There are many breeds and mixes breeds to choose from.
Not one of them is compatible with every human personality. I will break this
down in categories to make this easy.
If your a busy family?
Owning a Bichon Frise, which requires tedious professonal grooming. Not having the time or
money
nto have the Bichon Groomed. Will cause you to own a dog that is too dirty, and
matted for you to enjoy. You must ask yourself what do you want from a dog? What
can you afford for grooming? How much time do you have for this dog? What
personality traits can you comfortably handle?
Long Coated
dogs
: All dogs require some form of grooming. But, some require excessive tedious
grooming to keep the dog looking like the breed you fell in love with. In that
show picture. Before we go on. Show dogs require grooming that does not coincide
with typical family life. Most are kept in oil, wrapped, and crated so the hair
won't mat or break off.
Those show dogs only look the way they do when they are in the ring. Only after they are washed, blown dried, hair sprayed. Some (I have witnessed this) have hair extensions. They are chalked up to improve color. Which will also assist the hair spray in allowing the hair to stand in place.
This type of grooming wont last past a day. Most people would not want an oiled Poodle laying on their couch or sleeping in their bed.
A wrapped Maltese or Shih-tzu looks
like an alien, and you can not pet them too much or allow them to romp with your
other dogs. Or they will get matted. You must change the wraps every few days so
they do not get matted.
Hardest
dogs to groom:Here is a list of the top 10 hardest dogs to groom in order
1. Old
English Sheep Dog
2. Afghan
3. Standard Poodle
4. Bichon Frise
5. Cocker Spaniel ( American)
6. Chow Chow
7. Bouvier De Flanders
8. Airedale
9. Giant Schnauzer
10. Irish water spaniel
These dogs not
only require expensive grooming. But, if not kept up by their owners, and or
a professional groomer (even if groomed every 6
to 8 weeks). It will be required for the dogs safety, to shave them
down. Which can cause razor burn and bad sking infections called hot spot/s Caused by
the matts pulling the skin.
One must also imagine on a rainy day. A coated breed let out for a potty break. Running back into the house with muddy legs, and bellies. Or Imagine food , water, and even icky stuff on their fuzzy faces. As the jump up and give you a gooey, smelly, dirty, wet slobbery kiss.
Grooming cost per year on the larger breeds
above is between $540 to$1080 this is minimum care which will require you to
groom yourself in between. full care would be $1850 to $2730 per year this is
weekly care with the 6 to 8 week full grooming. You still will need to care for
the coat between groomings. The Bichon, and cocker Spaniel will be between $405
to $720 per year for minimal grooming. Weekly would be between $1395 to $2040
per year. Prices of course very by location. Also dogs mixed with these breeds
will require the same care if they present the same coat type. Dogs such as
labradoodles, and Goldendoodles
will fit easy in the category.
Other hard dogs to groom: This includes all your coated
breeds, Non shedders like the toy and miniature Poodle require more care then
lets say a terrier type like a Carin Terrier.
All non shedding dogs require Professional grooming every 6 to 8 weeks. This requires the owner to brush them in between. Per year this can be between $270 to $630.
For full weekly care, and minimal home grooming it can be between $930 to
$1785. this scale is for small breeds only.
This also does not
include show dogs. All coated breed show dogs require special grooming and coat
care between shows. Most all Terriers, a large percentage of your Sporting, some
of your toys require hand stripping to have them in proper coat to be presented
at a AKC show.
If they are not hand stripped they are usually hand scissored.
Clippering with a clipper and blade is only used on some dogs in areas that
are kept very short. Such as pads, Privates, Whiskers, Ears. Depending on the
breed. The breed most clippered is the poodle. The areas on the poodle that are
very short are clippered. All other coat hair is hand scissored.
Hand
stripping is done on most your show dogs such as your Schnauzers, And Cocker
spaniel. It keeps the hair hard and in color. To Clipper a hand stripped breed
destroys its coat for future AKC conformation show use. Pet Groomers are usually
too egotistical to admit they do not know how to do something. Many of them
getting thier hands on show dogs ruin the dog for all future use due to
inexperience.
