. |
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