Companion Dogs
Toy dogs - (Maltese, Shih Tsu, Chihuahua) were bred to be pampered
companions. Those with long coats need extra grooming care. They are very
intelligent and sensitive and quickly communicate their wishes to their
caretakers, sometimes becoming demanding. They enjoy attention and will learn
any tasks that earns it. The toy breeds are small, come in all coat types, and
some have docked tails.
Non Sporting - All dogs whose original purpose is outdated are classified
here. Dalmatians were bred to keep carriage horses company, Chow Chows to guard
palaces (they also were used as a source of food, so forgive them if they are a
little suspicious of strangers) and Bull dogs to catch and hold animals for a
butcher or farmer.
Pariah or Feral Dogs - The UKC recognizes some of these breeds (Carolina,
Canaan, New Guinea Singing)) as sight hounds. These dogs developed around human
settlements for centuries and are now considered purebreds. These dogs developed
without direct selective breeding by people and are truly multi-functioning dogs
similar to the feral Dingo of Australia. Most of them have short to medium
coats, upright ears, and are various shades of reddish brown, black or white.
Fighting Dogs - A new group of dogs (Dogos, Canary Island, Tosa Inu)
gaining popularity are dogs bred to fight with other animals. The smaller
fighters are terriers mixed with bulldogs..terrier for agility and bully breeds
for tenacity and loyalty.
Pit dogs in the past were bred to be aggressive to other dogs or animals but
easily handled by people. Since dog fighting has become illegal in the US and
United Kingdom, many breeders of these dogs are operating outside the law. Some
criminals are interested in creating a dog that will be aggressive to people by
breeding a bull and terrier dog with mastiffs to create a larger dog that is
wary of strangers. Some of these dogs are used in other countries to hunt large
predatory animals such as cougars or to track escaped prisoners. Due to their
size, they pose a problem for animal shelters and animal control agencies but
they are not pit bulls. See Pit Bull pate for more on this common confusion.