I was at a AKC sanctioned all breed conformation show. A
Welsh Springer Spaniel was in a ring. Its back had been clipped with a clipper
blade. The entire outside of this ring was filled with people gawking at this
spectacle. The handler who I pray was the owner ( not some wanna be groomer , or
handler stroking their ego, and ripping off a client). He was prancing around
the arena enjoying the attention. Unknown to him his attention was ridicule and
disgust.
If you have a show dog
that has been ruined by a pet groomer, and the coat can not be brought back.
APRI show judges dogs on their conformation and coat quality. Not their
hairdoos. So you can always switch to this newer registry.
APRI is becoming quit popular because it is a show more for the dogs. I saw a
poodle championed out by a friends daughter and it was not in the traditional
continental hairdoo seen at AKC shows. It was clipped in a more comfortable and
less silly lamb cut.
Breeds
such as Pomeranian that shed require seasonal professional grooming when they
change coat this can cost per year. $125 to $250. On this breed some like a
haircut which can cost as stated above for the non shedding breeds. Coated
Breeds such as the Papillon and Japanese chin, and long coated Chihuahua can be taken care of at home they do
require nail clippings and trimming around the feet. this can cost between $5 to
$25 each time, or you can learn to do it yourself. Attention should be taken
with combing behind the ears, under the arms, behind the back legs, and the area
by the back legs between the leg and the stomach. these areas have a tendency to
get snarls. Many of your small breeds require the anal sac to be cleaned. Your
groomer or vet can do this.
Short
Coated Breeds: All your short coated breeds even thought they do not
require Professional haircuts, they still do need to be Brushed with a soft
brush, they can be shined up with a Hound Glove.
A Hound Glove is an item that on one side had a rubber curry comb, the other side has a Plush Cloth surface to run and shine up the coat. The more rubbing you do with a cloth on a short haired dog, the shinier they get. This also helps to eliminate shedding hairs.
All short haired dogs shed. Some worse then others. There are no non shedding short breeds. The 2 that shed the least are your Greyhound, and some shorter haired Chihuahua's. Even though they do shed they are both on the hypoallergenic list. this list should not be taken by rule.
Before buying a pup in a family with allergies and Asthma. You must test yourself to see if your allergic to that breed. Ask a friend who has one to send you some clipped hair, and a towel the dog had laid on.
All Dogs require regular nail cuts. Most of your smaller breeds require the
anal gland to be cleaned.
Medium coated
breeds: German Sheppard’s, Husky's types run in this group
they are very heavy shedders. A family can care for them but many times a
professional groomer needs to be hired.
A shedding blade same as you would use for a horse comes in handy to help control they shedding hair. large breed dogs are more expensive then small breeds.
Thinning shedding hair out can be between $60 to $150 per
session.
Hypoallergenic dogs:here is the
list
Bedlington Terrier
Bichon Frise
Chinese Crested
Irish Water
Spaniel
Kerry Blue Terrier
Maltese Poodles (Toy, Min, Std)
Portuguese Water Dog
Schnauzers (Min, Std, Giant)
Soft Coated
Wheaten Terrier
Xoloitzcuintli
also on some list
are
Chihuahua
Shih-tzu
Designer breeds: Only if both parents
come off this list
Yorkshire terrier
Westhighland Terrier
Border
Terrier
American Hairless Terrier
Basenji
Greyhound
Italian
Greyhound
Whippet
Just because a dog is on this list. Does not mean
you an allergy sufferer or a person with asthma wont be effected by it. There is
nothing worse then buying a sweet puppy. Falling in love, then having to re home
him/her because of human health reason.
So please before buying a puppy if you have these
conditions test yourself with the breed you plan on choosing.
A Simple one is find a friend or a neighbor who owns this breed and play with
the dog. Then ask them to give you a towel the dog has slept on. See if you
react to that over a period of time.
As for Doodles! and other designer breeds ( mixes) . Breeding a Poodle with another dog that sheds and is an allergic type breed will not make the new cross miraculously non shedding and non allergenic.
If a seller who has lets say Labradoodles, or Goldendoodles and tells you they are non shedding and hypoallergenic. The person is grossly misinformed or an out right liar.
