Links

Here is a sneak peek at some of the content included in Stage 1 - Goal #2.

Goal #2 - Know General Characteristics of the AKC Breed Groups

Dog Trainers who become breed experts can often foster respect from students.  When a student has a less common breed and the trainer identifies that breed it can be fairly impressive.

Also, a good working knowledge of breeds allows a dog trainer to hazard an educated guess as to the lineage of a mixed breed dog. Most dog owners appreciate not having to classify their dog as a mutt.  Most dog training professionals refer to dogs of unknown parentage as All-American Dogs.

Mixed breed -           when a dog is born from parents who are not of the same breed and these breeds      

                              are known.

 All-American Dog -  when a dog is born from parents who are not of the same breed and these breeds are

                               not known.

 Here are examples of dog breeds and group characteristics for each of the AKC breed groups:

SPORTING

Brittany Spaniel                                    German Short-haired Pointer

German Wire-haired Pointer                   Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Curly-coated Retriever                           Flat-coated Retriever

Golden Retriever                                   Labrador Retriever

English Setter                                       Gordon Setter

Irish Setter                                           American Water Spaniel

Clumber Spaniel                                   Cocker Spaniel

English Springer Spaniel                         Field Spaniel

Irish Water Spaniel                               Sussex Spaniel

Vizsla                                                  Weimaraner

Wire-haired Pointing Griffon

Common Characteristics of the Sporting Breed Group

·    High distractibility. While this characteristic helps these breeds notice and find birds and other game, it may make it difficult for them to achieve focused attention during exercises like sit-stay and down-stay. They may have trouble completing the come cue in distracting situations.  Sporting dogs may tend to be very distracted by the other dogs and people in group-class. 

·    The Spaniels and Setters in this group may be overly "sensitive". This may make them easy to "correct" but not always suited to live with small children.

·    The Retrievers in this group may be overly "insensitive". This may make them more difficult to "correct" but better suited to live with small children.

·    High need for daily exercise - Sporting breeds are sometimes described as "hyper" since they have been bred to notice and react to everything while running all day! These dogs need running exercise. A walk around the block is not enough. These dogs may develop problem behaviors like barking, digging, destructiveness, pacing or fence running if not exercised enough.

WORKING

Akita                                                   Alaskan Malamute

Bernese Mountain Dog                          Boxer

Bullmastiff                                           Doberman Pinscher

Giant Schnauzer                                   Great Dane

Great Pyrenees                                     Komondor

Kuvasz                                                Mastiff

Newfoundland                                      Portuguese Water dog

Rottweiler                                            Saint Bernard

Samoyed                                             Siberian Husky

Standard Schnauzer

Common Characteristics of the Working Breed Group

·    These dogs have been bred to be dominant. The independent work they are asked to do like guarding and protecting people and property requires dominant, independent traits. Some of these dogs may try to dominate their owners if the owners don't show strong, fair, consistent leadership.

·   Working breeds may become overly territorial or very possessive over objects like their toys, their owners or even their favorite areas of the house and yard. This may make them difficult for inexperienced owners to handle.

·   These dogs independent nature may come off as stubbornness during training. The owner should be prepared to focus on positive reinforcement techniques during training. If the owner withholds everything the dog likes (food, petting, toys, etc.) and only gives those things as rewards for obedience, the dog will be more willing to obey.  ABC refers to this concept as the "No free lunch" policy. This means that the dog will be given nothing he likes for free. He must obey an obedience cue before receiving anything.

·   Working breeds may be very insensitive and difficult to correct. They may react to corrections by becoming aggressive or shutting down. This is another reason for the owners of these dogs to focus on positive reinforcement based dog training. It is also important for the owners of these dogs to establish the correct rank and relationship with their dog. (See Leadership Exercises in Learning Theory). These dogs must see their owners as strong, fair consistent leaders.

HERDING

Australian Cattle Dog                            Bearded Collie

Belgian Malinois                                   Belgian Sheepdog

Belgian Tervuren                                  Bouvier des Flanders

Briard                                                 Collie

German Shepherd Dog                         Old English Sheepdog

Puli                                                    Shetland Sheepdog

Cardigan Welsh Corgi                           Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Australian Shepherd

Common Characteristics of the Herding Breed Group

·   High prey/chase drive. This characteristic can make it difficult for these dogs to become de-sensitized to the activities of small children and moving objects like bicycles and skates.

·   Herding behavior. This characteristic can make it difficult for these dogs to become de-sensitized to the activities of small children. These dogs are likely to bark and nip when excited.

·   High need for mental activity. These dogs may develop undesirable behaviors like barking, tail chasing, animal chasing, child chasing, pacing, fence running, digging or aggression if not given enough acceptable "work" like fetch, obedience and tricks.

·   High need for daily exercise. Without sufficient exercise, these dogs may develop excessive barking, tail chasing, animal chasing, child chasing, pacing, fence running, digging or aggression.

