Thursday, April 30, 2009

Bloodhound dogs



Bloodhounds are large powerful dogs that appear much tougher than they actually are. Their loose skin looks like it is oversized for their bodies. They have long muzzles and drooping ears and rather sorrowful looking expressions. For their size, Bloodhounds have very powerful shoulders and backs and make good work dogs. Their coats are dense and short and vary in color. Some of the colors that can be found include solid red, tawny, tan with black, and tan with liver. Sometimes, Male dogs are generally 25-27 inches (63-69 cm) tall and weigh 90-110 pounds (41-50 kg). Female dogs are generally 23-25 inches (58-63 cm) tall and weigh 80-100 pounds (36-45 kg). The life expectancy of these dogs is about 10-12 years.

Shy, gentle, loyal, affectionate, and sensitive are all terms that can be used to describe the temperament of Bloodhounds. They are very devoted and loving toward their owners and get along well with other people and dogs as well. Bloodhounds are particularly gentle and lovable around children and make great family pets and companions. Their good nature will allow them to be patient with children and they rarely show any vicious tendencies. These dogs love attention but care should be taken that children do not injure these dogs or agitate them by playing too rough or for too long of a time period. Because Bloodhounds tend to be timid and reserved they do not make good watchdogs and at times their mournful howls may irritate the neighbors.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Portuguese Water Dog - (Obama’s pet Dog)



The Portuguese Water Dog, colloquially known as a Portie or PWD, is a working or utility dog that does best when he has a job to do. Portuguese Water Dogs once existed all along Portugal's coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen's nets, to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and to act as couriers from ship to ship, or ship to shore. Portuguese Water Dogs rode in bobbing fishing trawlers as they worked their way from the cold Atlantic waters of Portugal to the frigid fishing waters off the coast of Iceland where the fleets caught cod to bring home.
The closest relatives of the PWD are widely thought to be the Barbet and Standard Poodle. Like Poodles and several other water dog breeds, PWDs are highly intelligent, can have curly coats, have webbed toes for swimming, and do not shed. However, Portuguese Water Dogs are more robustly built, with stout legs, and can have a wavy coat instead of tightly curled. Also, fanciers generally do not dock their tails, whereas Poodle tails are customarily docked. Portuguese Water Dog eyes are consistently brown, and their coats can be black, brown, black and white or brown and white.
Many brown dogs fade in shade as they age. There are very rare instances of white dogs without brown or black.Male Portuguese Water Dogs usually grow to be about 20 to 23 inches (51 cm to 58 cm) tall, and they weigh between 40 and 60 pounds (18 kg to 27 kg), while the females usually grow to be about 17 to 21 inches (43 cm to 53 cm) tall, and they weigh between 35 and 50 pounds.

Monday, April 13, 2009

English Springer Spaniel


The English Springer Spaniel represents perhaps the greatest divergence between working and show lines of any breed of dog. A field-bred dog and a show-bred dog appear to be different breeds, but are registered together. In fact, the gene pools are almost completely segregated and have been for at least 70 years. A field bred dog would not be even remotely competitive in a modern dog show while a show dog would be unlikely to have the speed or stamina to succeed in a field trial.

Field-bred dogs tend to have shorter, coarser coats than the show-bred dogs. Their ears are less pendulous. Field-bred dogs are wiry and have more of a feral look than those bred for showing. The tail of the field bred dog is only docked by a few inches in comparison to the show dog to provide a "flag" for the hunter. Docking also prevents laceration of the tail during hunting. Field-bred dogs are generally selected for nose, hunting ability, and response to training rather than appearance.