Cockapoos can be allergenic. they can shed like a cocker too. I personally bred peekapoo's (poodle/ Pekingese cross) out of a litter of 3 two shed one did not. This was not discovered until they were older.
Again if a seller tells you a mix puppy
that does not involve 2 breeds off this list, and they swear they wont shed and
be hypoallergenic. They are lying. It is not good business to buy from a liar or
a misinformed person.
Labradoodles were bred in Australia to produce a
hypoallergenic dog for allergic people that require a service dog.
This was not accomplished from a first generation crossing. F1 is the description of a first generation crossing. F2 would be the offspring from the first generation crossing. to F3 and on. Yes some did come out non-shedding and yes some will, but this wont be discovered until they are much older. F2 crossing are never uniform. to create a breed they must breed true for 7 generations. The designer mutts are that mutts and were not developed into breeds. There is no telling what you will get with a designer mixed breed puppy.
The Labradoodle is not yet perfected yet. The rage of them caused many to create the F1 crossing falsely advertising them as non shedding /hypoallergenic. When they first came out the price was very high. This caused many people to produce this mix breed.
I suspect the Labradoodle will soon replace the Shepard
/lab mix in our shelters.
Nutrition:
Dogs
evolved for thousands of years off of our table scraps. Give a dog a bone is a
cliché with meaning. Dogs require more calcium then protein. feeding your dog a
steak may be yummy, but does not fill a balanced diet.
Dogs and wild wolves also graze. many feel a dog eating grass means they have an upset stomach. this is not always the case. Studies on grazing wolves feel they pick grasses for medical and nutritional reasons.
One of the best diets claimed is the BARF diet. I have personally tried this.
I was impressed, but it is time consuming, and you have to be very careful when
doing it.
As humans changed from more natural diets to processed
preserved diets filled with sugars and starches. Our dogs started to suffer.
nutritional defects in the scraps we were feeding our dogs from our tables were
causing major deficiencies. veterinarians to solve this problem did studies on
nutritional needs of our dog companions hence creating kibble. This prolonged
lives, provided superior health, and protection from disease. Kibble is easy to
feed. An owner does not have to worry about meeting the nutritional needs of
thier pet, because it is done for them. It is cost effective and has a prolonged
shelf life.
But! problems did arise. Dog food
became a big commodity. Preservatives to keep that long shelf life were many
times known carcinogenic ( cancer causing agents) BHA ,BHT, Ethoxyquin. To keep
the cost low grains were added as fillers. Rendered products started being used.
Rendering is the process of cooking down rejected meats. Such as rejected from
the stores, road kill, diseased animals unfit for humans, and euthanized pets.
Rendering factories take the meats cook them in a vat. All the combined
ingredients are crushed and cooked at high temperatures. A yellow grease is
formed at the top. this is scraped off and called Tallow. What is left is a
substance that is dried and put into powder form called animal protein. If your
bag of dog food mentions any type of meat or tallow without specifying the
species of animal it most likely is render meats. animal protein is also placed
into farm animal feed. This practice is what caused mad cow disease. Diseased
sheep carcass cooked down was fed to the cattle. It was assumed by cooking down
the diseased meats that it would not effect the cattle. They were grossly
mistaken. Feeding farm animals which are not meat eaters animal protein causes
them to grow bigger and faster. Rendering's good point, is how it recycles what
would otherwise be expensive to dispose of otherwise.
Our Pets over
the last 30 years like ourselves are more prone to cancer. factors such as
environment, exercise, inbreeding (genetics) and nutrition all play a factor. If
just one of those factors was the main cause, cancer could be more easily
controlled. What we as a pet owners can control is Nutrition, and exercise.
Cheaper dog food may seem more cost effective. But in the long run if you pay
more attention to what you feed your pet you save on vet bills, and heart ache.
Pet food is one of the most important decisions you make in keeping your dog
healthy.
How to choose the best dog food: Buying the best dog food is very confusing. The Internet is filled
with opinions on the best available kibble. The main thing to pay attention too
is Grains and preservatives. grains such as corn are known allergenic to dogs. I
would never feed any dog a food with corn in it.
