Breeds of Dogs

Click on THIS LINK to My collection of dog breed photos

By looking at any of these photos, you can easily see the body types as being one of the most easily noticeable characteristics of the animal. Is it a big dog? Does it have a pointy nose or long ears? Does it have a multi-layered coat, smooth, or ruff? Does the animal have a feathered tail or typically docked tail? ALL of these characteristics are distinctive marks of that animals BREED. They have something to do with what that animal is created to do.

For example: let's look at a bloodhound. Why all those folds of skin and jowls? Doesn't that just make it more...um... homely looking? And, my oh my, the mucous that a blood hound seems to always be drooling? And those LONG ears? Why? IF it is a SCENT hound; why would it need long EARS? Here is the answer to that.... those long ears and folds of skin actually help focus the scent...as does the extra mucous. That's right! All of these seemingly unrelated characteristics actually make the bloodhound the VERY best at picking up minute pieces of scent and finding and tracking unlike any other animal or even man and machine on earth. Isn't that neat?! And that is just ONE breed of dog.

As I just discussed the bloodhound is in the HOUND group. To Learn more about the different "Groups" of dogs. I will refer you to the next post about groups.

Know Your Dog

(Click on image to enlarge) One of the things that we strive to do in Warren Waggers 4-H Dog Club is to help you to know your dog better. Today we will be looking at the different body parts of your dogs. I am posting a copy of an illustration from your 4-H Wiggles and Wags Handbook here for you to be able to help memorize the body parts on a dog.