Veterinary Guide to Animal Breeds

Beth Vanhorn

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781119299721
• eBook ISBN: 9781119299752
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Veterinary Medicine

Veterinary Guide to Animal Breeds offers a comprehensive reference for accurately recognizing small animal, exotic, and large animal breeds, with color photographs to aid in identification and important information for delivering veterinary care.

• Provides a reliable, veterinary-based guide to accurately recognizing breeds
• Covers small, large, and exotic animal breeds
• Emphasizes information targeted at daily veterinary practice
• Presents full-color photographs for comparison and identification
• Includes access to a companion website offering teaching materials, including worksheets and teaching PowerPoints

 

1
Dog Breed Identification

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OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this chapter, the reader should be able to:

• recognize common breeds of dog species;
• identify and describe American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized dog breeds;
• discuss and describe the seven classes of dogs.

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1.1 Introduction

Dogs are direct descendants of the wolf. The wolf is classified as Canis lupus and the dog as Canis familiaris. Dogs have become the second most popular animal in pet ownership, with over 73 million pet dogs in the United States alone. It is estimated that there is on average one dog per household in half of all American family homes. There are over 230 known pure breeds of dogs recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). The purpose of the AKC is to uphold the integrity dog breeds, promoting purebred dogs and breeding for type and function. Founded in 1884, the AKC advocates the purebred dog as a family companion, advancing canine health and well-being, working to protect the rights of all dog owners, and promoting responsible dog ownership.

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Points to remember. There are over 230 recognized pure dog breeds.

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1.2 Characteristics of Dogs

Dogs have a large variety of size ranges (height to weight). The height of dogs at the shoulder ranges from 6 to 40 inches and weight varies from 2 to over 200 pounds. Life expectancy ranges from 9 to 15 years, with some dogs now living into their early 20s. Small dogs have a longer life expectancy than large and giant breeds (Figure 1.1). Dogs share the following common traits:

• shedding hair once per year;
• non-retractable claws;
• 42 adult teeth, 28 baby teeth;
• pointed canine teeth;
• sweat glands located on nose and feet;
• panting;
• hearing two times better than in humans and at higher frequencies;

Figure 1.1 Small breed dogs have a longer average life expectancy than large and giant breeds. The larger the dog breed, the shorter the life span. Source: Courtesy of Shari Krause.

1.3 Classes of Breeds

Dog breeds are classified by the reason for their development and purpose or use. There are seven groups of dogs that have been organized based on the dog's original purpose and the traits it possesses in today's world (Table 1.1).

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Points to remember. There are seven groups of dogs based on their reason for development.

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Table 1.1 Groups of dogs.

Group	Breeds	Purpose
Herding	Shepherds, Collies, Sheepdogs, Corgi	Driving, moving, and containing livestock
Hound	Beagle, Greyhound, Foxhound, Bloodhound	Use of senses for hunting and tracking, such as hearing, sight, and smell
Non-sporting	Dalmatian, Bulldog, Poodle, Boston Terrier	Pets and companions
Sporting	Retrievers, Pointers, Setters, Spaniels	Active hunting by scents in the air and ground
Terrier	Airedale, Schnauzer, West Highland, Scottish	Catching and flushing out rodents and small game
Toy	Chihuahua, Pug, Pomeranian, Shih Tzu	Pets and companions
Working	Boxer, Mastiffs, St Bernard, Rottweiler	Guarding, guiding, herding and obedience

1.3.1 Herding Group

The herding group develope...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Preface
• About the Companion Website
• 1: Dog Breed Identification
• 2: Cat Breed Identification
• 3: Rabbit Breed Identification
• 4: Guinea Pig Breed Identification
• 5: Pocket Pet Breed Identification
• 6: Avian Breed Identification
• 7: Reptile Species Identification
• 8: Amphibian Species Identification
• 9: Cattle Breed Identification
• 10: Equine Breed Identification
• 11: Swine Breed Identification
• 12: Sheep Breed Identification
• 13: Goat Breed Identification
• 14: Poultry Breed Identification
• 15: Alternative Production Animal Breed Identification
• Appendix
• Index
• EULA