Types of Dogs...

There are around 400 different types of dog breed and they are divided into different classes based largely on the purposes for which they were originally developed.

TYPES OF DOGS

Dog breeds are split into various Dog Breed Groups, in acordance. The American Kennel Club have 8 recognized classes and similar groupings apply in other countries.

These groups are made up largely in accordance with the uses for which the individual dog breeds were originally bred.

Today there are more than 400 different breed types worldwide.  Indeed, there are more different varieties of the family dog than any other species of mammal on earth today.

Listed below is a breakdown of the AKC dog breed groups.

1. Herding Dog Group

The dogs in this group are bred for stamina and these types of dogs will work with their masters all day long out in the fields with the flocks. They are trained to take verbal commands from a distance.

Herding dogs were bred primarily to assist man to drive livestock and to keep them under control, with or without the supervision of a human.

Without the help of herding dogs, the great agricultural lands all over the world may never have been settled as we know them today.

These intelligent herding dog breeds respond beautifully to many different kinds of training such as agility, search and rescue and obedience.

The types of dogs in this group are:

•   Australian Cattle Dog
•   Australian Shepherd
•   Bearded Collie
•   Beauceron
•   Belgian Malinois
•   Belgian Sheepdog
•   Belgian Tervuren
•   Border Collie
•   Bouvier Des Flandres
•   Briard
•   Canaan Dog
•   Collies (Rough & Smooth)
•   German Shepherd
•   Norwegian Buhund
•   Old English Sheepdog
•   Polish Lowland Sheepdog
•   Puli
•   Pyrenean Shepherd
•   Shetland Sheepdog
•   Swedish Valhund
•   Welsh Corgi (Cardigan & Pembroke)

2. Hound Dog Group

Hound dogs were bred to assist man in capturing game by tracking prey using their extensive senses of sight or smell.

The job that most probably comes easiest to dogs is that of hunting. Hunting with dogs is generally conducted for sport these days although attitudes are changing in some countries - England for example has banned hunting with packs of hounds.  Only two dogs are allowed and then only to 'flush' the quarry.

Certain hounds use their acute sense of smell to follow a trail. These are classified as scent hounds.

Those dogs that can relentlessly run down their quarry, and because of their incredible speed and stamina they are classified as sight hounds.

The sight hounds dog group has some of the oldest members of the dog family known to man.

The types of dogs in this group are:

•   Afghan Hound
•   American & English Foxhounds
•   Basenji
•   Basset Hound
•   Beagle
•   Black & Tan Coonhound
•   Bloodhound
•   Borzoi
•   Dachshund (3 varieties)
•   Greyhound
•   Harrier
•   Ibizan Hound
•   Irish Wolfhound
•   Norwegian Elkhound
•   Otterhound
•   Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
•   Pharaoh Hound
•   Plott Hound
•   Rhodesian Ridgeback
•   Saluki
•   Scottish Deerhound
•   Whippet

3. Non-Sporting Dog Group

The various purebred dog types in the non-sporting group - also known as the Utility Group - are a wide collection of dogs in a complete range of shapes, sizes, personalities, coat types, and overall appearances.

In previous times, the members of this group consisted of all dogs who did not hunt.

The various dog breeds that are included in this group are here mainly because they could not be easily classified by the AKC in any of the other dog breed groups. Many people refer to this as the “catch all” group.

To add further complications, not all countries include the same dog breeds in this group. For instance, in the United States, the Akita is classified as a working breed, whereas in Britain, they are classified as a utility breed.

This group contains large dogs, small dogs, and some of the finest companion dogs that you will ever possibly own.

The types of dogs in this group are:

•   American Eskimo Dog
•   Bichon Frise
•   Boston Terrier
•   Bulldog
•   Chinese Shar-Pei
•   Chow Chow
•   Dalmatian
•   Finnish Spitz
•   French Bulldog
•   Keeshond
•   Lhasa Apso
•   Lowchen
•   Poodle (Miniature & Standard)
•   Schipperke
•   Shina Inu
•   Tibetan Spaniel
•   Tibetan Terrier

4. Terrier Group

The terrier group is known to be feisty, and they were bred to tirelessly hunt vermin, both above and below ground. They are very often thought of as the “pest controllers” of the dog world.

These types of dogs have very little tolerance for any other kinds of animals, including other dogs, any small fast moving animals, the postman, the delivery man, or any kind of intruder.

Most terriers have wiry coats that require special grooming in order to maintain their special and characteristic appearance.

Terriers generally make great pets; however, they do require owners that are determined so that their spirited personalities are matched. If you are searching for an alert, playful, and affectionate friend, then you will probably be well suited with any member of the terrier group.

The types of dogs in this group are:

•   Airedale Terrier
•   American Staffordshire Terrier
•   Australian Terrier
•   Bedlington Terrier
•   Border Terrier
•   Bull Terrier
•   Cairn Terrier
•   Dandie Dinmont Terrier
•   Fox Terrier (Smooth & Wire)
•   Glen of Imaal Terrier
•   Irish Terrier
•   Kerry Blue Terrier
•   Lakeland Terrier
•   Manchester Terrier
•   Miniature Bull Terrier
•   Miniature Schnauzer
•   Norfolk Terrier
•   Norwich Terrier
•   Parson Russell Terrier
•   Scottish Terrier
•   Sealyham Terrier
•   Skye Terrier
•   Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
•   Staffordshire Bull Terrier
•   Welsh Terrier
•   West Highland White Terrier

5. Sporting Dog Group

In Europe this group is also referred to as the gundog group and most of the dogs in this group are of European origin.

