Author archives: Brian Lynn

Beautiful and graceful, Irish setters have a silky, feathered coat that is deep chestnut or red in color. Their regal looks have made them popular in the hunting field, show ring and homes of people since the early 1700s.

Developed, according to the AKC, by crossing Irish water spaniel, Irish terrier, English setter, spaniel, pointer, and Gordon setter, and then selectively bred for their hallmark coloring, Irish setters were used for hunting of game birds. Their popularity in the field boomed in the 19^th Century, which made them popular in the conformation ring, too. By 1948, the breed had come to dominate the conformation ring, but had slipped in status in the field.

The dramatic split led to not only two lines of Irish setters, but to the creation of the red setter, which was the result of outcrossing some of the remaining working Irish setter lines to red and white field champion English setters. The inclusion of fresh field-line blood has invigorated and resurrected the hunting prowess of the beautiful dog – albeit with much controversy.

Show-bred dogs range between 60 and 70 pounds and stand approximately 27 inches tall, while field-bred red setters tend to be smaller ...

The olfactory capabilities of our best friends are amazing, and we continually find new ways to put them to work. From hunting and police work to security and disease detection, a dog’s sense of smell keeps us safe and healthy. Now it seems a two-year-old rabbit-hunting beagle from the Ozarks might help zookeepers detect when threatened polar bears are pregnant.

Taking a page from diabetic alert dog trainers, officials at the Cincinnati Zoo's Center for Conservation & Research of Endangered Wildlife have been working with Matt Skogen at Ironheart High Performance Working Dogs in Shawnee, Kan., to train dogs to detect hormonal changes in gestating polar bears so that officials can take necessary precautions with the expectant mothers. Polar bears have complicated reproduction cycles littered with false pregnancies that make captive breeding programs difficult to successfully administer. Early detection gives zookeepers the chance to separate male and female bears, to provide necessary cub-rearing dens and to monitor the mother more closely.

Skogen originally started with the border collie, arguably the most intelligent breed of dog, but a methodical beagle named Elvis eventually won the job. Elvis trained by sniffing fecal matter from bears that were and weren’t pregnant. When ...

Popular in both the U.S. and England, the cocker spaniel was originally bred as a gun dog that pushed game to hunters in the field. Originally, there were only two types of spaniels – those that hunted primarily on land and those that took to the water to retrieve game. Through time, those two classifications became more and more varied as specific breeds were developed. The cocker spaniel was used more on land (its name is derived from aptitude for woodcock hunting) and is among the oldest of gun-dog breeds – with its heritage dating to the first spaniels that came out of Spain more than 500 years ago.

As the happy-go-lucky cocker spaniel became more popular, and with the rise in conformation competition after 1885, a split took place in the breed – those dogs used for the field and those who competed in the ring. Most noticeably, field-bred cockers have a shorter coat and ears than conformation dogs, as well as a higher prey drive.

The cocker’s popularity soared in both realms, as well as in the pet world. In the show ring, the cocker has been the most successful breed at Crufts, winning Best in Show ...

Affectionately known as the wiener dog, the short-legged, long-bodied dachshund is consistently one of the top 10 most-registered dogs in the country. It seems the dachshund has always been popular, with kings and queens of Europe in the distant past, as well as with the likes of artists such Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, Presidents John F. Kennedy and Grover Cleveland, writer E.B. White, newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst and singer Adele in more recent times.  

The popular dachshund originated in Germany and was bred to track badgers, enter their den and fight them to the death. The modern dachshund is much smaller than the badger-fighting ancestor, which weighed between 30 and 40 pounds, and is usually bred for the conformation ring and as a companion animal. However, there are lines, especially in its native Germany, that are still bred for hunting purposes.

The history of the dachshund is somewhat muddled, with some groups claiming it was developed in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, others claim the 15^th Century and still others cite drawings and mummies of dachshund-like dogs that were popular with ancient Egyptians. The modern-day incantation was developed in Germany, but was also ...

The Shetland sheepdog is not just a collie in miniature form, but rather its own breed that has been crossed extensively with the long-haired, or rough, collie. Together they, and other similar breeds, are collectively referred to as collie, but make no mistake; the Sheltie is its own dog that has had many distinct (and extinct) breeds have contributed to its genetic makeup.

Placed in the herding group, Shelties in their modern form are more of a companion and show dog than working animal, however, they still retain many herding instincts and the intelligence associated with the group. It was developed from spitz-type dogs found on the islands of Shetland, which are northeast of England, and that were used for herding the smaller sheep and other livestock that developed there.

The rough collie obviously played a large role in the conformation and appearance of the Sheltie, but in addition to it and the Shetland spitz dog, the King Charles spaniel, Pomeranian, possibly the border collie and the extinct Greenland yakki all played a role in the smaller body and disposition of the breed.

