French Bulldog

The French bulldog, or simply a Frenchie, is a small breed of dog that actually came from England.  During the Industrial Revolution, English artisan workers especially lace makers wanted little companions around to improve the quality of their lives.  So, they crossed a dwarf English bulldog with a pug and a terrier and produced the French bulldog.

To be honest, I don’t really like Frenchies and pugs, perhaps because I see too many of them these days.  Whenever I see a pushed face dog, I feel uncomfortable and the dog looks uncomfortable, too.  I feel bad to hear their heavy breathing and snorting.

 

A few weeks ago, I was in an elevator with a guy and his little dog with a pushed in face.  If you know me, whenever I see a dog, I seek opportunities to interact with that dog, though I have failed numerous times.  So that day, I asked the owner, “So cute, is she a pug?”  Then the sassy owner looked offended and said, “No, she’s a Frenchie.  Pugs are ugly,” as he got off the elevator with his “pretty” Frenchie.

Frenchies come in many different colors.  They are small dogs and shouldn’t weigh over 28 pounds.  Their face wrinkles and bat ears are some key characteristics.  And because they only need little exercise, they are perfect for apartment living.  Plus, their short hair makes grooming super easy.  But, Frenchies are stubborn and can be difficult to train.

 

Are they cute?

Unfortunately, because they are so top heavy, they have serious reproductive challenges.  In fact, they cannot naturally reproduce.  Because they have such narrow hips and weak legs, the males cannot successfully go on top of the females.  This makes breeding very difficult and expensive.  Frenchies also have a very short nose and head.  Because of their pushed faces, they tend to have a lot of health issues.  They can’t breathe very well so they can’t be in heat or do rigorous exercise.  They can even be prone to thyroid conditions, eye irritations and spinal diseases.

Leonberger

The Leonberger is a giant dog breed that looks almost like a lion.  They have beautiful neck flows that may look like a lion’s mane.  In fact, the Leonberger is the oldest purebred German dog, named after Leonberg, Germany.  A local townsman wanted to develop a new breed of dog that resembled a lion.  He crossed a Newfoundland with a Saint Barnard, and then crossed that dog with a Pyrenees mountain dog and then with the Saint Barnard again. 

Is this a lion or a dog?

Leonbergers are friendly dogs that are better at loving people than guarding them.  Traditionally, they were kept as farm dogs that pulled carts and did some draft work.  Some of them are now part of water search and rescue team in Italy and Germany.  They are great swimmers thanks to their webbed feet. 

So heroic!

The Leonberger has a very large body and can weigh as much as 170 pounds.  This is a big dog that can be messy, so apartment living is not recommended.

His name is Simba! Ha ha ha

Their long water resistant double coat sheds heavily and lots of brushing is required.  But they are very smart, trainable, sensitive, and loving. 

Beautiful

As a large dog, the Leonberger has a short lifespan of about eight years.  Some health issues include hip dysplasia, certain cancers and nerve disorders.

Great Dane

The Great Dane, one of the world's tallest dog breeds, is also the world's largest lap dog.  Bred to hunt large prey, the Great Dane is a part of the mastiff family developed in Germany about 400 years ago.  But today’s Great Danes are couch potatoes that also like to step on your feet and lean on you.  A large number of the aggressive hunters were bred out of the breed.

 

A Gentle Giant!

The Great Dane is one of the most varied of all breeds.  They can weigh anywhere from 120 to 200 pounds, like humans.  There are six coat color varieties: blue, black, black and white, harlequin, brindle and fawn. 

 

Blue Great Dane puppy!

Black

Black and white

About two weeks ago, I spotted a harlequin Great Dane in East Village.  I though she was a Dalmatian mix, but I learned that she was a Great Dane after all, thanks to a friend in Hong Kong.  Hopefully, you won't make the same mistake after reading this post.

Brindle

Fawn Great Dane puppy, so handsome!

Great Danes are very tall, with proportionally long legs.  And their paws are the size of a man's hand.  Kids might think that they could climb over this dog and ride like a pony, but that is not safe.  You can’t do that with any other dog breed.  Great Danes also need the space to stretch their legs out every day, so they are not those small apartment dogs. 

 

So Sweet!

Great Danes are great family dogs.  But their large size makes it critical to start training early.  Their short hair makes grooming super easy.

Unfortunately, Great Danes have a lot of health problems.  This breed has one of the shortest life expectancies of all dogs at seven and a half years, as they are prone to a devastating internal disorder.  The Great Dane is the number one breed of a dog to get bloat, which is also the number one reason that a Great Dane dies.  Bloat can occur when a dog with a full stomach participates in a heavy activity.  Great Danes have stomachs that are not attached to the ribcage; during a heavy activity, the stomach can flip, blocking the intestinal track.  If not treated immediately, bloat is extremely dangerous.  So make sure that they eat their meal and rest for a good 40 minutes before you give them any type of exercise.

Labradoodle

The Labradoodle is a popular designer dog created in Australia in the late 1980s by a retired veterinarian named Wally Conron.  He knew someone who needed a guide dog but happened to be allergic to dogs.  So, he mixed a docile and intelligent dog, Labrador Retriever, with another smart and low shedding dog, poodle, to create a service dog for someone who has allergies.  However, Labradoodles are not hypoallergenic.  In fact, no dog is.  Labradoodles are simply a better choice for allergy sufferers because they secrete less dander than other breeds.  It is important to know that people with allergies have sensitive immune systems that react to some proteins in the dog's dander (dead skin that is shed), not the fur.

Labradoodles' coats come in many different colors, and because they are crossbred, you never know what kind of coat you're going to get.  There are three basic coat types.  There's hair, which is straighter, fleece, which is wavy, and wool, which is the curliest and the most allergy friendly.  But, most Labradoodles are low maintenance, since they hardly shed.