These types of dogs are well known for their incredible instincts both in the water and the woods. They have always been an essential aid to hunters, especially before the popularity of hunting with guns. The dogs were used to locate the birds.

However, after the use of guns because popular during the 1700’s, hunters decided that they still needed a dog to retrieve the birds that they had shot down – consequently the development of the retriever breeds began.

Sporting dogs are well known for their easy going temperaments and the fact that they make very little noise. They are extremely intelligent and possess great enthusiasm to please their owners.

The types of dogs in this group are:

•   American Water Spaniel
•   Brittany
•   Chesapeake Bay Retriever
•   Clumber Spaniel
•   Cocker Spaniel (American & English)
•   Curly-coated Retriever
•   English Setter
•   English Springer Spaniel
•   Field Spaniel
•   Flat-coated Retriever
•   German Shorthaired & German Wirehaired Pointers
•   Golden Retriever
•   Gordon Setter
•   Irish Setter
•   Irish Red & White Setter
•   Irish Water Spaniel
•   Labrador Retriever
•   Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
•   Pointer
•   Spinone Italiano
•   Sussex Spaniel
•   Vizsla
•   Weinaraner
•   Welsh Springer Spaniel
•   Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

6. Miscellaneous group

There are many different dog breeds in the Miscellaneous Group, all of which are awaiting the final breed recognition by the AKC.

All of the breeds in this group can compete and earn titles in AKC Obedience, Tracking, and Agility events.

The types of dogs in this group are:

•   Bluetick Coonhound
•   Boykin Spaniel
•   Cane Corso
•   Cesky Terrier
•   Entlebucher Mountain Dog
•   Icelandic Sheepdog
•   Leonberger
•   Norwegian Lundehund
•   Redbone Coonhound
•   Treeing Walker Coonhound
•   Xoloitzcuintli

7. Toys

The AKC toy group breeds were developed for the sole purpose of being our loving companions due to their small size and robust health.

The main job of toy breeds is to make their owners happy. They are better known as our small companions or “lap dogs”.

Many of the toy breeds are originally from Asia where the process of selectively breeding dogs to make them smaller and smaller is believed to have begun. However, there are also numerous small breeds from other parts of the world.

Lap dogs became extremely popular during the Middle Ages. They would be held and carried around by their owners so that the fleas that were so prominent at the time would go onto the dogs rather than their owners.

Many toy breeds are extremely tough. However, you should never be fooled by their small size – there is a lot of dog in a small package. The only thing that the members of this group have in common is there small size.

The types of dogs in this group are:

•   Affenpinscher
•   Brussels Griffon
•   Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
•   Chihuahua (Smooth & Longcoated)
•   Chinese Crested
•   English Toy Dog (Blenheim and Prince Charles, King Charles and Ruby)
•   Havanese
•   Italian Greyhound
•   Japanese Chin
•   Maltese
•   Toy Manchester Terrier
•   Miniature Pinscher
•   Papillon
•   Pekingese
•   Pomeranian
•   Pug
•   Toy Poodle
•   Shih Tzu
•   Silky Terrier
•   Toy Fox Terrier
•   Yorkshire Terrier

8. Working dogs

The dogs in this group were bred to assist man in various jobs, from guarding to tracking, to pulling carts, to water rescues etc.

The dogs in this group were originally bred to serve humans in very practical and specific ways. These dogs are very often associated with guarding, guiding, leading, protecting, pulling, or saving lives.

Nowadays, these wonderful dog breeds also act as our companions and they come from almost every corner of the world.

Their popularity has grown immensely with humans due to their active minds, trainability, and willingness to work. All of the breeds in this group need occupations or jobs to ensure that their days are filled, which will keep them happy and fulfilled.

Many of these breeds may not make the most suitable pets for “regular families” due to their large size and strength. It is necessary that these breeds undertake an active job. They do require a lot of training due to their working nature.

The types of dogs in this group are:

•   Akita Dog
•   Alaskan Malamute
•   Anatolian Shepherd Dog
•   Bernese Mountain Dog
•   Black Russian Terrier
•   Boxer
•   Bullmastiff
•   Doberman Pinscher
•   Dogue de Bordeaux
•   German Pinscher
•   Giant Schnauzer
•   Great Dane
•   Great Pyrenees
•   Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
•   Komondor
•   Kuvasz
•   Mastiff
•   Neapolitan Mastiff
•   Newfoundland
•   Portuguese Water Dog
•   Rottweiler
•   Saint Bernard
•   Samoyed
•   Siberian Husky
•   Standard Schnauzer
•   Tibetan Mastiff

While it may not matter too much about breed recognition by the AKC when considering adopting a dog - which is likely to have been been neutered anyway - the breed classifications do give a useful indication of a dog's background and likely behaviour pattern.  It's no good taking on a pretty lap-dog if you want to go on long walks - or vice versa!

If you have specialist knowledge of dogs or have a web-site dedicated to a particular breed, we would love to hear from you.

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