Maybe not every dog is
effected with severe skin disorders, and ear infections. This is due to
genetics. But many are. People spend thousands of dollars on ear and skin
disorders. Most likely the cause is Corn or some other food allergy, but most
likely corn. other fillers such as peanut hulls are also not
good.
Looking at the ingredients on a dog food bag will tell you what is
the most concentrated ingredient. The first ingredient is basically what the
food has in it the most. If the first ingredient is corn, and you don't find the
meat until a few ingredients later. your basically paying top dollar for a cheap
corn base flavored with meat. Your carnivore dog does not benefit from this.
Corn flavored meat fortified with artificial vitamins, preserved with cancer
causing agents is a recipe for constant vet visits, and short life spans. Not to
mention smelly ear and skin disorders.
You want a quality food with no
corn, preferably some type of identified animal meat as the first ingredient and
preserved with tocopherols (vitamin E) or vitamin C.
Canned or Dry: Canned food fed alone does not provide enough abrasion to keep a
dogs teeth clean. Dogs fed canned food have a tendency to have very bad teeth,
and require more professional teeth cleanings. I strongly recommend dry over
canned especially for small breed dogs.
Large breeds such as Bloodhounds,
Great Danes, and standard poodles are prone to bloat.
They should be fed a wetted food. or denied water until the food is digested.
Bloat a killer in many large breeds? Can be caused by kibble swelling in the
stomach after consumption. Especially when a lot of water is consumed after
feeding.
Bloat is a condition where the intestine twist.
Causing circulation to be cut off from blood vessels in the intestine. without
emergency surgery the dog will die. The twisted intestine will? die and the dog
will go septic and pass very quickly. This is an extreme emergency situation. If
you are buying a large breed ask about Bloat and how to prevent it.
Large breed puppies: Large breed puppies should never be fed the
same type of puppy chow as small breed puppies. this can cause hypertrophic
osteodystrophy (HOD) this is from rapid growth and can be very painful. A
understanding of this condition is important before you purchase a large breed
puppy. please google the condition.
What I
feed: Feeding a top quality food you will have better
all around health and more enjoyment from your pet. Exercise associated with top quality food
will keep your pet healthy for many years. Look for a brand that does not contain
corn in the first few ingredients. I prefer no corn at all.
You can find the ingredients on all dog food bags.
Personality, Intelligence, and
Compatibility: With all the breeds
to choose from many people choose first for looks alone. In choosing our own
mates we realize looks are skin deep living with the person is a different
thing. I would like to help people choose a dog they can live with.
Breed types: Dog breeds were created for multiple
reasons. Each breed was bred to enhance certain qualities to perform specific
tasks. The concept of the purebred dog was made popular because of the blueblood
royals with perigees who ruled in those times. Before this, like was just bred
to like, to form the required working dog for the task.
breed history of
just about every breed . You will find that other breeds were mixed to form
newer breeds to suit those times. Many ancient breeds that no longer exist were
used.
To create a new breed It must breed true for 7 generations. Line
breeding is done to homogenize the genetics to a type. After this, inbreeding
should not be necessary for a developed breed. Even though sadly this is still
done excessively through out the show world. Old rules are hard to break. This
is why today many purebred dogs have many genetic problems.
Owning dogs,
before more modern times, required the dog to work for his vittles. Only the
wealthy were able to own dogs that had no purpose, besides warming laps and
attracting fleas from their owners bodies ( an actual breed description for the
Cavalier king charles spaniel). In the cities ratters were widely needed. We had
no Orkin man, and the rats could consume a families food supply rapidly not to
mention the diseases they carried.
Farm people needed herders and
guardians of their stock. Hounds were more for the wealthy because common folk
could not poach on the kings land. Middle class needed guard dogs for their
property. In other parts of the world dogs were used as pack animals, and to
pull sleds.
It is interesting to follow a breed history for it will tell
you a lot about the people that bred them. It is also surprising so many breeds
developed by clergymen. The Pekingese one of the oldest smaller breeds was
developed by Buddhist monks. The Bloodhound also was developed by monks. both
those breeds were foundation stock for numerous other breeds. Without the
bloodhound the scent hound group would be vacant. Without the Pekingese. You
would not have any short nosed breeds.
