eGrejeen

Pug

egrejeen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:50:56 +0000

Pug is a breed of toy dog, believed to have originated in China, from which it may have been imported into England in the 16th century. The modern pug is descended from dogs subsequently developed by English breeders. The dog has a short, compact body; a large, round, and massive head with profuse wrinkles; a short, square, and blunt muzzle; large, bold, dark eyes; straight legs; and a tightly curled tail. The coat is close-haired, soft, and glossy. The color of the pug is silver or apricot-fawn with a black mask, in either case with a black trace from the middle of the skull to the tail; or it is solid black. The animal is about 30 cm (about 12 in) high at the shoulder and weighs about 6 to 8 kg (14 to 18 lb). Because of its alertness, tractability, and friendliness, the pug is a popular pet.

Puli

egrejeen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:49:16 +0000

Puli (pl. pulik) is a breed of herding dog, used as a sheepdog in Hungary for more than 1000 years. Brought in by the Magyars, it may have originated from the Tibetan terrier. This small, dark-haired dog worked sheep during the day, while the lighter colored, larger komondor and kuvasz were used to guard the sheep at night. The puli’s coat is its distinctive feature and acts as a natural protector. It is dull black with tinges of bronze or gray or gray and white. The dense, woolly undercoat tangles with the profuse topcoat to form long matted cords over the length of the body and the head when not groomed. Intelligent and vigorous, the puli makes an ideal watchdog and companion. The Puli averages 43 cm (17 in) in height and about 14 kg (about 30 lb) in weight.

Rottweiler

egrejeen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:47:42 +0000

Rottweiler is a breed of working dog, probably descended from a herding dog used by the Roman armies to drive their cattle and to guard their camps. From the early Middle Ages until the mid-19th century, drover dogs of this type were used in southern Germany. They were especially connected with the market town of Rottweil, hence their name. The breed, revived early in the 20th century and used for police work, was recognized in the U.S. in 1931. Rottweilers are fairly large, strongly built, and intelligent, making excellent guard dogs. The short, coarse, flat hair is black, with tan to dark brown markings. The tail is short and carried horizontally. Males stand about 61 to 69 cm (about 24 to 27 in), females about 56 to 66 cm (about 22 to 26 in) for an average Rottweiler.

Retriever

egrejeen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:46:14 +0000

Retriever is any one of several breeds of sporting dogs, highly obedient and trained to discover and fetch killed or wounded game, principally aquatic birds such as the duck, and land birds such as the pheasant. Unlike hounds, who detect ground scents, retrievers hunt by air scent. Excellent swimmers, retrievers have uniquely water-resistant coats; their mouths, which do not damage the game, are characterized as “soft.”

The American Kennel Club recognizes the following breeds: Chesapeake Bay retriever, golden retriever, and Labrador retriever, as well as the curly-coated and flat-coated retrievers. The latter two breeds originated in England. The curly-coated dates from the 16th century and is one of the oldest of the retriever breeds.

Rhodesian Ridgeback

egrejeen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:44:55 +0000

Rhodesian Ridgeback is a breed of large hunting dog, characterized by a ridge of hair growing along the spine in a direction opposite to that of the rest of the coat. The ridgeback was bred in South Africa by Afrikaner farmers as a big-game hunter and guard dog. It represents a combination of several imported breeds, including the Great Dane, mastiff, greyhound, and bloodhound, with Rhodesian varieties capable of withstanding extremes of heat and cold. Introduced into the United States in 1950, the Rhodesian ridgeback was recognized as a standard breed in 1955. The dog has a strong, muscular body and a broad head with high-set ears and a long muzzle. The short, sleek coat varies in color from light to red wheaten. The adult Rhodesian ridgeback weighs from 29 to 34 kg (65 to 75 lb) and averages about 66 cm (about 26 in) high at the shoulder.

Pointer (dog)

egrejeen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:35:28 +0000

Pointer (dog) is a breed of large sporting dog that hunts by scent; it is trained in locating game to indicate the place of concealment of the quarry by standing rigid with its nose pointing in the direction of the spot. It was once believed that the breed originated in Spain several centuries ago and then spread into various other countries. It is now known, however, that pointers came into general use in Spain, Portugal, eastern Europe, and the British Isles at about the same time. The first pointers of which reliable records exist date from the middle of the 17th century in England. It is believed that the breed, sometimes specified as the English pointer, was established by crossing the foxhound, greyhound, bloodhound, and probably the spaniel. The English pointer was crossed with the Spanish pointer at the beginning of the 18th century in order to improve the former’s pointing instinct, and during the 19th century with various breeds of setters in order to make it more tractable. The modern pointer is an ideal hunting dog, lean and lithe, with a smooth, shorthaired coat that is white with patches or spots of either liver, orange, black, or lemon. The dog weighs from 20 to 34 kg (45 to 75 lb) and stands from 58 to 71 cm (23 to 28 in). It has a long, moderately wide skull; a long, square muzzle; wide nostrils; long, silky ears that lie flat to the cheeks; medium-sized eyes that are either black or various shades of brown; a deep chest; a strong back; and a moderately long, tapering tail. The German shorthaired and German wirehaired pointers are related breeds.

Otter Hound

egrejeen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:33:55 +0000

Otter Hound is a breed of web-footed hound, known in England since the 12th century. Hunting with packs of otter hounds was especially popular there in the 19th century, but the breed has never been widely favored in the U.S. A large animal, the otter hound weighs from 29 to 52 kg (65 to 115 lb) and stands 56 to 69 cm (22 to 27 in). The coarse, crisp, oily coat—blue and white to black and tan in color—enables the dog to withstand water; also endowed with webbed feet, the Otter Hound is adept at swimming.

Pudelpointer

egrejeen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:32:53 +0000

Pudelpointer is a breed of dog, developed in Germany in the 19th century for use in hunting. The dog, which somewhat resembles a German wirehaired pointer, stands about 61 cm (about 24 in) at the shoulder and weighs about 27 kg (about 60 lb). It has a thick, wiry outer coat and a softer inner coat, with bushy growths on the forehead and chin. The color is usually brownish. The Pudelpointer ears hang and the tail is docked to a length of about 18 cm (about 7 in).

Papillon

egrejeen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:31:38 +0000

Papillon (French, “butterfly”) is a breed of toy dog, so named because of its ears, which in some varieties resemble the wings of a butterfly. The breed originated in Spain and Italy and from there was introduced into France. Known by the 16th century as the dwarf spaniel, the dog was extremely popular and was often represented in the paintings of the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens and his French followers, Jean-Antoine Watteau, François Boucher, and Jean Honoré Fragonard. Over the centuries, the ears, originally long and drooping, developed in some strains into an erect shape, fringed and set obliquely on the head. The long, silky coat is abundant and flowing. The coat is predominantly white with patches of other colors. Though finely boned and small—not over 30 cm (12 in) in height—papillons are hardy dogs.

Portuguese Water Dog

egrejeen — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:30:13 +0000

Portuguese Water Dog is a working breed of dog that somewhat resembles a poodle but with a face more like a spaniel and more webbing between the toes. The breed was developed in Portugal to retrieve fishing equipment from the water. The males stand about 51 to 58 cm (about 20 to 23 in) tall at the shoulder and weigh 19 to 27 kg (42 to 60 lb). The females are about 43 to 53 cm (about 17 to 21 in) tall and weigh 16 to 23 kg (35 to 50 lb). The coat is black, white, brown, or grayish, often with white markings, and may be short and curly or long and wavy. The Portuguese Water Dog ears drop, and the tail is long and curved.