·   Herding breeds are typically "easy" to train since they were bred specifically to work closely with humans. Herding requires an attentive, closely bonded dog that is very sensitive to his masters every movement and cue.

·   Since Herding breeds tend to have a high pack drive and desire to "please", they can become overly attached to their owners and develop separation anxiety if not taught to accept being apart from their owners at an early age. Crate training is highly recommended.

TERRIERS

Airedale Terrier                                    American Staffordshire Terrier

Australian Terrier                                 Bedlington Terrier

Border Terrier                                      Bull Terrier

Cairn Terrier                                        Dandie Dinmont Terrier

Smooth Fox Terrier                              Wire Fox Terrier

Irish Terrier                                         Kerry Blue Terrier

Lakeland Terrier                                  Manchester Terrier

Miniature Bull Terrier                            Miniature Schnauzer

Norfolk Terrier                                     Norwich Terrier

Scottish Terrier                                    Sealyham Terrier

Skye Terrier                                        Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Staffordshire Bull Terrier                       Welsh Terrier

West Highland White Terrier

Common Characteristics of the Terriers Breed Group

·    These dogs were bred to be active and tenacious. This enables them to hunt vermin and not back down if attacked. This characteristic may make these dogs difficult for inexperienced dog owners to handle.  These dogs may respond aggressively to "normal" corrections that most dogs would back down from.

·    Terriers may be seen as destructive and "hyper" when not given enough exercise or acceptable work to do like fetch, obedience and tricks.

·   These dogs are quite fast which can make them difficult for their owners to keep up with. Inexperienced owners may be "left behind" by these dogs, both mentally and physically.

·    Digging and hunting instincts may cause problems. These dogs may become destructive if their energy is not properly channeled.

·    Can be dog/animal-aggressive. Since many terriers were bred to hunt and kill vermin, they may hunt and try to kill small animals they encounter. Some terriers have been bred to fight other dogs.

NON-SPORTING

Bichon Frise                                        Boston Terrier

Bulldog                                              Chinese Shar-Pei

Chow Chow                                         Dalmatian

Finnish Spitz                                       French Bulldog

Keeshond                                           Lhasa Apso

Poodle                                               Schipperke

Tibetan Spaniel                                   Tibetan Terrier

Common Characteristics of the Non-Sporting Breed Group

·    This breed group probably has less in common than the breeds of some of the other breed groups. Some members of this group have characteristics of the working group (Keeshond and Schipperke) while others have characteristics of the sporting group (Finnish Spitz, Poodle and Dalmatian). Other members were bred specifically to guard (Chow Chow, Chinese Shar Pei and Llasa Apso) while others were bred to be companion animals or gifts (Bichon Frise, Tibetan Spaniel, Boston Terrier, French Bulldog and Tibetan Terrier).

·    Since some of these dogs were not bred to "work", they may be difficult to motivate during dog training. The "No free lunch" policy mentioned in the working group can help increase motivation to "work" by obeying obedience cues.

·    On the other hand, the fact that many breeds in this group were not bred to work can make them better pets. Less drive to hunt and chase can make these dogs easier for inexperienced dog owners to handle.

HOUNDS

Afghan                                               Basenji

Basset                                               Beagle

Black and Tan Coonhound                    Bloodhound

Borzoi                                                Dachshund

American Fox Hound                            English Fox Hound

Greyhound                                          Harrier

Ibizan Hound                                      Irish Wolf Hound

Norwegian Elkhound                             Otterhound

Petite Basset Griffon Vendeen               Pharoh Hound

Rhodesian Ridgeback                           Saluki

Scottish Deerhound                              Whippet

Common Characteristics of the Hound Breed Group

·   Easily distracted by scent and sometimes movement (in the case of sight hounds). - Owners must be prepared to increase dog's motivation to focus on them by placing the dog on the "no free lunch" policy mentioned earlier. Being allowed to sniff around may actually be used as a reward for obedience.

·    Hounds are bred to work independently of humans - Because of this, these dogs may have less pack drive or desire to "please" their owners. This sometimes comes off as stubbornness or stupidity. The owner should be prepared to decrease the number of repetitions they use when practicing obedience, as these dogs will quickly become bored with obedience. Rewards for obedience should be considered very valuable by the dog and be the highlight of the dog's day. The owner should also implement the "No free lunch" policy.

TOYS

Affenpinscher                                       Brussels Griffon

Chihuahua                                           Chinese Crested

English Toy Spaniel                               Italian Greyhound

Japanese Chin                                     Maltese

Toy Manchester Terrier                          Miniature Pinscher

Papillon                                               Pekingese

Pomeranian                                         Toy Poodle

Pug                                                     Shih Tzu

Silky Terrier                                          Yorkshire Terrier

Common Characteristics of the Toy Breed Group

·    Sometimes a small dog's misbehavior is not addressed due to their size. For example, it is much easier to ignore a Maltese barking at strangers on a walk than it would be to ignore a Rottweiler exhibiting the same behavior.

(much more in actual curriculum)