Do you know what type of breed your canine is?
Did you know that your canines breed will influence the character and behavior ? Unless we have a mixed breed, we are the ones who chose our dogs & if this is the case who can we blame if our purebred dog is doing things that are bothering us or intolerable to us?
Fear not though, this is not the end. We don't have to tolerate disobedience or bad manners, it just means we should do training with the canine to create rituals around their instincts. We can not be angry with the dog for expressing their instincts if we have not done the work of building healthy rituals around those behaviors. We will get more into rituals and habits in later posts however, the focus of this blog post is to summarize the different breeds &, by instinct, what drives them.
Herding Breeds
Herding breed were bred to move livestock, some specialize in cattle, some sheep, and others may do multiple species.
They move livestock by barking, nipping at their heels or charging towards them.
They chase things, round them up & keep them together.
The are agile, fast and they do well at speed sports such as agility. Usually energetic dogs and they do best when given healthy options for channeling that energy.
A few canines in this category are, Collie, Corgi, Shetland Sheepdog, Australian Cattle Dog and Puli.
Sporting Breeds
Sporting breeds were bred to work with hunters.
Flushing game.
Retrieve game.
Point or signal to game or that there is game.
Some of them excel at working in the water, others in fields and of course some perform multiple tasks.
A lot of energy, especially as puppies and adolescents. They generally work well with people and are popular family dogs.
A few types of dogs in this breed are, Labrador Retriever, English Setter, Golden Retriever, Portuguese Water Dog & Brittany.
Hound Breeds
Hounds were bred to hunt. Some specialize in scenting and other by sight.
They have persistent stamina ( they can keep on going and going).
Some canines in his category are, Greyhound, Bloodhound, Beagle, Irish Wolfhound & Afghan Hound.
Terrier Breeds
Terriers were bred to hunt & kill vermin. Persistent with lots of energy and can be feisty. Most have wiry coats that require special grooming called "stripping", to stay looking civilized. You will notice when terriers play with their toys they "kill" them by shaking their heads.
Types of dogs in this category are, West Highland White Terrier, Parson Russell Terrier, Rat Terrier, Cairn Terrier & Bull Terrier (The Target Mascot).
Working Breed
Working dogs were bred to perform jobs like guarding property, pulling sleds & other duties. The jobs vary and so do the individual dogs. In general, these dogs are usually strong and committed & some are very large.
Types of dog in this category are, The Siberian Husky, Saint Bernard, Great Pyrenees, Samoyed & Great Dane.
Toy Breeds
...Small, &, oh small haha. These dogs were bred to be lap dog companions that can fit in a purse or carried around anywhere. Their small size makes them ideal for any type of living situation.
Breeds in this category are, The Papillon, Chihuaha, Maltese, Pomeranian, and Pug.
Non-Sporting
This group is kind of a catch all for a variety of breeds. Canines in this group vary in size & behavior traits. For example the Shiba Inu is a small Japanese dog bred to hunt small wild game, boar & bear. The Chow Chow is a medium sized Chinese dog used for hunting, protection, pulling & herding.
Some other breeds in this category are, The Schipperke, Bichon Frise & The Poodle.
Lastly the Miscellaneous
The AKC also has a Miscellaneous class.
( We will go over what AKC, UKC & CKC are in later posts)
This group is for purebred dogs that are not necessarily recognized as a purebred dog globally but have the potential to be. Sometimes these breeds are recognized in other countries, sometimes they are not.
This information was largely cited from "The Ultimate Guide To Dog Training" by Teoti Anderson. These images are from www.akc.org .
If this information helped you and you think it could help a friend then please, Like, Share, And Subscribe!
Comments