Dog Breeds
All of us that share our lives with dogs, but especially trainers and behaviour consultants, should know the type of dog we have in front of us and what kind of tasks the dog was originally bred for. We must have information about breeds, study them and understand their purpose.
All three of us at the Smiling Leash Project, Ena, Lyuba and myself Leti did the breeds study during our International Dog Education with Turid Rugaas, and to this day we keep exchanging some of those breed sheets when we work with a client with a dog breed that is new to us. Such valuable information cannot be underestimated when we are trying to understand the behaviour of a dog.
Humans and dogs’ history is intertwined. No one is sure yet when it started and how, and many theories have been published. But what is certain is that us humans saw the value in having such companions. Maybe when we started to comprehend that when they were making a certain bark, they were alerting us of danger, we saw the value of having them close by. Or when we started to hunt and herd with them. Even when we rested close to them on cold nights, and they kept us warm we saw value in having them around.
Basically, we used their skills for our advantage from the beginning, but I still remember the words of Turid during those breed classes: the ethical thing to do is to let them do the things in which their natural skills make them excel and the things they like to do, but not force them into jobs that are unnatural for them.
As we started to depend more and more on their skills, we started to selectively choose puppies for certain tasks. Size, coat, stamina, movement … all had a purpose. It is not the same to hunt bears or ducks. You need to be bigger for bigger animals, to begin with, and also have a different mindset. It is not the same to be attacked by a wolf while you are herding. It matters whether your neck is thick and covered in hair or not. For this reason, it is very important to think about where you dog is going to live. An Alaskan malamute with a thick coat will make a very poor choice for the Madrid summer temperatures. There are so many breeds that it is always possible to have the right dog in the right place and not put her in an environment that is going to be difficult for her.
Dogs have been used for many different purposes. It could be HERDING. Herding dogs do not need to learn to herd, they are born with this skill. And it doesn’t have to be cattle necessarily, it could be the children in the family that are the target of this activity.
Dogs were also used for PULLING AND CARRYING THINGS. These proud dogs did a job that had meaning.
Dogs excel at RESCUE, HUNTING and other jobs. There are so many different types of hunting dogs based on where they hunt, water, desert, open fields … their prey and the hunting methods. Are they retrievers to carry the animals, hounds that track and follow land animals, or pointing dogs to search for birds and point and freeze. We can not train any of these skills away, we must accept them as part of the dog.
KEEPING VERMIN AWAY, ENTERTAINING US: some dogs are natural clowns, and I know this first hand as I live with one, BEING OUR COMPANIONS AND EVEN SPECIALISED JOBS that require speed and physical fitness.
We should spend some time thinking about the dogs that we bring into our lives and not choose the wrong dog for the life we lead and activities we do.
Some categories for dogs’ breeds follow:
SIGHT HOUNDS (Galgo, Afghan and Podenco)
Deep chested dogs that take in a lot of air to run fast for short periods of time. They have long thighs meant for galloping and they are not meant to SIT, this posture given their conformation is very tricky.
Interesting fact: they are as good at tracking as any other dog, but their build is not ideal for it. This means they are also not built for a lot of walking.
HERDING DOGS (Border collie, Bearded collie, Belgium shepherds)
They are bred to herd domestic animals. They have a rectangular body, shorter legs and a lot more flexibility. Each breed may perform different kinds of herding. The most well-known, collies, circle in to keep animals together. Some others are drivers that move animals in a certain direction or keep the lines of the herd clear. Regardless of the style of herding they use, they have a lot of responsibility.
Interesting fact: They are built for quick reactions. When they work, they pick up on movement. In this sense they are not nervous but alert. On the other hand, they can get very stressed by movement in the wrong situations (in crowds, certain dog sports ..). They are also very quick learners.
HEAVIER HEARDING DOGS like the rottweiler, the Swiss mountain dog,
walk in with the herd and they will move with the cattle from one place to another. Sometimes they pulled carts on the farm.GUARDING HEARDING DOGS (Marema, Spanish Mastin)
They protect and sometimes walk with the animals, even lying amongst them. They protect against wolves and bears, but they don’t take this role until they are around 3 years of age. They are calm and relaxed dogs if not on duty and also on duty when nothing is happening.Interesting fact: South European dog pounds are full of dogs of this type that are more than 3 years old. At three is when the guarding herding dogs will take on the protecting role and if left on their own in the wrong types of situations (in a front garden, for example) this behaviour can escalate and become a problem. We as dog guardians should not let this happen by being the responsible part.
SPECIAL HERDING DOGS (Kelpies and cattle dog)
Take care of huge flocks of animals, and they do not circle as a herding style. They are very agile and run huge distances.Interesting fact: They run on top of the sheep to get to the other side in a shorter amount of time.
SHORT LEGGED HEARDERS (Corgis, Swedish Vallhund)
Need to be quick and persistent with larger animal and they are well known for this.
Interesting fact: they nip at legs, especially kids, to make them slow down. This is a natural behaviour, meant to be used to move cattle, that can become a problem in the wrong setting.
HUNTING DOGS (Setters, Pointers, dachshunds, coonhound, terriers)
They are used for chasing, tracking, flushing, going into dens, pointing and bringing back birds. There are many different types of dogs in this category, depending on the country and the type of animals they hunt. This means that there are also many different characteristics. Dachshunds need to go into dens and have short legs, elkhound needs to face the elk until the hunter comes or they could be hurt, so they are very stubborn, coonhound find racoons and can climb up trees, terriers are determined and stubborn, but you have to be when you are faced with a fox. Some hunt in big packs like the beagles and foxhound and are extremely social and rarely get into conflicts. Some have specialised tasks in the hunt like retrieving in water. Spaniels, water spaniels, basset water dogs and even poodles fall in this category. New Foundlands even have membranes in between their toes for swimming.
Some people are good at long distance running, others for speed in short spurts or different ways of movement entirely. In this way we also share some of these differences, but they are even more pronounced in dog breeds. We should know what our dog is capable of and what she is not built for. Some dogs are walking the equivalent of a marathon every day.
Interesting fact: All dogs can track, bloodhounds are not better than other breeds.
All this being said, we shouldn’t get overly focused on breeds. All dogs have the same needs, and these are the ones we should keep our attention on. Providing our dogs with what they need will ensure many issues are avoided. They are happy and contented when:
They are sleeping enough, and they are rested.
They are eating an appropriate diet.
They do not suffer from illnesses or pain.
They have meaningful activities to spend time on: searching, looking for items etc, things that for with their ethogram.
They have a stable social group that provides company and social contact.
They feel secure and safe.
All dogs, all breeds, want to use their nose and other senses. And they want to be part of a family group.
Thank you, Annette Visser, for the wonderful video of Tara the Kooikerhondje, she was the inspiration for this article as I have never encountered the breed before.
