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Appearance
The Huntaway has strong and muscular built. Their typical height is around 24 inches which is 60 cm. Their weight can vary quite a lot, depending on wether it is a female or a male, but also dependning on a region where they were bred, but it is typically between 55-100 pounds, which is 25-45 kg. Huntaways have longer than tall body, deep chest, long tail, muzzle and long ears that are fold over and well padded paws that cope admirably with the rugged terrain of New Zealand. Many people agree, that the black and tan color variation is one of the most elegant, but when you think about black and tan dogs, you will probably imagine Rottweilers or Dobermans. But Huntaway is another breed in this color ocassionaly with some white or brindle. They do not have one coat type and their coat can be smooth, rough or grizzly. Personality This breed is just perfectly suited to the New Zealand farming work with their hard working, disciplined personality and great endurance. Just like most of the herding breeds, even the Huntaway is extremely intelligent, easily trainable and pretty loyal. On the other hand, and this is again similar to other herding breeds, they are independent dogs. All these characteristic traits make them amazing for a working on steep, rough country over large distances, driving very large herds of sheep. Often times, they are working These days, more and more Huntaways are not used as working dogs, but they rather as household companions. It is mostly thanks to their gentle and soft nature, they are really eager to please loving towards one person they like the most, but they are friendly towards the whole family. They are also happy natured and fun to be around, which makes them amazing companions for older kids. This is not the best guard, because of their friendly personality. They are friendly even with strangers, so they would probably invite the burglar into your home, rather than deter it. Interesting fact If you are not from New Zealand, it is very likely that you might never heard about the Huntaway before. But there are now more than 30,000 registered huntaways in New Zealand, which makes them one of the most popular dog breed of this country, next to Labradors. History This breed was developed for unique farming conditions in New Zealand which required a hard-working dog breed with excellent stamina and plenty of self-discipline. They were also bred to use their loud, deep bark to drive sheep. And today i can say that the breeding goal was accomplished, because you can hear the Huntaway steady barking miles away. What breeds were used in the breeding process? Well, a lot of them and we are not sure about the certain breeds, but it is believed that the breeds that played role in the breeds development were Brittish Sheepdogs and Collies, but it is very likely that they were later interbred with some other dogs as well. This breed was developed during the early 1900s, but they gained recognition by The New Zealand Kennel Club only recently in 2013. But because of the huge variance in size and coat type, i do not think that they will be recognized by foreign kennel club any time soon. But honestly, it does not matter that much. Health and grooming This normally very healthy dog breed with good lifespan between 12-14 years. Just like all dog breeds, they do suffer from some health issues like bone cancer, hip and elbow dysplasia and ear infections. If you want to keep your Huntaway healthy and happy, daily proper exercise is a must. If they are working for their original purpose, than there is no need for additional exercise, but if you have them as family companions, daily long walks, jogs or hikes, accompanied with regular training sessions or task oriented playtime are essential to keep their mind and body in good shape. It is not hard to groom this dog, The Huntaway almost looks after themselves. They do not need much bathing. They do shed, so regular brushing will help to minimize the shedding. Just like with all dogs you should regularly check their eyes, ears and nails and clean them or clip them if needed.
