The vagaries of conflict or occupation have been known to impact the “official” claim to a breed, and so it ...
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Parti (on)
When describing a dog of two colors as a “parti-colored” dog, many people are of the impression that the wor...
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Faulted for a Reason
Parts of Japan receive massive amounts of snow – up to eighteen times a month during the winter. Indeed, the avera...
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It Started with a Sheepdog
Perspective is everything, but it’s usually shaped by the times in which one lives. At one time, “Flo,”...
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The Watcher of Property
As the story goes, the Ordensritterburg castle of Germany was invaded by ill-tempered and completely rude Slavic invader...
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Pop Quiz: Oval Feet
We think dog feet are a big deal because they are foundational. On a dog, they are where the “rubber meets the r...
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Not an Azawakh
The Sloughi is such an interesting breed! He is one of the dog world’s greatest athletes, and he should appear as such...
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Between Groups
Some of the best “official” moments at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show are the ones that occur off came...
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We’re Tiny, We’re Toonie…..
Scroll down for a little “mood music” for this post: The theme song you’ve just heard is, of course, t...
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The Road to Respect
It was an unlikely source, but the first standard (such as it was) written for the Rottweiler was produced in 1901 by th...
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The Shepherd’s Dog
In 1877, two dogs described as “sheepdog, short-tailed, English” were registered with England’s Kennel...
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A Mystery with a Dash of Dog
As scandals go, it was a big one. Love, betrayal, a disruption of royal succession, a murder/suicide, maybe even incest&...
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The AmStaff’s Name History
Most experts contend that the white English Terrier, Black-and-Tan Terrier. perhaps the Fox Terrier was crossed with the...
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The Tri-Color Basenji
The AKC breed standard for the Basenji shows no disqualifications for color (or anything else, for that matter), but the...
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What Separates Good Ones from Bad Ones
Experienced heritage breeders know when they’ve got a “keeper” in a litter. They also know that someti...
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It’s Ireland’s Only One
There are several small and short-legged breeds whose “leg-length brevity” helps these dogs confront prickly...
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Bossy Shoulders
In a dog, the muscles that rotates the shoulder blades are situated above and below the blade. If the muscles under the ...
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Papillon Coloring
The current AKC Papillon standard just might be one of the more precise breed standards when it comes to color and marki...
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The Icie’s Sense of Smell
Iceland’s only native breed is affectionately called “Icie” by its many fans. Icelandic Sheepdogs are still used ...
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The Vallhund’s Fluffy Gene
From the Swedish Vallhund’s AKC breed standard: Medium length hair, harsh; topcoat close and tight. Undercoat is s...
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