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What Do You Know About Jack Russell Terriers?

PetSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:00:48 -0700

Highly intelligent and highly recognizable, these pups are often trained to play on big and small screens. Are you already an JRT expert, or do you need to brush up on your breed trivia? Make like a terrier and dig in to take this quiz!

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Breed Spotlight: Portuguese Water Dog

PetSugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:15:43 -0800

ICYMI, a Portuguese Water Dog is the breed that will be joining the Obama family in the White House (and its own special dog house) come April. I've already quizzed you about this working pup, but let's tackle that moniker alone. After all, this dog by any other name would still smell as sweet. OK, admittedly that was a stretch, but one of the things about these dogs is that they have profuse yet nonallergenic and waterproof coats . . . which, many claim, means they smell and shed less than other double-coated breeds.

The name comes from their native land where they are also called Cao de Agua, as the first word means "dog" in Portuguese and the last means water. If you really want to show off your knowledge next time someone's discussing this breed, throw in a mention of the two coat types: Cao de Agua de Pelo Ondulado (the long haired, seen here) and Cao de Ague de Pelo Encaradolado (the curly coated, like the Kennedys' pooch).

See more pictures of Kix, a competitor at Crufts this week, when you read more.

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What Do You Know About Sussex Spaniels?

PetSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:15:00 -0800

A week ago today, a Sussex named Stump won the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Since this breed's not typically in the public eye, I gathered up some facts on this short-legged spaniel. Despite its somber and serious expression, the breed's friendly, with a cheerful disposition, and much more. Learn all about these pooches and start my quiz.

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Breed Spotlight: Dogue de Bordeaux

PetSugar — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:30:21 -0800

So big, wrinkled, and smooshy to boot, say hello to newest breed to be entered in the Westminster Dog Show. Although originally classified into three varieties, the Parisian, the Toulouse and the Bordeaux depending on the region of France and the jobs they were required to do, today this breed's known simply as the Dogue de Bordeaux (or even more simply as the French Mastiff).

The fawn colored working dogs weigh in over 100 pounds and serve as good guard dogs as well as attached and affectionate companions to a master. Now I was fairly certain I had never seen one of these pups before until I did a bit more research. Now, I'm positive that I'm not the only one who has spotted this breed in a classic film. Find out which – and see more pictures of this breed – when you read more.

One of our favorite animal movies, Turner and Hooch featured a loveably slobbering Dogue de Bordeaux named Hooch. Aww, I remember him being nearly as adoro as "Darco" is here so I'll be tuning in tomorrow night to watch this breed compete in the Working group for the first time ever at MSG.

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What Do You Know About Labs?

PetSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:00 -0800

This cute piccy from the Australian Open got me thinkin' about labs – the breed seems to be on my brain lately after Labrador Retrievers were the most registered dog breed for the 18th year in a row. Well, we see they're super popular, but what else do we know? Test yourself and take this quiz.

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Breed Spotlight: Scottish Terrier

PetSugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:45:20 -0700

The Scottish Terrier is an alert-looking pooch with a "heads-up, tails-up" attitude – the pointy ears and long muzzle make this one of the most recognizable doggie silhouettes around. Even though when I think of these pups I recall the black ones, they are also allowable in wheaten or brindle of any color. Scotties are small dogs usually weighing around 20 pounds – but what they lack in size, they certainly make up in spirit! According to the AKC breed standard, these trademark terrier characteristics are joined with a very special "varminty" expression. What the heck is varminty? Find out when you read more.

This word is commonly used in the dog world to describe a piercing expression that should also be very bright and keen – unsurprisingly, many terrier breeds should have these feisty characteristics. Very popular with US presidents, my research has dug up that several former presidents have owned these dogs, including Eisenhower, Reagan, and both Roosevelts! Oh, and don't forget these two cutie pies – they may look familiar as it's our current "First Dog" Barney meeting Miss Beazley when she joined the Bush family at the White House in 2005.

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Breed Spotlight: Alaskan Klee Kai

PetSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:45:59 -0700

Congratulations to cutie pie Crimson for being our POTW! Now I mentioned that this pup is an Alaskan Klee Kai . . . but I wanted to tell you a little bit more about this rare breed. The most distinctive characteristic is the striking facial mask of contrasting colors, don't those patterns look like a husky face?! These pups are very small, earning them the nickname "mini huskies." Recognized by the United Kennel Club since 1997, the dogs should be between 13 to 17 inches high but with the same double coat, prick ears, and furry tails of their ancestors. The Alaskan Klee Kai was developed in Alaska by Linda Spurlin and her family, to be a companion-sized version of the Alaskan Husky. She says:

They are not the fictional husky of the famous Jack London books, and they are not the beautiful Siberian Huskies, which the Russians imported from the Kamchatka Peninsula in the 18^th century to haul their sled loads of fur. Neither is the Alaskan Husky related to the Malamute whose ancestors were the Eskimo dogs used by the people of coastal Alaska. Instead, the ancestors of the Alaskan Husky were a scruffy little Indian dog used by the people of interior Alaska.

See a couple more pictures of these beautiful dogs when you read more.

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Breed Spotlight: Kuvasz

PetSugar — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:30:27 -0800

Two little cuties side by side! We all seem to love the cuddly Flocke and Knut, but we obvs don't want to snuggle up to a polar bear! When I saw these pictures comparing the baby polar bears to baby Kuvasz puppies, my heart just about stopped from the cuteness. The sleeping pup at left looks nearly identical to the sleeping cub on the right. Of course, as these animals grow older, the resemblance fades, but that definitely makes neither furry one any less adorable.

The Kuvasz (KOO-vahss) is a member of the AKC working group and can weigh upwards of 100 pounds, compared to polar bears, who can weigh upwards of 1,000. These big dogs are great guardian pooches and are equally protective of their families as they are of your hypothetical sheep and manor. Kuvaszok (the plural of Kuvasz in Hungarian) are also very assertive - they'll definitely need obedience training and socialization to bring out of best of their combo of intelligence, independence, and protectiveness and are generally recommended for owners who have the proper time for this work.

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Breed Spotlight: Portuguese Water Dog

PetSugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:27:09 -0800

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Breed Spotlight: Dogue de Bordeaux

PetSugar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:02:32 -0800

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