1) Painted wolf
The African wild dog is very often named as Painted Wolf and indeed, their scientific name – Lycaon pictus – really translates as painted wolf, which is reffering to the animal's irregular, mottled coat. Other names include painted dog, cape hunting dog and many many other indigenous names.

​2) Pack mentality
One of the most interesting fact about these dogs is their social behaviour and pack mentality. The social bonds inside the pack are extremely strong, much stronger than in hyenas for example and it is extremely rare for African wild dogs to live alone. Males and females have separate dominance hierarchies and only the most dominant male and most dominant female can reproduce. The rest of the pack is also important, as they are providing food and they even take care of the offsprings. The hierarchy is not as structured as for example in wolves and there is the one dominant couple and than the rest of the pack is more or less equal. This is definitely one of the most social wild animal in the world and cooperation is the key for African wild dog suvival and reproduction. Typical pack size is somewhere between 5-12 dogs, but there are recorded packs with more than 25 individuals.

3) Females in pack
The African wild dog has interesting pack system, which is preventing interbreeding. It is normal that male puppies are staying with the pack for their whole life. That is not the case for females. Female relatives typically leave the pack and they join pack of the opposite sex. That is how a new pack is form. This pattern is extremely interesting and rare, but similar behaviour can also be found is primates, such as chimpanzees or gorillas.

4) Litters
Another interesting fact is the size of the litter, which is one of the highest of any canid. The average litter size consists of 10 puppies. It is also interesting, that African wild dogs very often use abandoned underground warthog dens to give birth.

5) Pups first
The pups are extremely protected and valued in the pack. Actually, when the pack hunt some prey, pups are given priority for feeding even over the dominant pack members.

6) Hunting
Wild dogs do not hunt like large wild cats. They are not as strong and they do not have that powerful jaws and it would be very hard for them to hunt large animals on their own. That is why they use their intelligence, endurance and pack mentality on the hunt. They use their strong sense of smell, but also seeing and hearing. When they find the prey, they silenty approach it, than follow it, tire it, catch it and kill it. Interesting fact is, that they hunt almost exlusively during the daytime and they rest and sleep at night, which is not that typical for many other hunters.

7) Team work
Even though the African wild dog is not the largest hunter, definitely much smaller than lions or leopards, they have higher success rate on the hunt which is extremely large and it is said, that 80% of their hunts ends sucesfully. It is most likely result of their excellent team work and social behaviour on the hunt. The whole pack work as one team and when they decide to hunt some prey, in most cases it is a death sentence for the prey.

8) Prey
Speaking of the hunting, what is the typical African wild dog prey? Well, probably they most often hunt antelopes, but they can also hunt gazelle, zebra, wildebeest, impala or warthog.

9) Enemies
It is also important to say, that the African wild dog is not the king of the jungle, which means, they also have enemies in nature. Their typical natural enemies are lions, leopards and hyenas. They most often kill African wild dog puppies, but lions can easily kill adult African wild dog as well.

10) Conservation status
Once, the wild dogs were found all over the African continent, from deserts to mountains. Sadly, African wild dogs dissappeared from most of the region and for last few decades they are listed as endangered animals and there is only few thousands of these wild dogs alive today.

11) Habitat
So where does the remaining African wild dogs live? They can be typically found in different regions of Sub-saharan Africa, where they typically roam the open plains and sparse woodlands. There is a map of African wild dog range and the largest population can be found in countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia or Tanzania.

12) Threats
The main reason why the population of African wild dogs is declining are of course people. We are the biggest threat for these animals. Farmers very often kill and shoot these wild dogs in order to defend their livestock. Habitat loss due to human activity is another big threat. The third largest threat are illnesses such as rabies or distemper.

13) Saving African wild dogs
Of course, there are some groups that are trying to save and preserve the African wild dog as an important part of African wild life ecosystem. These groups and some governments are creating protected wildlife corridors that are helping to connect fragmented habitats. There are also awareness initiatives that are trying to educate farmers and other people to reduce the conflict between people and wild dogs. Many countries are legally and officially protecting the African wild dogs on paper but in reality, there are no punishments for killing these dogs and their population in almost all African countries is declining

14) Endurance
One of the main African wild dogs weapon on the hunt is their endurance. They hunt patiently in pack and they are able to catching the prey for hours, until it tires. Thanks to their long legs and large lungs, they are able to run very long distances without tiring.

15) Speed
Not only that the African Wild dog has great stamina, it is also very fast dog. Actually, it is said, that the fastest African Wild dogs can reach speed up to 40 mph, or 65 kmh, which is on similar level of the fastest domesticated dog – the English Greyhound.

16) Large ears
One of the first thing you will notice when looking on African wild dog are the large rounded ears. The large ears serve two main purposes. The first one is hearing and indeed, this dog has excellent hearing. But the ears also help to cool down the dog in hot African climate.

17) Toes
One of the differences between African wild dogs, wolves and domesticated dog breeds is the number of toes. While other dogs and wolves have 5 toes, the African wild dogs only have 4 toes on their paws.