Terriers: The
Terrier group will be first because that is what this type demands. They are out
going, high energy, with a strong prey drive. AKA the tenacious terrier .
A Terrier is for a person that is more active, a perfect little boys
dog. They are very intelligent and can easily train their owners. Terriers like
having a job. If it is catching a ball, or bringing in the news paper. They
require structure, and training from an owner that knows how to be the alpha.
They can be quit stubborn, but they combine this with a great love of the right
owner.
An untrained terrier can become very loud and destructive. A trained
Terrier can take your heart away. You get a lot of dog in a little package. Most
all terriers have a napoleon complex. It is not uncommon to see a small Jack
Russell feel it can take on a huge mastiff.
If you are a terrier type
person no other breed will satisfy you. Most all terriers are small with
exception of the Airedale. The soft coated Wheaton terrier is also more medium
sized. Wheaton's are hard pups, but after 2 years old they become great family
pets.
Terriers also are quit forgiving, and allow for a few owner
mistakes. Terriers enjoy jogging, swimming, Frisbee, playing fetch, licking,
cuddling, some allow stupid dog outfits, Terriers also like to hunt small game.
a terrier must be socialized with other small animals but never trusted alone
unsupervised with them. Terriers prefer to mix with their own kind. Yet be
careful some terriers were used in the sport of fighting. Terriers also enjoy
making people laugh, they are the comedians of the dog world. They sit rather
high but not as high as herders on the obedience intelligence list. They are fun
and like to work.
Herding: The herding group is your
most obedient. But if your not an active person, and they are not given a job,
they can become destructive, or neurotic. Because a herding dog must listen
closely to the commands of its handler while working. The work they do does not
require much for the dog to react on its own, its handler must tell them what
direction the sheep must go. This is why these dogs are the easiest to train
commands.
Breed Intelligence list which I will display later. always has
the herding dogs at the top of the list. In fairness to other breeds? in my
opinion it is not an honest or scientific study. The dogs were selected for
intelligence by breeds that won either obedience or agility shows. A handlers
choice on what breed to train is a personal one and can not honestly display the
true intelligences of all breeds. As for the herder they do excel in these
abilities. A very athletic type.
Herders Require an owner who is
serious, active, intelligent, consistent, and fair. They enjoy anything that an
owner can train them to do. The border Collie listed as the most intelligent dog
is about the purest herding ability dog you can get. Where as the Sheltie bred
so long as a show dog, has lost some of the abilities. The cattle dog a healer (
they would nip the heals) is a bit calmer then the high energy border.
Show
dogs bred many generations from working dogs, can loose ability. This is true
with all your breed types. With Terriers it is kind of a good thing :)
Guard: Dogs that fall into this category may
come from other breed groups. Groups can be confusing because lets say the
Dalmatian is Non-Sporting yet it was bred as a coach dog. They would run all day
and protect the coach from robbers and predators. So basically its a coach guard
dog.
The Mastiff was a war dog. Basically they were redirected as a
guard. popular mastiffs like the English and bull have been bred in recent
history more for companion. Your more rare Mastiffs are still bred to guard
strongly
The true breeds called guardians examples are Kuvasz, Komondor,
Great Pyrenees . These were guarders of flocks. they were not so much herders.
They Are required to react on their own instincts. These make excellent farm
dogs, many are used in rural areas.
A Russian friend of mine describes a
special Russian Mountain dog. A huge breed most likely from the ancient Tibetan
mastiff lines. The dog is bred solely to kill wolves and other large predators
to protect the flock. A young Russian Mountain dog is sent up to the mountains
alone. If it kills a wolf and returns it is allowed to breed. They are strongly
bred not to except strangers. This breed would be too hard core for city life.
The Fila brasilero's breed profile states if a Fila excepts the touch of
a strangers hand it is considered a disqualification. Breeds like these are not
for first time owners. And one must seriously consider reasons why you want or
need this breed.
The Presa Canario that killed its own owner when she
was giving it a bath. Obviously she got that breed for all the wrong reasons,
and she was not the person who should have owned this breed.
