Dog breeds

The wonderful thing about purebred dogs is their predictability, according to David Frei, who was the voice of the “The reason we have so many breeds is that there are so many different kinds of people out there,” Frei told TODAY. So what predictable qualities make Labs the top dog? For that matter, what traits do the other popular breeds possess? No. 1 — Labrador Retriever The Labrador retriever has been the most registered breed in American for 31 straight years, but has never won “Best in Show” at the National Dog Show or Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, to the consternation of many Lab lovers. Courtesy National Dog Show It’s hard to pin down one reason why the Labrador retriever is so beloved, but versatility has to be a big reason, according to Frei. “They’re great with kids, happy, well-adjusted, active, smart,” he told TODAY. “If dogs could talk, I know what a Labrador would say: ‘Me too, me too.’ They want to be doing what you’re doing.” The qualities that make Labs such terrific family dogs and hunting companions also help them excel as working dogs, he noted. For instance, Labs work as bomb and arson detection dogs; epilepsy and diabetic alert dogs; search-and-rescue dogs; conservation detection dogs; service dogs for people with mobility issues, post-traumatic stress disorder and autism; assistance dogs for people with hearing loss; and guide dogs. Trevor Thomas, aka the Blind Hiker, hiked over 13,000 miles of backcountry trails with a Labrador retriever from t...

The breeds There are approximately 400 separate breeds of purebred dogs worldwide. A purebred dog is considered to be one whose genealogy is traceable for three generations within the same breed. National registries, such as the Canadian Kennel Club, the National Kennel Council, maintain Foxhound Kennel Stud Book, published in England in 1844, was one of the earliest registries. Other countries also have systems for registering purebred dogs. The AKC represents an enrollment of more than 36 million since its inception in 1884, and it registers approximately 1.25 million new dogs each year. The groups recognized by the AKC are identified below and in the Table. Dog breeds and their places of origin continent country breed North America Canada Labrador retriever, Eskimo dog, Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever, Newfoundland Cuba Havanese Mexico Chihuahua, Mexican hairless United States Alaskan Malamute, American foxhound, American Staffordshire terrier, American water spaniel, Australian shepherd, Boston terrier, Chesapeake Bay retriever, coonhound South America Peru Inca hairless dog, Peruvian Inca orchid Europe Belgium Belgian Malinois, Belgian sheepdog, Belgian Tervuren, bouvier de Flandres, Brussels griffon, schipperke Croatia Dalmatian England Airedale terrier, beagle, Bedlington terrier, bull terrier, bulldog (English), bullmastiff, Cavalier King Charles spaniel, cocker spaniel, curly-coated retriever, English foxhound, English setter, English springer spaniel, English ...

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