18) Size
As i already mentioned earlier in the video, the African wild dog is much smaller than lions or leopards, but it is still pretty robust, strong and big animal. Their height is typically between 24-30 inch, which is 60-75 cm and weight between 18-36 kg, which is 40-79 lbs. Females and males have almost identical size and there are no huge differences between them.

19) Coat
The fur of the African wild dog consists stiff bristle-hairs with no undercoat. They gradually loose hair as they are getting older. Coloration of these dogs is very interesting and it is said that no two African wild dogs have the same coat pattern and it probably serve for visual identification. African wild dogs in different parts of Africa has slightly different coloration, but they have musky colored coats.

20) Lifespan
Just like most of the wild animals, even the African wild dog is very hardy and healthy dog, because only hardy and healthy dogs can survive in nature. Their lifespan is not extremely long and the average is somewhere around 11 years.

1) Brussels Griffon
The Griffon Belge is one of the three breeds of Brussels Griffon. The other two are Petit Brabancon and Griffon Bruxellois and the only thing that separates them apart is their coat type and coloration. Some clubs, such as FCI, recognizes them as separate breeds, while others, for example the AKC, recognizes them as one breed with three varieties.
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2) Coat
So how does the coat of Griffon Belge differs from the coats of other Brussels Griffon? The Griffon Belge is the rough coated type, which is naturally harsh and slightly wavy. It has the same coat type as the Griffon Bruxellois and the only thing that is different is the color. The Griffon Belge is always all black or black and tan. The tan markings are typically situated on the legs, chest, cheeks, chin, below the tails, above eyes and inside the ears.

3) Face
The coat of Griffon Belge is definitely one of its distinctive appearance traits, but i am sure the first thing you will notice about this breed is its expressive face. Some people describe it as human like, monkey like or baby like. Its most likely thanks to their huge dark eyes that are set well apart. The Belge Griffon also has short muzzle and small ears that are set high on the head. The head is round and quite large in relation to the body.

4) Size
The Griffon Belge is a small dog with height between 9-12 inches, which is 23-30 cm and weight is usually between 8-13 lbs, which is 3,5-6 kg. Even though very small, this dog is definitely not fragile or delicate. These dogs have quite sturdy and strong body. The size differences between males and females are very small.

5) Ancestry
The Griffon Belge is not ancient dog breed. Its main ancestor is a dog that lived in large numbers around the city of Brussels and that was known as „Smousje“. This dog was similar to todays Dutch Smoushond. The breed that evolved from the „Smousje“ was known as Griffon d’Ecurie. In 19th century, these dogs were crossed with imported toy dogs, such as King Charles Spaniel and Pug, which is how the modern breed was created.

6) Name
The Griffon Belge has pretty descriptive name. The word Belge means Belgian and the word Griffon is typically describing French and Belgian dogs that are characterized by rough or wiry hair. So the Griffon Belge can be translated as Belgian Rough haired dog.

7) Companions
Originally, the Brussels Griffons were used as vermin hunters and ratters and indeed, they are very lively, courageous and adventurous, but today, they are almost exclusively kept as companion dogs. They are known as velcro dogs that creates extremely strong bond with its owner and is always by its side. It is definitely not a coach potatoe and they are great suited for families who are looking for playful and lively pet with affectionate, devoted and adaptable personality. They can live with other dogs in the family, especially if socialized together from the puppyhood and they can make good playful partners for kids, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised.

8) Rarity
The two world wars were disastrous for the breed. At the end of the Second world war, the breed was almost non-existent, especially in its home country – Belgium. The breed survived in some other countries in small numbers, particularly in the United Kingdom and especially thanks to the dedicated effort of the English breeders we still have this amazing breed around. Since than, the popularity of Griffon Belge is slowly rising, but it is still considered to be quite rare dog breed. But you can find these dogs all around the world today, especially in Europe and North America

9) Maintenance
The Griffon Belge does require some grooming, but it is nothing terribly hard. The coat should be brushed weekly in order to keep it mat and tangle free and to remove all the dead hair and dirt. The coat should also be stripped few times a year. Just like with all dog breeds, you should also regularly check the dogs ears, eyes, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health
The Griffon Belge, just like all the Brussells Griffons, is pretty healthy dog breed and its average lifespan is around 13 or 14 years. Even though it is a brachycaphelic dog with flat muzzle, they do not suffer much from breathing issues or overheating. They might suffer from some eye problems like cataracts or lens luxation, heart problems, allergies or infections, but overall this is usually healthy breed.

1) Origin
The history and origin of Tibetan Mastiff is surrounded by mystery. It is certainly very old, ancient dog breed, that evolved in the vast area of the high Himalayan Mountains and the plains of Central Asia, where it was traditionally used as a guardian of the nomad herders and the guardian of Tibetan monasteries. We do not know what are the ancestors of Tibetan Mastiffs or when they were developed. Some people even believe, that it is one of the oldest dogs in the world and that they are the basic stock from which most modern large working breeds have been developed. For a long time the breed lived in isolation of the high Tibetan mountains, but it was known to the outside world for centuries and we have descriptions of Tibetan Mastiffs by many famous people such as Marco Polo, but it was not until the 19th century, when the first specimen were imported to Europe.

