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Sunday, September 28, 2008

More Dogspeak; More Breeds


Those hairy, cute tri-colored dogs that always look so friendly are Bernese Mountain Dogs. They're Swiss dogs, named for Bern, Switzerland. No such thing as a Burmese Mountain Dog.

A popular dog for bird hunting is the Weimeraner, pronounced WHY-mer-ahner.
English Bulldogs are just Bulldogs now. No more "English." Take care not to confuse it with the "American Bulldog," which is a larger, more Boxer-like dog. American Bulldogs are not recognized by the AKC. To them, a "Bulldog" is the short, squatty, high-priced, heavy-bodied dog that snores loudly.
"Pit bull" is a type of dog, not a breed. "Pit-type breeds," for breed-specific legislative banning, can include American Bulldogs, Bulldogs, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers, and Miniature Bull Terriers. and any mix that may resemble any or all of the above.
Cocker spaniels come in four accepted colors or color patterns: "Black," "Parti" (two or more colors), "tan points," and "ASCOB" (any solid color other than black).
Akitas are big, gorgeous guard dogs originating in Japan. American pronounce the breed, "Ah-KEE-ta." If you go to Japan, however, they will tell you the breed is called "AH-kee-tah."
A Borzoi (BOR-zoy) is sometimes called a "Russian Wolfhound." This raises the hackles on Borzoi breeders, and AKC refers to them as Borzoi. Also, the word "Borzoi" is used as both the singular and plural for this breed. Example: Ed and Debbi Decker are Borzoi breeders and own many Borzoi.
Another singular and plural is "Shih tzu" (SHEET-sue). Example: Cal and Crystal West have several Shih tzu who are agility champions.
The little flat-faced, black and white dog that Buster Brown had was a Boston Terrier, not a Boston Bull or Boston Bull Terrier. Just plain Boston Terrier. A "Boston bull" is a bovine that lives in Boston.
Bullmastiffs, despite the impressive name, are smaller than Mastiffs. Bullmastiffs, said to be developed from 60% Mastiff and 40% bulldog, are 100 to 130 pounds and stand anywhere from 24 to 27 inches at the withers. That's puny compared to their cousins, the Mastiffs, which can top the scales at over 200 pounds and shouldn't be less than 30 inches at the withers. By the way, Mastiffs used to be called "English" Mastiffs, but now have been expatriated, like the bulldog, to just plain "Mastiffs."

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