Tag: Breed Spotlight

Beautiful Lexie an American Foxhound Mix pondering her lineage.

American Foxhound

Height: Male 22 - 25" & Female 21 - 24"

Weight: Male 45 - 65 lb lbs & Female 40 - 60 lb

Coat: American Foxhounds have a medium-length coat that lies close to the body and has a hard texture, protecting the hound from brush and briars in the field. American Foxhounds have a close, hard, hound coat of medium length. Defects--A short thin coat, or of a soft quality.

Color: The coat comes in various colors.  Any tri-color with a saddle being the most common.

Appearance: Clearly athletic dog of stamina with sleek lines that are not overly refined. The legs of a Foxhound are very long and straight-boned. The foxhound’s chest is rather narrow. It has a long muzzle, and a large, domed skull. The dog is a Virginia Common pet. The ears are wide and low-set. The eyes are hazel or brown, and are large and wide-set. The coat is short and harsh. Overall, they are very similar to the Beagle, only standing higher and being larger. Their coats come in four colors: red, tri, black and tan, and blue.

Temperament: A true hunting dog, the American Foxhound is happiest in the field and on the trail. With its powerful sense of smell, this dog is easily distracted by various scents, and once it has decided to follow one you will have a difficult time calling it off. The breed hunts with the passion of a warrior, but is gentle, affectionate, and great with children in the home. With regard to strangers, the American Foxhound’s temperament can vary tremendously. Some dogs act in an extremely protective or guard-like manner while others will eagerly embrace an outsider. The American Foxhound has a long history of hunting in packs, and therefore gets along exceptionally well with other dogs; it also tends to be good with pets. This dog will bay and howl, and city living is therefore not recommended.

Health: The Life expectancy for an American Foxhound is about 10-13 years. This breed is not generally a breed that carries genetic disorders. Overfeeding these dogs can easily cause them to gain weight. A minor health risk in American Foxhounds is thrombocytopathy, or platelet disease. While dysplasia was largely unknown in Foxhounds, it is beginning to crop up occasionally, along with some eye issues. It is not typical or customary for Foxhound breeders to screen for any hereditary disorders at this time. The American Foxhound is an energetic breed. According to some veterinarians and trainers, it needs plenty of exercise, for example, a fairly long walk followed by a game of fetch.

Famous:

Washington’s home state, Virginia, claims the American Foxhound as its official state animal.

American Foxhounds are featured in the novel, The Hunter’s Horn by Harriette Simpson Arnow.

Lexie owned by April Miller

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Llewellin English Setter

History: It's a very specific, pure strain of "English Setter with bloodlines tracing back to the breeding program of nineteenth century sportsman R. L. Purcell Llewellin. Llewellin and Edward Laverack played a key role in the development of the breed. Llewellin's name has been irrevocably associated with those English Setters bred for field work."

Height: 22-24 inches  and are somewhat smaller than their English Setter counterparts who are around 23-26 inches.

Weight: Females 35-50 lbs & males 45-60 lbs on average

Coat: Single-coated (no undercoat) with hairs that are soft, fine, silky, and medium to long in length. Hair is feathered on the chest, back of all legs, ears and most noticeably on the tail.

Color:

Non-Belton: Usually predominantly white with colored body patches and ticking.

These dogs are born mostly white and any patches of coloring will be present at birth. As the dog ages the white areas become spotted, growing darker colored hairs called ticking. Ticking begins to develop shortly after birth and the dog is usually fully ticked by the time they are 6 months of age. Heavily ticked dogs may not end up being predominantly white as adults due to the large amount of ticking present, but are still considered non-belton types due to the body patches of color which were present at birth.

Belton: Predominantly white without body patches, only ticking.

These dogs are born completely white, but then as the dog ages the ticking begins to come in. Ticking intermingles with the white all over the body sometimes giving a roan appearance. True belton dogs have no body patches of color, only ticking.  Heavy ticking may give the appearance of more color than white.

Blanketed: Predominant body color other than white.

These dogs are born mostly black or chestnut with patches of white, the exact opposite of the non-belton type. Ticking will develop within the white patches shortly after birth and will be fully colored by the time they are 6 months of age. Do not be fooled by adult dogs that appear to be blanketed, but are rather only "heavily ticked". Heavily ticked dogs were still born predominantly white, so should not be considered "blanketed", rather they are non-belton types

Appearance: The coat is flat with light feathering of long length. They have a long, flowing coat that requires regular grooming.