Buying a
macho dog to have the baddest dog in your area is not the reason to buy a dog.
If you have this type of reasoning a psychologist is needed.
Yes every
breed can be trained to some degree to guard. But your guard breeds have been
bred specifically for this. So it must be understood the capabilities and
responsibility of owning one. Some of your guard bred dogs have been bred many
years as show dogs and have lost ability. Such as your common mastiffs and other
common breeds in the guard department.
The smallest breed bred for guard
the Lhasa Apso has retained its abilities despite being a show dog. Bred by
monks The Lhasa Apso has a strong sense of fairness. I find it interesting how
breeds bred by monks and other clergy retain their abilities quit strongly even
after being bred to do something else over generations. Like prance around a
show ring. One must be in awe at their abilities in creating their breeds.
Guard breeds do not sit as high on the obedience intelligence list
because they were bred to react on their own, so they will show a strong
stubborn side. These breeds require a owner that is fair, and well experienced
with dogs and their body language. They are not for first time dog owners and
strongly discouraged if you have children. Unless you plan to keep your children
from bringing friends over.
The Pit bull terrier did not display human
agresson until breeders quietly cross bred them with mastiffs. Real pit bulls do
not have huge heads and do not weigh more then 45 pounds.
Sled: Your sled pulling breeds fall under working with some of
your guard breeds. They were bred to pull sleighs over long distances sometimes
thousands of miles. They possess great energy, and strong working instincts.
These breeds sadly are chosen too much on looks alone instead of compatibility.
They are not a good breed for Florida. The Siberian Husky with the blue eyes and
wolfish looks sure is appealing. But it is not fair to force one to live in a
small yard in Florida. The Shelters are always filled with Huskies and husky
types. They are heavy chewers and strong diggers.
If you must have a
fluffy dog buy a Pomeranian. It is a sized down spitz bred to be a companion.
Sled dogs even being shown in the conformation ring still have that bred desire
to run and be a real sled dog. A person who buys a Sled dog type should read the
bibliography of Susan Butcher. For this is the type of person you should be to
own a sled dog.
Hounds: Scent hounds are bred to hunt
as you would assume by scent. Lucky for the breeds Scent hounds are usually
purchased by people that choose to use them for the purpose they were bred for.
With exception of your smaller hounds.
Associated with country folk. They
are not very popular with city folk. With exception of your small hounds such as
the Dachshund which is an all around good family dog. Your basset hound who is
associated with the word lazy, but I don’t buy that. And your Beagle.
Beagles for some reason that I can not understand are on the bottom of
the intelligence list. I personally showed a beagle in obedience and agility. I
won every time. back then the beagle was considered quit high on the
intelligence scale. I assume bad breeding has changed their status. Research
facilities use to use mainly beagles. Animal activist sprung a lot of them loose
by the thousands. I assume many of those research dogs ended up in the pet
breeding pool. for now I mainly see pointy nosed beagles on the market, who do
not display the typie short square muzzle. They also appear larger.
Beagle's I witness now are nothing like the ones I grew up with. They
seem nervous, hyper, yet retain the heavy chewing and howling that I remember
from my own dog. I would avoid Beagles until the breeders get them right again.
A person who buys a scent hound is earthy, understands the laws of
nature, and is gentle yet firm. A hound works on its own on a scent. No human
can help them at their job. many are Used in packs. They can appear lazy, but
this is far from their true nature. a hound can go for many miles on a scent.
low on the obedience intelligence scale they can be very stubborn for silly
commands such as sit and stay.
Even in the show ring a judge can not
mark down a bloodhound for trailing around the ring. I strongly object to the
position of the bloodhound on the intelligence scale this breed has saved many
lives.
Sight: hounds that hunt by sight. They are
your sleekest most graceful breeds. The racing greyhound falls in this class.
