Most “dog nerds” know that the Bullmastiff introduced around 1860 was a fortuitous blend of 60% Mastiff with...
Read More
Germanic Form of the French word ‘Pincer’
In a post that is now a few years old, we wrote that the German word “pinscher” has a few interpretations, i...
Read More
A Bedtime Story for Borzoi Owners
The great Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy, is probably best known for his epic novels, “War and Peace” and “Anna Karen...
Read More
Dog Gaits: A Visual Video
One can go cross-eyed trying to determine certain gaits on a dog, especially if they’re heavily coated. Even this ...
Read More
Brocaire Gorm
In Ireland, the Kerry Blue Terrier has been known as the “Brocaire Gorm,” literally “blue terrier,” with no refe...
Read More
The Andy Dinmont Terrier?
Pretty much all “dog people” know that the only breed named after a fictional character is the Dandie Dinmon...
Read More
Congratulations, Fiona!
About a week ago, the AKC celebrated a milestone when the millionth dog passed its Canine Good Citizen test. The honor w...
Read More
The Italian Coarsehaired Pointer
Did you know that all gondolas in Venice must be a black color unless they are the property of a high-ranking official, ...
Read More
The War of Independence, and an Iggie was There
It might have seemed like a good idea at the time. Red is a flashy color, after all, and what soldier doesn’t look...
Read More
White Head, Black Head
The all-white livestock guardian dog from western Turkey is called the “Akbash,” akbash meaning “whi...
Read More
After Lafayette: the Great Pyrenees in the US
It’s well established that the first Great Pyrenees that entered the United States had no less an impressive spons...
Read More
Not Just a Pretty Face #14
Our series, Not Just a Pretty Face, has been introducing you to dogs who are titled at both ends of their name, evidenc...
Read More
Pacing, Side-Wheeling, or Ambling
A vivid example of pacing can be found in an ad that Subaru put out a few years ago. One wonders how the execs who appro...
Read More
Selling Quality? Advertise with a Purebred Dog
It may not have been the kind of attention the company wanted. After all, we weren’t looking for furniture, we wer...
Read More
Happy Belated Icelandic Sheepdog Day!
We’ll be ready next year when the fifth annual Icelandic Sheepdog Day will be celebrated across Iceland, but sadly...
Read More
The *Other* Bouvier
Back in the day, all Belgian dogs that worked with cattle were called bouviers (herders), and each area of the country h...
Read More
Celebs Still Have to Walk the Dog in the Rain
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper made a young generation of movie goers aware of the film, “A Star is Born,” but...
Read More
Behold: Well Trained Border Collies Hard Wired For the Work
You may have seen this one before, but really, can anyone ever get enough of magnificent Border Collies doing what they ...
Read More
Did You Play With a Marx Toy?
If you’re of a certain age, do you remember playing with these? Even if you don’t, the chances are pretty ...
Read More
The Blue Doberman
The fabulous Doberman Pinscher exists in five different colors: Black, red, blue, fawn (Isabella) and white, but the bre...
Read More