The various speckled coat colours when occurring in English Setters are referred to as belton; valid combinations are white with black flecks (blue belton) or with orange flecks (orange belton— depending on the intensity of the color, they might be lemon belton or liver belton), or white with black and tan flecks (tricolour belton).

Temperament: The English Setter dog breed was developed as a hunter and thereby it is a lively and rather energetic dog that simply loves to run and indulge its hunting pedigree. This breed makes for a warm and affectionate dog that gets along admirably with children, other pets as well as dogs and even strangers. The English Setter can be strong willed & mischievous. In order to prevent the breed from becoming destructive or a nuisance it is necessary that the dog gets a substantial dose of exhaustive exercise outdoors each and every day. Inside they tend to be lower energy and love to be couch potatoes and lap dogs that love to cuddle.

Health: The Life expectancy for Llewellin English Setter is about 10-12 years. Overall, Llewellin Setters are a pretty healthy breed with very few genetic problems. They do not have any known specific types of cancer or eye diseases. But like any English Setter are prone to Canine Hip Dysplasia , deafness, Atopic Eczema, ear infections, food allergies & hypothyroidism.

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American Bulldog: Tallulah
Photo source: Twitter.com/parrisreddog

The American Bulldog

Height: Males: 22 - 27 inches; Females: 20 - 25 inches.

Weight: Male: 75 - 125 lbs.; Female: 60 - 100 lbs.

Coat: The coat is short, close, and stiff to the touch.

Color: White coat or any color pattern including black, red, brown and all shades of brindle

Appearance: The American Bulldog is a stocky and well built, strong-looking dog. Its coat is short and either white, white with patches, black and white brindle, fawn and white, fawn and white brindle or a combination of all of these. Some may even have what is called a blue patch. The color conformation is quite varied, but white must be somewhere in the coat for the dog to be confirmed in most ABD clubs.
The Johnson type is a larger dog with a shorter muzzle than the Scott type. However, many modern American Bulldogs are a combination of the two types. In general, American Bulldogs weigh between 60 and 125 pounds (27 to 57kg) and are 20 to 28 inches (52 to 70cm) at the withers. The American Bulldog is massive in comparison to both the French Bulldog and the British Bulldog due to the fact that the American Bulldog was never down bred to be a lap dog.

There are mainly five types of American Bulldogs:

*The Johnson type: This type is commonly known as the Classic or Bully type. These bulldogs are more aggressive and have pendulous lips, an undershot jaw, facial wrinkles and a shorter muzzle. Johnson's famous American Bulldog, the Incredible Mean Machine had 30% characteristics of an English Bulldog, and forms the foundation for most of the modern American Bulldog.

*The Scott type: This type is also known as Standard or Performance type. Bulldogs belonging to this type are large, coarse, leggy and used to catch wild hogs and cattle. They have an athletic look and a long muzzle.

*The Painter/Margentina type: They were developed in late 70s by Joe Painter, Margentina and Tappe, and are mainly used in dog fighting. They are small in size and weigh about 25 - 35 kg.

*The Old Southern Whites type: These are the original country bulldogs. They served as a raw material for Johnson, Scott, etc, and helped them to develop advanced breeds of the American Bulldog.

*The Hybrid type: These are mainly American Bulldogs whose bloodline is a mixture of Johnson and Scott type. Some of the successful breeders of this type are Kyle Symmes, Matt Boyd, Grey Souza, etc.

Temperament: The essential characteristics of the American Bulldog are those, which enable it to work as a hog and cattle catching dog, and a protector of personal property. These tasks require a powerful, agile, confident dog with a large head and powerful jaws. The American Bulldog is a gentle, loving family companion who is fearless enough to face an angry bull or a human intruder; Good with children; Good with pets.

Health: The average lifespan of this bred is between 10 – 14 years, and their main health concern is the development of hip and elbow dysplasia. Regular joint health supplements can lower their chances of developing severe dysplasia. American Bulldogs are also at an increased risk for bone cancer, eye conditions such as entropion and ectropion, and enlarged hearts.