2) Types
It is important to say, that there is not only one type of Tibetan Mastiff. Over the time these dogs spread across vast area with different climate, elevations and traditions, which is why two purebred Tibetan Mastiffs can look pretty differently. These dogs lived in central Tibet, in Northern Mongolia, Nepal or Western Xianjing, all very different regions. And you can clearly see some differences in the fur, as some dogs have very dense and long mane around their neck, while some Tibetan Mastiffs do not have this famous mane. Sometimes these types are called as lion type and tiger type. In the last few decades a new type of Tibetan Mastiff was created, a so called Chinese Tibetan Mastiff, which is often times viewed as less valuable than the original Tibetan Mastiff. It is due to the fact, that there are suspiciouns about purity of the Chinese Mastiffs, because it is believed that they are often times crossed with other breeds, such as Newfoundland or Chow Chow.

3) Utilization
No matter which type, or variety the Tibetan Mastiff is, it should always be naturally good guardian. This is a hard worker with fearless, courageous, brave, territorial and naturally protective temperament. They were specifically bred for this purpose for centuries, so its no wonder that they excell at it. They are especially known to be extremely good nocturnal sentry, keeping predators and intruders at bay, and barking at suspicious sounds throughout the night.

4) Chained dog
The name Tibetan Mastiff is self explaining. It is a large, mastiff type of a dog from Tibetan region, even though i think they would be better fit for mountain dog category than mastiff dog category. The original tibetan name for these dogs is Do Khyi, which literally means chained dog, or dog to tie. It is probably because these dogs used to be chained during the day and let loose at night to guard the property.

5) Adaptable breed
The Tibetan Mastiff is extremely adaptable breed. It can live indoors, but they will without any problems stay all day and all night outdoors. They can also withstand low temperatures without any problems. In the place where the breed was developed, the Tibetan plateau, temperatures normally fall deeply bellow 0°C and the dogs have no problems with it. On the other hand, this region is also known for pretty hot summers, so the dog can adapt to warmer weather as well. But they should always have access to water all day long and they should have some shady spot where they can hide from the sun. Overall, this is truly extremely adaptable dog breed.
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6) Living with
Even though quite intimidating, the Tibetan Mastiff is actually pretty sensitive dog breed, that can read our emotions and is attuned to the emotions. They do not like harsh handling and even conflicts between family members. It is definitely extremely loyal dog breed that would protect its family. They are wary of strangers and it can take a while before they accept a complete stranger as a friend. These dogs also do not have high prey drive, so they can live with other pets in the family, especially if socialized together from the puppyhood. These dogs are also very good partners for kids, as they create strong natural bond with them and they consider them as those who need a greater protection. But of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised.

7) Size
Many people are fascinated by the strong body and large size of the Tibetan Mastiff, but it is important to say, that these dogs should not be oversized. The standard say, that the average height for females is 61 cm and for males 66 cm, which is 24 or 26 inch. Today, we can see much larger dogs, especially those from the Chinese bloodline. Those dogs are bred to be overly massive, but it is also causing many health issues such as hip dysplasia. Original Tibetan Mastiff should be large and strong, but also athletic and agile. The size should not be a problem for its utilization → guarding. Overally massive dogs would paradoxically not be as good guardians as classically large Tibetan Mastiffs. The weight is not mentioned in the breed standard, but it is typically somewhere between 40-60 kg, which is 88-133 lbs. Females are naturally slightly smaller than males.

8) Coat
As i already mentioned before, these dogs can withstand cold temperatures without any problems. The main reason is their extremely dense and thick doublecoat. The doublecoat consists of very thick and wooly undercoat and coarse guard hair. The coat should not be wavy or curly. Some individuals have visible thick mane around the neck and shoulders. The coat is normally also thicker at the tail and upper thighs. The coat comes in variety of colors and color combinations. Most commonly you can find Tibetan Mastiffs in black, black and tan, blue-gray, blue-gray and tan, brown, brown and tan, red-gold, red-gold-sable, cream, and cream-sable with white markings.

9) Maintenance
The Tibetan Mastiff sheds some deal of fur all year long. Depending on the region and climate, they may, or may not shed seasonally. To keep the coat in best possible condition and to minimize the shedding it is recommended to brush Tibetan Mastiff regularly. During the shedding season even daily. Not only that regular brushing will remove any dirt and loose hair from the coat, it will also redistribute natural oils all over it and it will keep the coat mat and tangle free. Just like with any other dog breed, you should also regularly check their eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health
The health and lifespan of Tibetan Mastiff really depends on the breed line. Some original Tibetan Mastiffs are very healthy dogs that can have average lifespan even around 14 years. On the other hand, for example the Chinese Mastiff can suffer from many serious health issues and the lifespan would be around 9 or 10 years. Just like every single breed, even the Tibetan Mastiff can suffer from some serious health issues, such as hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, entropion, allergies, Cushings disease or cataracts. Especially the hypothyroidism is fairly common in this breed. But overall, the Tibetan Mastiff is rather healthy and hardy breed, especially for a giant dog.