We haven’t talked about “type” here for a while, but it’s important enough to bring up every so often. Simplistically put (very simplistically), “type” is what makes one dog breed look different from another. The square silhouette of a Belgian Tervuren, the blunt, upturned muzzle of a Boxer, or the topline of a Whippet – these are all aspects of their breed’s type; while type versusstructure is a favorite debate “in dogs,” at the end of the day, preserving correct breed type is crucial for the preservation of all pure breed dogs if they’re to be distinguished from the generic brown dog.
As an aside, we feel there is also breed type in movement: The hackney gait of the Min Pin, the lively elasticity of the Puli, the stilted, or pendulum gait of the Chow Chow – these, too, are essential to the breed’s “type.”
Type does not always go hand in hand with soundness, and therein lies the minefield of evaluating a dog. The “typiest” dog in a show ring may not move particularly well, while the dog next to it could (figuratively speaking) serve a tray of cocktails on its back without a spill – but not embody type for its breed.
It pays to know the purpose for which a breed was developed to help properly evaluate a dog. The long, low-set ears of a Bloodhound and the masses of loose wrinkles “dripping” from its head and neck, for example, help trap scent cells that make the breed a world class scent hound, and without his classic ears and loose skin, he simply wouldn’t look like the quintessential Bloodhound. Many of our breeds no longer called upon do the jobs for which they were bred, but breeders invested in their respective breeds want to continue to breed for those original characteristics to retain breed type.
Not everyone will be able to answer this, but if you are, what do you feel is an important aspect to your breed’s type?
As for our image of a Bull Terrier by Dottie Dracos, would the breed look like a Bull Terrier without its distinct egg-shaped head?
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