Famous American Bulldogs
Chance- in homeward Bound I & II
Tallulah- owned by Jenah Parris

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Photo source: Twitter.com/laurenmack1129

American Cocker Spaniel

Height: 15 ½ inches (male); 14 ½ inches (female)

Weight: 15-30 pounds

Coat: moderately long, well feathered, silky, fine & flat hair

Color: Divided into black, parti-color, and any solid color other than black (ASCOB in show catalogs). Black includes black-and-tan and should be jet black without liver or brown shadings. The tan markings are to be over the eyes, on the muzzle and cheeks, undersides of ears, on all legs and feet, and under the tail. Tan on the chest is optional.

Parti-color includes any color, including the mixed color known as roan, patterned with white. A third color is permissible. ASCOB includes blonde and red, with or without tan markings. Small white markings are permitted on the throat and chest of solid color Cockers, but nowhere else.

Appearance: American cockers come in three basic colors: solid black, any-solid-color-other-than-black (ASCOB), and multicolored or patchy. The cocker’s medium length coat is slightly wavy, requiring daily brushing and occasional professional grooming. A properly proportioned cocker has a balanced appearance, with a rounded skull; arched neck; compact, sloping body; large, round feet; and a docked tail. A healthy adult cocker weighs 18-28 pounds, depending on the dog’s height and gender.

Temperament: Cockers are lively, friendly dogs that develop a fierce loyalty to their owners. They are merry companions, and should be exercised frequently. Their keen intelligence invites games and tricks, and cockers will eagerly play fetching or chasing games and can excel in agility and tracking competitions. Cockers are excellent swimmers, and families should be cautious around unfamiliar bodies of water because cockers are quick to notice floating objects and may plunge in to retrieve them without encouragement.

Health: The Life expectancy for American Cocker Spaniels is about 12-15 years. American Cocker Spaniels are generally healthy, but they are prone to several disorders.

* Closed Tear Ducts: If your pet is tearing a lot, the ducts may need to be opened by a veterinarian.

* Conjunctivitis: Pink tissue lining the inner surface of the eyelids may become inflamed, particularly if the dog enjoys digging.

* Disk Herniations: Because of the dog’s athleticism, the back must be very flexible and could be susceptible to herniated disks.

* Ear Problems: Cockers may experience a variety of problems with their long, pendulous ears. Proper cleaning and trimming helps minimize these problems.

The best way to keep your American Cocker Spaniel healthy is through regular veterinarian visits, vaccinations, and home tooth and ear care. If the dog starts to behave abnormally or exhibits symptoms of discomfort or pain, consult your veterinarian.

Famous American Cocker Spaniels

Ch. My Own Brucie,- won two Westminster Kennel Club Dog Shows (1940, 1941), and greatly influenced the breed.

Checkers- owned by Pat Nixon and Richard Nixon (see Checkers speech)

Lucky Bundy- from Married... with Children

Solomon and Sophie- pets of Oprah Winfrey

Lady- from Lady and the Tramp

Freckles,-owned by Robert Kennedy

The dog who appears in the original Coppertone ad.

Acer- from movie Cheaper By The Dozen

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Golden Retriever

Height: 22-24 inches (male); 20-22 inches (female)

Weight: 65-75 lbs (male); 60-70 lbs (female)

Coat: straight or wavy

Color: reddish; can range from nearly white to dark mahogany

Appearance

Golden Retrievers are shorter than Labradors, with deep chests and a dense coat of waterproof hair that can be either straight or wavy. Coloring ranges from nearly white to a dark red mahogany color, though the extremes of both ranges aren't typically acceptable in competitions.

Temperament

Often referred to as friendly, kindly, and confident, Golden Retrievers make excellent family dogs. Great around groups of people they know as well as strangers, their trusting nature makes them poor guard dogs. They are eager to please, are usually calm, and are very intelligent.

As they grow older, Golden Retrievers will become more active and fun-loving. They love to work, but will work to collapse, so they must be monitored to ensure they don't overwork themselves. Golden Retrievers make excellent service dogs, as well as Search & Rescue, hunting dogs, and illegal drug detection dogs.

Health

The average lifespan of a Golden Retriever is 10 to 12 years. They do well in small areas as they don't require as much exercise as one would expect for a dog their size. Due to careless breeding, they are prone to certain disorders. These include: hip dysplasia, cancer, cataracts, glaucoma, heart problems, allergies, general joint problems.

Famous Golden Retrievers

Buddy - Air Bud movie series

Comet - family dog in Full House

Duke - from the Bush's Baked Beans commercials

Liberty - dog of former President Gerald Ford

Luke, Layla, and Gracie - Oprah Winfrey's dogs

Speedy - from The Drew Carey Show

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