How to Identify the Breed of a Dog
Most people are familiar with certain breeds of dogs: Dalmatians, jack russell terriers, German shepherds, and cocker spaniels are famous through film and television. But not everyone can tell one brown dog from another --- and some breeds can leave even experts stumped. Fortunately, many online and print resources exist to help identify the breed of a dog.
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Things You'll Need
- Dog or photographs
- Registry website
- Breed club website
- Camera
- Illustrated print magazine or book
- Measuring tape
Instructions
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How to Identify the Breed of Dog
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Look at the dog to determine its general appearance. Make notations on the length of its hair, the shape of its head and body, and the heaviness of its leg bones. Some breeds have cropped ears and docked tails, but these indicators are not always present in pet dogs. Determine the color of the dog as best as possible, even if you are not familiar with coat color names. Make notes about the shade and depth of color, the various colors in the coat, significant markings, and where the markings appear. If possible, measure the dog from the high point of the shoulder, known as the "withers," to the ground to determine the height of the dog. When identifying a dog of an unknown breed, the AKC requires owners to take pictures of the dog from the front and one side while it is standing on a flat surface other than grass. Standing on such a surface prevents distortion of the shape of the dog's back and gives a clear picture of the type of feet the dog may have.
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Consult a general dog breed publication or website. Compare your notes or your pictures to those in print or online. Excellent print references, such as "The Complete Dog Book" compiled by the American Kennel Club, the "Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds," or the "Dog Breed Bible" are available at many libraries. These resources can help you determine what "breed group" the dog belongs in or help you narrow your choices to a few of the recognized breeds.
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The bichon frise can easily be mistaken for a poodle. Compare your results to dog breed standards. Dog breed "standards" that describe recognized breeds in detail, are also available online free of charge from various dog registries. Consult reputable and reliable online sources, such as the American Kennel Club, the United Kennel Club, the Canadian Kennel Club, or The Kennel Club (UK). These standards can help you decide if the big white hairy dog guarding the sheep was a great pyrenees or a kuvaz or if the small dog with curly hair was a poodle or a bichon frise
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Confirm your breed choice. Breed clubs are the definitive source of information by which you can confirm your breed identification. In the United States, most breed clubs have names that begin with "American" or "National" or that end with "of America," such as the "National Toy Fox Terrier Association" or the "Collie Club of America."
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Tips & Warnings
The American Kennel Club does not recognize all breeds recognized in all registries. If you cannot find a breed fitting the characteristics of the dog you wish to identify, try consulting other non-AKC sources. In such cases, it is also possible that the dog in question is a mixed breed.
Physical characteristics can help identify what job the dog was bred to do. For example, long legs combined with a curved spine similar to a greyhound are typical of sighthounds, wiry coats on small dogs are typical of terriers, while heavy leg bones and jaws are typical of working dogs.
Many breeds have similar markings and are best identified by size. For example, the beagle, the harrier, and the foxhound all can have brown coats with black saddle markings and white tail tips and all have similar silhouettes. However, the largest beagle typically stands at no more than 15 inches at the shoulder and the smallest foxhound at 21 inches at the shoulder, while the harrier falls in between.
Always be careful when handling an unfamiliar dog. Have a second person hold the dog still while measuring its height, to avoid dog bites.
References
Resources
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