A very small insight on Dog Breeds – Did You Know?

But firstly, a little bit about me

In 2021 I completed Certificate III in Companion Animal Services In Australia.

I am qualified in a number of areas and just to name a few. Maintaining and monitoring animal health and well-being, providing basic care of dogs, providing enrichment for dogs, provide basic first aid for dogs.

I learnt so much and of course it certainly helps when you are learning about a subject you love! A couple of the units were informational only and I found these just as interesting. One of these was about dog breeds. This Tune-In-Tuesday, I will share some very basic insight into dog breeds.

In Australia, we have our organisation responsible for maintaining a register of all breeds in Australia. ANKC (Australian National Kennel Council). You can pop on their website to find out alot more information on breeds.

Q: What is a “Cross Breed” dog?

A: Mother and Father are a different breed

Q: What is a “Mixed Breed” dog?

A: Does not belong to one officially recognised breed and is not the result of intentions breeding

Q: What is a ‘Pure Breed’ dog?

A: If the dogs’ parents were pure breed and meet the standard of the breed

Q: What is a ‘Natural Breed’ dog?

A: A species that has risen through time naturally adapting to its environment. In English, this means, they are dogs that have evolved without the intervention of humans

Q: How many breeds of dog are recognised by the World Canine Organisation?

A: I was super surprised at this! There are 339 ‘Pure Breed’ dog breeds!

Q: Did you know that dogs are classified into ‘Dog Groups’?

• A: In Australia we have 7 ‘Dog Groups’
• Toy
• Terrier
• Gundog
• Hound (Sighthounds that are bred to run and Scent-Hounds that are short and close to the ground)
• Working
• Utility
• Non-Sporting

Furthermore

It’s interesting to find out what group your dog belongs to. With a ‘mixed’ or ‘cross’ breed dog, I have personally found that the dog has traits that you can say that they lean towards more.

My dog Bear is a Miniature Schnauzer. This breed originated in Germany, the first miniature schnauzer recorded was a female named Findel in 1888. The purpose for this breed was for the farmers and were bred for ratting! Bear belongs to the Terrier Group. A miniature schnauzer is a cross between a Affenpinscher and a Miniature Poodle!

When Bear puts his nose to the ground, he is on a mission. When we lived on acreage, a rat tuned up at my door, thankfully a dead rat with bite marks on it. Bear was doing was he was bred for!

Do some research on your dog and you’ll find some interesting facts and information. This may give you an A-HA moment of why your dog may have certain traits.

I hope you enjoyed learning a very small amount about breeds.

If there is a subject you would like us to touch on, please don’t hesitate in contacting us with any suggestions for Tune-In-Tuesday!

Jules and Bear