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1) Designer dog breed
The Peekapoo is a crossbreed between two purebred dogs – a Pekingese and a Poodle. Of course, ther could have been crosses of these two breeds for centuries, but it was not until 1950s when these two breeds were bred together intentionally to develop a new breed. Actually the Peekapoo is among first, today so popular Poodle crosses to be developed. 2) Breeding With most of the designer dog breeds, the multigenerational breeding is pretty common. This means that for example Cavapoos can be bred with other Cavapoos. This is not the case with Peekapoos, they are almost always first – generation crosses, which means the parents are purebred. The reason behind is health. The breeders believe that further inter-crossing can lead to certain health issues and that the first generation crosses are, thanks to the large gene pool, healthies. 3) Unpredictable Because the Peekapoo is always first generation cross, they have quite unpredictable appearance, because one Peekapoo can look almost like toy Poodle while the other can look completely like Pekingese. Of course, most of the time, they are combination of both. This should be a small dog with fur looking like a mop and you can find them in various colors, commonly in white, black, brown and tricolor. 4) Hypoallergenic Like most of the Poodle crossbreeds, the Peekapoo was developed to be a companion for people suffering from dog allergies. It is true, that if the dog inherits the Poodle coat, than they sheds only a very little and they do not trigger the allergies as much as some other breeds, but on the other hand Pekingese does shed quite a lot so it is a little bit a gamble. So yes, the Peekapoo has the potential to be low shedding and almost hypoallergenic, but it is not guaranteed. 5) Watchdog Believe it or not, the Peekapoo is pretty good watchdog. Whenever he will hear or see something suspicious they will start barking and they will definitely alert you on the possible danger. This crossbreed is also pretty alert and suspicious towards strangers and the stranger must earn their trust. 6) Companion But dont worry, they should never be agressive without a reason and they are totally affectionate, friendly and devote to their family. They have their protective side from the Pekingese and like Poodles, this is highly trainable dog. They truly make amazing family companions. 7) Exercise Peekapoo is highly energetic dog that love any kind of an outdoor adventure. To stay healthy and happy you should exercise them daily. Daily longer walk or romp on the yard is must. But do not overdoit if the Peekapoo is older to the point of respiratory distress. 8) Size The size, just like the appearance or personality, can vary a lot, but typicaly the Peekapoo is between 9-11 inches tall, which is 22-28 cm and weight between 9-20 pounds, which is 4-9 kg. 9) Maintenance The wavy and soft coat of a Peekapoo dog isn’t only beautiful, yet it’s also easy to maintain. They need occasional brushing, and they should be bathed at least once a month. And their coat grows pretty fast, so ocassional trimming is needed as well. Just like with all dogs, regularly check their eyes, ears and nails and clip them or clean them if needed. 10) Health Peekapoos are generaly very healthy dogs with great lifespan between 12-15 years, but just like all dogs they can suffer from some health issues, commonly from progressive retinal atrophy, patellar luxation, hip dysplasia. They can also easily overheat and develop respiratory problems. 1) Origin
This breed was developed in the Caucasus Mountains, where it also got its name. It is believed, that different types of mountain dogs, that served as shepherds, lived in the region of Caucasus for thousands of years, but the Caucasian Shepherd we know today was bred from different Caucasus dogs by Soviet breeders in 1920s. Probably the most important ancestor is another giant sheepdog, the Georgian Shepherd dog. 2) Purpose The Caucasian Shepherd was mostly used as one of the best livestock protector in the world. That is why they were bred to be strong, courageous, brave and agressive when needed. They are able to protect flocks of sheeps from other people, wolves or even bears. Well not only that, there are evidences of Caucasian Shepherds hunting bears. Today, they are also use to guard prisoners in Russia. 3) More types It is important to say, that there are differences between Caucasian Shepherds, depending on the country and region where they were bred. They can vary in size and even in the coat type. The coat comes in three lengths and a huge variety of colors. But commonly, the Caucasian Shepherd from Georgia is considered as the breed standard by most kennel clubs in the world. 4) Other names The Caucasian Shepherd is known under some other names. You might be familiar with the name Caucasian Ovcharka. The word ovcharka is a russian word for a sheepdog. They are also known as Caucasian Mountain dogs, Bakshan or Russian Bear Dogs. 5) Exercise Believe it or not, unlike most of the other shepherds, this is quite low energetic and low activity dog. When they are not working, they might look lethargic. But even though, they do not have energy level, they do need daily walks, hikes or some other exercise, because they are prone to gaining weight, which can lead to obesity and other health problems. 