Many would assume because it is one of the fastest dogs on the planet that the
greyhound would be hyper. This is so far from reality. Adopted racing Greyhounds
are one of the easiest dogs to be around. They may be a bit aloof, but carry a
quiet dignity that is very human like. These dogs are almost too perfect to be
true. If you are a intelligent laid back quiet person this breed is your god
send. Walking one on a leash is like walking air. Letting one loose in a
protected area To run brings awe. As if your witnessing a gift from god. If you
have the room for a large breed, and this fits your profile I strongly suggest
you look into Greyhound rescue. They come retrained and look gorgeous in a
rhinestone greyhound collar. This breed is for a person who enjoys elegance.
they also are in the hypo allergic group.
As
for the other sight hounds like the greyhound they are aloof yet elegant. The
fastest being the whippet. a sight hound is for the more Mature dog owner.
a house full of screaming children does not suit them. they can be very sensitive.
They are also alert to movement. they are low on the obedience intelligent scale. Because
they were bred to make thier own decisions. The afghan being considered the
dumbest dog. I personally would have put the Old English sheep dog and the
standard schnauzer in that position. Or maybe even the Irish setter. The afghan
has been bred solely for the Conformation show dog in America. Maybe that how it lost
its noodles.
Companion:These are all your dogs bred
to be one thing. A Companion. Most are in the Toy Group a few in the
Non-Sporting. Being that they used other breeds to create them some still have
tendencies from your other groups. Mostly terrier. like the Miniature Pinscher.
Which was bred as a rat dog in Germany. It is a very hyper breed and still
retains much of terrier type qualities, almost as extreme as a Jack Russell. The
Chihuahua is also considered terrier like.
Companion dogs were bred for
the more wealthy people to be ladies dogs. Still to this day men feel sissy like
to walk one. (Men these dogs are great chick magnets). (Ladies don't let your
husband walk your dog alone).
In finding the proper companion dog for
you, you must research the breed history and Temperament of your choice. A
Yorkshire Terrier being one of the most popular breeds these days is a terrier,
they were ratters. Where as the Popular English Bulldog whose history is assumed
to be the original bull baiter. I feel the second less talked about history is
more correct. A bull baiter was crossed with a pug to make a ladies dog. This in
my opinion is the more correct lineage of the cute English Bulldog. Sadly
through too much inbreeding for show. The English bull dog is a genetic mess. In
buying an English Bulldog one must be prepared for expensive vet bills.
The oldest
companion dogs are your Pugs and Pekingese and Maltese. They pretty much
are the foundation of a lot of dogs bred by the royals for their ladies.
Like the Cavalier King Charles spaniel. this is of extreme companion type,
very sweet, they are almost the perfect lap dog. Sadly from inbreeding this
breed is prone to MVD. this condition gives them heart failure at very young
ages. 50% of cavaliers in the US have this condition. Even if the parents clear,
they still can produce pups with this condition.
Companion dogs are all
over the board for intelligence. Mainly because they are of great combinations.
The Papillion is in the top 10. Poodle is the number 2 dog. In my book Poodle
should be number 1 over the Border Collie. Reason being it is more suited as a
house dog. a Border collie is not suited for a regular Household.
Differences between the size of poodles I feel also varies in the
intelligence. The Standard poodle who originally was a Water retriever in my
book is the most intelligent breed. the miniature being second. With the toy
being of regular intelligence.
Smaller companion animals should not be
with families that have small children that would pester them. Because of their
small size. They could get hurt, or become so fearful they may revert to biting
the child. If you have a mature child one that is gentle it is possible to have
a smaller dog, but before you buy. Allow your child around other dogs to ensure
you are not making a mistake. This basically is true with all dogs.
Some
breeds such as poodles can get jealous and aggressive towards new babies. If you
are planning to start a family do not get a dog unless you have a way to
properly socialize the dog with children.
Do not buy a baby a puppy to
grow up with. Unless your super mom and can handle the work of 3 moms.
Sporting: This group is all your gun dogs. They hunt
very close with the hunter. following commands as they go. They Point, flush,
and retrieve. These breeds are all high on the obedience intelligence list. With
exception of a few that have been bred too much as strictly show dogs. Such as
the American Cocker Spaniel.