 

Nice variety of colors!

Hair

Fleece

Wool, looks almost like a poodle

Labradoodles can be great family dogs thanks to their gentle and social personality.  Intelligent and eager to please, they are easy to train too!  They are also versatile in that they can live in small or large environments.  But, they are energetic dogs and need lots of exercise.

Labradoodles can have some inherited health problems.  Hip dysplasia is the biggest and they can develop some genetic eye problems as well.  So, regular visits to the vet mandatory.

Borzoi

The Borzoi, also called the Russian wolfhound, is a huge breed of a dog bred to hunt wild animals like wolves and foxes.  Seventeenth century Russian aristocrats crossed Arabian Greyhounds with thick-coated Russian sheep dogs to produce this gracious dog. Borzoi literally means swift in Russian and that is absolutely true. Designed for speed and endurance, the Borzoi is capable of fast starts, swift turns, and quick stops.  If I could give them a nickname, I would call them the Sports car dog.

Borzois have several built in characteristics that make them fierce hunters that rely on sight rather than scent.  Their long, narrow head gives them a wide range of vision of 270 degrees.  Humans have only 180 degree range of vision.  The signature sighthound head takes a full three years to mature.  Puppies are born with a short slightly bent nose.  But at five weeks, the nose begins to straighten and the head continues to grow over ten more inches, almost like a Pinocchio!

Newborn babies! So cute!

Longer nose and head..

The Borzoi is a giant breed and can weigh up to 120 pounds.  But, they are elegant, graceful, and athletic.  To protect them from Russia’s harsh winter, Borzois have a long, dense, silky double coat that shed heavily.  So, daily brushing is recommended.

So tall and graceful!

Borzois have a lovely temperament.  They are quiet and gentle and can fit in any family.  They bark very rarely and they do not have strong territorial drives.  However, they can be independent and stubborn, requiring patience and persistence when training.  Also, they should be kept in a fenced in area and never off leash, as they could run into the wild in seconds.

Borzois are prone to bloat, where their stomach fills with gas and twist.  So make sure to feed them several small meals instead of one large meal!

English Setter

The English Setter is a medium sized dog originated in England.  English hunters wanted the perfect bird dog and a companion.  So around three hundred years ago, they combined the Spanish Spaniel, the Water Spaniel, and the Springer Spaniel, developing a dog proficient at hunting for game.  English Setters find prey by seeking the airborne scent of the birds.

The English Setter has an elegant appearance and has long silky luxurious coat called feathering on the outside of the ears, neck, chest, down the back of the front legs, under the belly, on the back legs and the tail.  The long, feathered coat requires regular grooming and should be brushed every two days.

Such soulful eyes!

Don't English Setters look like Hozier?  I love him and maybe that's why I love English Setters too!

This beautiful dog has color patterns on their coat known as the Belton markings, for the town of Belton, England.  Belton comes in orange, blue, lemon, liver and tri colored varieties.  But English Setters are all born with white coats, like the Dalmatians.

Orange belton

Blue belton

Lemon belton

Liver belton

Tri colored belton

English Setters can adapt to most home environments but they need plenty of exercise.  They are energetic, people-oriented dogs that are well suited to families who can give them attention and activity.  They have great temperament but their stubbornness might challenge obedience trainers as they can be strong-willed and mischievous.

There are a few congenital conditions to watch out for in English Setters, as they can be prone to hip dysplasia and deafness.  But, they are relatively healthy dogs that will usually live up to 12 years.

Dalmatian

When I was about six years old, I saw the movie 101 Dalmatians.  It was my favorite childhood movie; seeing various animals work together to save the Dalmatian puppies made me feel really excited.  Ever since then, I fell in love with animals, especially dogs.

I love all breeds of dogs, but when I saw a Dalmatian in real life, I couldn’t take my eyes off of that beautiful creature.  It was perfectly tall, well-proportioned, and simply stunning.  If you ask me what breed of dog I want as a pet, I would say a Dalmatian.  They are smart, beautiful, and most importantly, they don’t have a doggy odor.  I’ll explain why they don’t smell later.

The Dalmatian, famous mascot for the firehouse, is a large breed of dog with spots all over its body.  In fact, there are spots even inside their mouth.  However, when they are born, Dalmatian puppies have no spots and they develop spots within three weeks after birth.  Dalmatians originated in Croatia in Europe and in earlier days, they were used as carriage dogs.  Today, Dalmatians are well-loved family pets.

Dalmatian puppies!  They don't have spots yet.

The Dalmatian coat is usually short, fine, and dense.  They shed considerably year-round, but they do not shed that much.  They also don’t have that doggy smell and stay relatively clean due to the minimal amount of oil in their coats.

In terms of health, Dalmatians are a fairly healthy breed.  However, they are prone to certain health problems specific to their breed, such as deafness, allergies and urinary stones.  They live around 12 years but can live longer.

Unfortunately, the Dalmatian breed suffered greatly at the hands of irresponsible breeders and inexperienced owners as it rapidly became popular due to the Disney movie 101 Dalmatians.  Many people got Dalmatians without being prepared for the responsibilities that come along with owning such a high-energy dog breed.  Dalmatians were abandoned in large numbers by their owners and were left with animal shelters.  It is important to learn about the breed before you get it, and teachmehowtodoggyy will help you be prepared to become a good owner.

Disney's 101 Dalmatians inspired this man named Nelson Vergara to take in as many Dalmatians as he could find.  So far, he has rescued all the starving and sick dogs he found; he fed and took care of them with donations since he doesn’t have a paying job.  His goal is to help all unfortunate dogs, not only Dalmatians.  “I wanted to help – not just the Dalmatians but all dogs, because in Chile we need a solution to the canine problem,”