Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Description Of A Labrador Retriever: Part 1

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The Labrador Retriever standard was changed recently. The new standard describes the Labrador Retriever as a medium-sized dog, giving the appearance of a dog that is strong, muscular and active. The head, which includes a very specific kind and friendly expression, the coat and the tail are the breed’s three outstanding characteristics.

However, the head, coat, tail and temperament, all worn on the correct body or frame, are what give you the complete Labrador Retriever. Though temperament is not a physical trait, it is the essence of this breed. The Labrador’s kindly temperament is visible in his warm eyes as well as in his body language. If any of these things is missing, you do not have a Labrador.

The head of a Labrador Retriever is one of the breed’s most distinguishing characteristics. It should not remind you of any other breed. If it reminds you of a Coonhound, a Great Dane or some kind of Terrier, then it is not a correct Labrador head. The Lab has a fairly broad back skull and a nice stop. The stop connects the skull to the muzzle, and the eyes are set into the stop.

The skull and muzzle run on practically parallel planes. The head should not have big, heavy, apple cheeks or flews that are too pendulous. The head should have a neat, clean appearance unlike the sloppy or drooling look that is appropriate for a Saint Bernard. The muzzle should be strong and never snipey looking. The nose should be wide with well-developed nostrils, for that keen sense of smell.

A Labrador Retriever should have what is called a “scissors bite,” where the top front teeth come down right over (actually touching) the bottom front teeth, just as the blades of a pair of scissors cross each other to cut something. A level bite, where the top and bottom meet at exactly the same place, is acceptable but not desirable. Labradors should have full dentition and should not be overshot or undershot, where there is a gap of one-eighth to one-quarter inch or more between the top and bottom jaw.

Either of these conditions or a wry mouth (crooked jaw) would make it harder for the dog to carry game. However, if your dog is a family pet, it probably will not matter if his bite is not perfect. A Labrador Retriever will probably never miss a meal.

What Does A Dalmatian Look Like?

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The Dalmatian is a breed of balance and moderation.  You do not want a big head on a little dog or a small head on a big dog.  Similarly, you do not want an extremely elegant head on a male dog or a very “doggy” head on a female dog.  The females are generally more feminine versions of the males and this male/female difference should be quite apparent.  The head should have clean lines and the Dalmatian should have a clean mouth, not drooling or loose-lipped. The standard does a good job of describing eyes, ears, stop, muzzle, nose, lips and scissors bite; and it also notes appropriate size and angle relationships.

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With regard to eyes, the major faults of ectropion and entropion eyelids refer to lids that turn into (entropion) or out/row, (ectropion) the eye.  Trichiasis is a condition of one or more misdirected eyelashes, causing corneal or conjunctival irritation.  These conditions are extremely rare to find in the show ring, but the fact that they have been carried forward in our breed standard indicates that these conditions have caused trouble in the past.  Also, they are serious enough to be used as screening factors when making current breeding program selections.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the more you deviate from what the breed standard describes, the more you move away from symmetry, balance and intelligent expression.  Picture a Dalmatian with close-set, yellow eyes, no stop between the forehead and top of muzzle, and uneven planes between the top of the skull and his pointy-nosed muzzle when viewed from the side.  If, for example, a line drawn across the top of the skull was parallel to the ground and another line drawn across the top of the muzzle pointed more toward the ground, the dog would be “down-faced” and less intelligent looking than one with parallel planes.  Such a dog does not have the intelligent expression desired in a Dalmatian.  Not even perfect spotting could save the conformation standard shortcomings of a head like this.

The neck, top line, body segment calls for a smooth throat with no excess skin folds and a nicely arched, fairly long neck.  The word “arched” denotes a curved structure.  The top line should be smooth, without a dip or break between the withers and the back.  The chest, back, loin and croup descriptions are clear. Tail docking refers to removing any portion of the tail, whether it is done at birth or later for any reason, through surgery.  The front legs are to come straight down from the elbows to the pasterns, whether looking at the dog from the side or the front.  Cow-hocks occur when the points of the hocks are closer together than the heels of the pads in normal standing position.  The feet, coat and color and markings sections of the Dalmatian are reasonably clear.

The Origin Of Today’s Poodle

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Today’s Poodle

Theories on the precise origin of the Poodle vary from authority to authority, but it has been agreed that three sizes could be found throughout Europe: small (but not toy), medium and large. The desired color of well-bred Poodles was black, with white, brown or partial colored dogs being regarded as lesser quality.

The large and medium-sized dogs were extraordinary swimmers and eager retrievers.

Since they had to work in extremely cold waters, Poodles made good use of their profuse coat; however, the very thickness of the coat was a hindrance to their swimming and potentially hazardous in the swamps and reeds in which they worked.

To overcome this problem, hunters devised styles of shearing that bared the hindquarters to allow for free use of the back legs, which in turn gave the dogs more swiftness and lightness in swimming.

Regardless of variety, the Poodle is one of the most intelligent of the canine race, having within its own breed great variations of character.

In fact, there is something more human than canine about most Poodles, which quality makes them unique dogs and enchanting companions.

Whatever its origin, the Poodle is a well-established breed, for – as far as standards and records show – it has scarcely changed through the centuries, and the various standards of different countries today are much alike. The Poodles of today are a lot higher on the leg, as well as longer and narrower in the head and muzzle than formerly.

If this fashion in type does not become too exaggerated, it improves the natural grace and beauty of the breed.

Today’s Poodle Styles

The various styles of clipping the Poodle are a matter of taste. The two seen most today are the Continental, which leaves the hindquarters bare, with rosettes on the hips and hocks; and the English or saddle clip, in which a short, clipped blanket of hair covers the hips. The fashion of clipping the Poodle has sometimes been called artificial, even detrimental to the dignity of the breed, but it is such an ancient tradition and in many ways so practical, that it is certain to continue. One has only to know a Poodle for a brief time to realize that its great natural dignity, vitality, and sportsmanship are not diminished but rather enhanced by this unique and ancient style of clipping parts of the coat.

Until recently, Poodles in the show ring could be seen with bright ribbons adorning their topknots. This tradition began when different colors of ribbons were used to distinguish one dog from another when they were in the water hunting for their masters. The method by which the Poodle hunted on land entailed his flushing of the game for his master, or, in some cases, actually attacking the game himself. During the period in which the Poodle was known as the “Water Dog” his hunting was not a sporting diversion for his master, but a very serious and necessary means of obtaining food. Thus, because of the importance of the hunt, those Poodles selected to work in the woods had to meet exceedingly stringent requirements. Hunters required dogs that were intelligent, obedient and reliable, traits still present and revered in the Poodle today.

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