The American Cocker has been bred so far
from its original working ability?, if asked to do its duty in full coat, it
would get hung up in the brush. Some feel the American Cocker Spaniel should be
taken from the sporting group. A popular American breed due to its soulful eyes
and lady and the tramp looks this breed needs improvement. Prone to major skin
and ear infections, cherry eye, and excessive submissive urination this breed
should be avoided until breeders fix these problems. Many are found in shelters.
Labrador retrievers are also on this list one of
Americas favorite breeds.
Because they are a working dog they have high energy. because
many of them are large they do not do well with just any family. One must be
knowledgeable in obedience training which these dogs require to make good
companions. Because they are affectionate an untrained large breed of this type
will become unruly jumping all over people possibly injuring them. This can lead
to them being rehomed.
I did leave out a few groups and added dogs to groups they do not
usually belong too. I left out a place for St Bernard’s, and Newfoundland's these
were rescue dogs that are better suited for colder climates
Intelligence list by
breed: this list as I stated before is only
from results from obedience and agility shows. Some breeds listed low are only
there because nobody took interest in them to show them in those events.
Rank Breed
1 Border Collie
2 Poodle
3 German Shepherd
4
Golden Retriever
5 Doberman Pinscher
6 Shetland Sheepdog
7 Labrador
Retriever
8 Papillon
9 Rottweiler
10 Australian Cattle Dog
11
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
12 Miniature Schnauzer
13 English Springer Spaniel
14 Belgian Tervuren
15 Schipperke
Belgian Sheepdog
16 Collie
Keeshond
17 German Shorthaired Pointer
18 Flat-Coated Retriever
English Cocker Spaniel
Standard Schnauzer
19 Brittany
20 Cocker
Spaniel
21 Weimaraner
22 Belgian Malinois
Bernese Mountain Dog
23 Pomeranian
24 Irish Water Spaniel
25 Vizsla
26 Cardigan Welsh
Corgi
27 Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Puli
Yorkshire Terrier
28
Giant Schnauzer
29 Airedale Terrier
Bouvier Des Flandres
30 Border
Terrier Briard
31 Welsh Springer Spaniel
32 Manchester Terrier
33
Samoyed
34 Field Spaniel
Newfoundland
Australian Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Gordon Setter
Bearded Collie
35
Cairn Terrier
Kerry Blue Terrier
Irish Setter
36 Norwegian Elkhound
37 Affenpincher
Silky Terrier
Miniature Pinscher
English Setter
Pharaoh Hound
Clumber Spaniel
38 Norwich Terrier
39 Dalmatian
40 Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
Bedlington Terrier
Smooth Fox Terrier
41 Curly-Coated Retriever I
rish Wolfhound
42 Kuvasz
Australian
Shepherd
43 Saluki
Finnish Spitz
Pointer
44 Cavalier King
Charles Spaniel
German Wirehaired Pointer
Black & Tan Coonhound
American Water Spaniel
45 Siberian Husky
Bichon Frise
English
Toy Spaniel
46 Tibetan Spaniel
English Foxhound
Otterhound
American Foxhound
Greyhound
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
47 West
Highland White Terrier
Scottish Deerhound
48 Boxer
Great Dane
49
Dachshund
Stafforshire Bull Terrier
50 Alaskan Malamute
51 Whippet
Chinese Shar-pei
Wire Fox Terrier
52 Rhodesian Ridgeback
53
Ibizan Hound
Welsh Terrier
Irish Terrier
54 Boston Terrier
Akita
55 Skye Terrier
56 Norfolk Terrier
Sealyham Terrier
57 Pug
58 French Bulldog
59 Brussels Griffon
Maltese
60 Italian
Greyhound
61 Chinese Crested
62 Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Petit Basset
Griffon Vendeen
Tibetan Terrier
Japanese Chin
Lakeland Terrier
63 Old English Sheepdog
64 Great Pyrenees
65 Scottish Terrier
Saint Bernard
66 Bull Terrier
67 Chihuahua
68 Lhasa Apso
69
Bullmastiff
70 Shih Tzu
71 Basset Hound
72 Mastiff
Beagle
73
Pekingese
74 Bloodhound
75 Borzoi
76 Chow Chow
77 Bulldog
78
Basenji
79 Afghan Hound
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