The rough collie factors into the Shetland’s makeup with crosses taking place between the two breeds until ...

Many people underestimate the ongoing financial burden of responsible dog ownership when considering a puppy, and instead focus on the upfront price of the dog.

The cost of a well-bred dog will be the least amount of money you ever spend on it. In an AKC survey of more than 1,000 dog owners, one-time costs (crate, neutering, bowls, leash, purchase price) averaged $2,100, while ongoing costs averaged $2,500 per year for items such as food, routine veterinarian care, boarding, treats and training. With the average lifespan of a dog being about 13 years, using these averages, you can expect to spend nearly $35,000 on a dog over the course of its lifetime. Even cutting these estimates in half, you can still expect to invest close to $20,000 in your pet.

The difference in paying for a $50 dog or a $1,000 is, in the long term, a negligible difference. Your upfront costs will always be the least of your financial worries.

That said, you should look for the best puppy you can find. A puppy whose parents were genetically tested prior to breeding and that come with a written health guarantee might cost a ...

Originally bred as a ratter, the Yorkshire terrier quickly became a show-dog darling and companion animal for the middle and upper classes – roles it retains to this day.

Yorkshire terriers, or “Yorkies” as they’re affectionately nicknamed, were derivates of terriers from Scotland that were crossed with the now extinct Paisley terriers, which possessed a long and luxurious coat. While they are show dogs today, Yorkies originated within the working class during the 19^th Century and were developed and used by those in textile mills to find and kill rats – a job they were very good at thanks in large part to the tenacious terrier personality. Later, they were used in rat-baiting competitions – a practice where they would be placed in a pit or other enclosed area with rats, and then bets were placed on how many vermin the dogs could kill in certain amount of time.

According to P. H. Combs in The American Book of the Dog, when the breed was first being developed, “almost anything in the shape of a Terrier having a long coat with blue on the body and fawn or silver coloured head and legs, with tail docked and ears trimmed ...

Herding dog, guard dog, police dog. The giant schnauzer has served man in many different roles for more than 300 years. Originally developed in the Bavaria and Württemberg states of Germany during the 17^th Century, giant schnauzers worked with German shepherds to guard and drive livestock en route to market. As the all-purpose farm dog was brought into cities, their duties shifted from guarding livestock and farmhouses to serving as watchdog in factories, breweries and stockyards, among other places.

The giant schnauzer remained a relatively local dog, being employed in the two German states most notably, until just before World War I. At that point in time, the intelligent and physical breed was then called upon for use as a military and police dog. In the United States, giant schnauzers were first imported in the 1930s by enthusiasts, but didn’t begin to rise in popularity until the 1960s and peaked in the 1980s.

The name “giant schnauzer” doesn’t refer to its size in comparison to other giant breeds of dogs like the great Dane or St. Bernard, but rather its size in relation to the other two types of schnauzer – the standard and miniature. Compared to the standard ...

Better known as a blue or red heeler, the Australian cattle dog originated in the Land Down Under and was used to drive cattle over the continent’s rough terrain. Interestingly, it was developed by crossing cattle-driving dogs of the day with tame dingoes.

According to the AKC, “Australians began crossing Dingo-blue merle Collies to Dalmatians and Black and Tan Kelpies. The result was a dog identical in type and build to the Dingo, only with a thicker set and peculiar markings - and also an excellent worker.”

The mix of dogs is also responsible for the color variation seen in today’s breed, which can either be shades and patterns of merle blue or tawny-red.

The ACD is an active medium-sized, short-coated dog that possesses a high intelligence and which forms strong bonds with its owners. As cattle-driving dogs, ACD’s would nip the heels (hence the moniker) of stubborn cows to keep them moving. Because of their strong herding instincts and close relationship formed with cattlemen moving throughout the countryside, the breed retains a few of those necessary attributes. Namely, they’re prone to nipping, especially at the heels of running children (which should not be taken as biting or aggression), and ...

Sometimes politics and patriotism combine to influence the development of a canine breed. Such is the case with the American Eskimo dog, which originated in Germany (where it was known as the German spitz) and was brought to America in the early 1900s as a companion and watchdog. However, with the rise of World War I and anti-German sentiment, the name was changed from German spitz to American Eskimo dog (and nicknamed the “Eskie”).

The name wasn’t the only thing that changed. The American version of the breed, separated from the German, and perhaps mixed at some point with the Japanese spitz, developed into its own, primarily white, breed.

Eskies were originally used as watchdogs, and as such still retain a tendency to bark at strangers that approach or encroach upon their territory. In America, they became popular as performing animals in circuses, walking on balls, tightropes and performing other tricks. Marketing gurus of the day sold puppies after the show and, as such, many families went home with their very own Eskie.

Because they evolved as alert watchdogs and performing animals, Eskies are intelligent, affectionate, playful and biddable – they love to please. These personality traits make them perfect ...