6) Not for novices The Caucasian Shepherd can become calm, friendly and devoted companion, but it can also grows into agressive, ferocious and unmanagable dog. It completely depends on the training and socialization. This is the reason, why this is a dog breed for experienced owners only, because if you train and socialize them properly, you will have extraordinary dog by your side. 7) Size This is giant, muscular and powerful dog with average height between 67-90 cm which is 26-35 inches and weight between 45-100 kg, which is 100-220 pounds. But it is not uncommon for a Caucasian Shepherd male to weigh a lot over 100 kgs. As you can see, there are big size differences and the size depends on whether it is a male or female, but also where they come from or what type they are. The dogs bred in high mountains tend to be much more muscular. 8) Mane As i said in the video, this dog can have coat in three lengths. And if it is the long coated Caucasian Ovcharka version, than they tend posses a big fluffy mane around their neck that encircles the neck, as well as feathering that trails down the back of the legs and tail. Because of that mane and giant size, they are kinda remind lions. 9) Maintenance This is doublecoated dog and just like most of the doublecoated dogs, they do shed all year long. If you want to minimize the shedding and keep their coat in top condition regular brushing several times a week is needed. Just like with all dogs you should regularly check their eyes, nails and ears and clip them or clean them if needed. Checkin the ears for possible infection is especially important. 10) Health This is relatively healthy dog breed. Most giant dogs have short lifespan, but the Caucasian Shepherd lifespan is pretty good, between 10-12 years. They do suffer from some health issues, commonly from hip dysplasia, obesity and cataracts. 1) Origin
The Boxer is a descendant of Bullenbeisser, which was extremely strong hunting dog breed. There were a lot of variation of Bullenbeisser across the Europe and it is believed that smaller type from Belgium, also known as Brabant Bullenbeisser is the direct ancestor of todays Boxer. The second important ancestor of the Boxer is the Old English Bulldog. 2) Purpose The Boxer is very versatile breed. Throughout their history, they were succesfully used as guards and hunters, they were used for controlling cattle in butchers slaughterhouses and sadly they were also used for bull baiting. On the other hand, Boxer was one of the first breeds to serve as police dog and they are also one of the few breeds that are used as service dogs for blind people. But of course, today, they are most often bred as amazing and loyal family companions. 3) Name Have you ever wondered why this breed is named Boxer? Well, we can only guess, since there are no records on the name’s origin. One popular theory suggest, that they are called boxers because when they are playing, they are often standing on their back legs and kick out its front paws like a human boxer might do. But there are other explanations as well, and the breeds name might be derived from the German word boxl, which was a nicknamed for the small Belgian Bullenbeiser and that the word Boxer is just a corruption of this word. 4) War dogs During both world wars, Boxers were one of the few dogs that were used for military purposes. They were primarily used by German and American army. During the wars, they served as messengers, pack-carriers and guards. They were also very skilled at locating wounded soldiers on the battlefield. 5) Long puppyhood Boxers have one of the longest puppyhood in the dog world. It takes them up to three years until they reach maturity. And i am not talking about their body, they will be strong and powerful very fast, but they will be acting as puppies for a long time. You will definitely have a lot of fun with them. 6) Colors You can find Boxers in only three colors which are fawn, brindle and white. Fawn and brindle Boxers can have white markings, most often on their chest. There are some myths about the white colored boxers. One says, that they are extremely rare, whis is not true, because one in four or five Boxers are born white. It is also not true, that white boxers are albinos, no, it is regular coat color and officialy these dogs are either fawn or brindle, with excessive white markings overlying the base coat color. And the last myth is, that all white Boxers are suffering from deafness. Again, this is only partially true, because it is true, that they suffer from it more than other Boxer colors, but most of them have no problem with hearing. 7) Excitement Boxers are very excited when greeting their people. They are known for jumping up and down a lot and you should train them to stay calm when greeting other people. They are also known for twisting body and turning in circles when they are excited. Sometimes, it really looks that they are dancing with you. 8) Size Boxers have powerful, athletic and muscular built. Their average height is between 53-64 cm which is 21-25 inch and weight between 55-75 pounds, which is 25-34 kg. The females are naturally little bit smaller than males. 9) Living with Boxers need two things in their life – companionship and exercise. This is very social animal who will not like to be left alone, they want to spend their lives by your side. This is extremely loyal breed. They are also very energetic and they need proper daily exercise every single day. It can be long walks, but they are also good partners for hiking and jogging. If their exercise needs are not met, they might become destructive or very vocal. 10) Health Sadly, Boxers are not the healthiest dogs and their lifespan is around 11 years. They suffer from cancer, aortic stenosis, cardiomyopathy, hypothyroidism, hip dysplasia and corneal dystrophy. |