Authors: Dr Hugh Wirth
Like the spaniel group of dogs, the pointer is thought to have originated in Spain, where it became famous during the early 17th century for its ability to point to the bird with its nose, body and tail in a straight line. The earliest pointers were slow and heavy, but they were later crossed with different French hounds to produce the German Short-haired Pointer. An English Pointer was also bred.
In 1801 spaniels were divided into ‘starters’ and ‘cockers’. The larger starter was used to spring the game while the smaller cocker was supposed to hunt the woodcock. The English Springer spaniels were included in the former group, and they proved themselves good hunters and retrievers, and excellent in water. What they may lack in intelligence, they make up for with their even temperament. They love to attach themselves to a family, and to lie by the fire. The Cocker Spaniel is an equally popular pet and, like the springer, few are now trained to work with guns.
A gentle nature is a characteristic of gun dogs. They needed to be soft-mouthed so that they could retrieve dead or injured game without bruising it. Some people equate their softness with brainlessness, or even a wimpish nature, but this is far from the truth. They need plenty of exercise because they were bred to hunt game by sweeping backwards and forwards across the paddocks.
The hounds include the Afghan, the Basenji, the Basset, the Beagle, the Bloodhound, the Dachshund, the Deerhound, the Foxhound, the Greyhound, the Harrier, the Rhodesian Ridgeback and the Whippet. All were bred to chase game, and to pull it down. They would chase until the game was holed up, or until they caught and killed it. They have good eyesight, are quick to detect movement and, in a domestic situation, they can want to chase other animals.
The Afghan is one of the oldest members of the Greyhound family, and, like the Basenji, the African hunting dog, it dates back thousands of years. Legend has it that the Afghan was the dog Noah took into the ark. Once known as the Eastern Greyhound, the breed is thought to have originated in the Middle East, but subsequently made its way to the mountains of Afghanistan, where it was used to hunt wolves, foxes, gazelles, deer and goats, and to guard and herd sheep. Its long hair protected it against the extreme cold of the mountains.
The breed was imported into the US and Britain around the end of the 1800s, and its beauty and aristocratic bearing made it a popular show dog. It is not always amenable to discipline, and can sometimes appear aloof, but it can be a great clown at play time. Its basic instinct is to chase, and it needs plenty of exercise.
The short-haired Basenji, with its distinctive ring tail and wrinkling between the ears, is a small African dog that was used as a hunter, tracker and watchdog. It trots like a horse, and yodels instead of barking. Its name comes from the Bantu word meaning ‘native of the bush’ and the breed was discovered in central Africa by Western explorers in the late 1800s. Its strong pack instinct often leads to scrapping and bickering over the pecking order. The breed is semi-domesticated and although it is often cheeky and mischievous, its unpredictability of mood has prevented it becoming popular as a pet.
The Basset and the Beagle both date back to the 16th century. The Basset, which is highly dominant, is thought to have originated in France. Queen Elizabeth I used to hunt with Beagles, and Shakespeare wrote about them. Like the larger Harrier, which was first used in packs in 18th-century England, the Beagle’s primary role was to hunt hare. Both the Beagle and Foxhound are colony dogs, preferring to live in a group of other dogs. Beagles have not completed the transition to using humans as surrogate dogs, and while they will stay with humans, they prefer dogs and will often wander from home to look for other canine company.
The Bloodhound is descended from an old breed introduced into England from Normandy by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. It was subsequently used to hunt red deer, and as a medieval patrol dog, employed to enforce the curfew. More recently it was used by police as a tracking dog because of its legendary powers of smell.
The Dachshund has many terrier characteristics even though it is classified as a hound. It has been given the disparaging nickname of ‘sausage dog’, because of its long body and short legs. Its name means ‘badger dog’ in German, and it was originally used to trail badgers, foxes, hares and rabbits into their burrows. The dogs hunt by scent, and still love a rabbit chase, but they have become popular as pets, being intelligent, self-willed, devoted to their owners and diffident with strangers. The breed suffers from a spinal weakness which can lead to hind-leg paralysis. This fact has reduced its popularity in recent years. There are standard and miniature Dachshunds, with three different coat types: smooth, wire-haired or longhaired.
The Greyhound had been used for the sport of coursing or chasing rabbits in Greek and Roman times. The Whippet is a smaller version of the Greyhound, mixed with some blood from the Manchester and English white terriers. Both breeds are well-known for racing, and the Whippet has been highly successful as a domestic pet, being affectionate, intelligent and rarely aggressive.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is also known as the Rhodesian lion dog, as it was originally created to track lions. It is believed to have resulted from crossing the Bloodhound with the Hottentot hunting dog, the latter breed giving the ridge of hair running down its back. By instinct these dogs are aggressive hunters and for this reason they are not ideal pets.
The working dogs include the Australian Cattle Dog, Collies, Corgis, the German Shepherd, the Kelpie, and the Old English Sheepdog. They were bred to assist humans to deal with stock, and to work over long hours and distances. They’re built with a frame strong enough for them to start working the paddocks at dawn and keep going straight through to dusk. They like to be occupied all the time, therefore directing the movement of stock is ideal work for them. It becomes rather like a game that they play continuously — they have to resolve the problem over and over again, to bring order out of chaos.
Working dogs need the most exercise of all dogs and, put in a suburban situation, they should be walked at least five kilometres a day. Instinctively they’re always looking to move the sheep, and cattle, and if there is no stock in the back yard, they may want to play with a stick or tennis ball all day to satisfy their compulsion to work. Working people living in the city would be better suited to a more sedentary type of dog, like a Dachshund, Whippet, Poodle, Maltese or Shih Tzu.
Working dogs bond strongly with humans, but they must be dominated by the human, and the rules must be adhered to rigidly. They are very loyal, and that loyalty is usually proportional to the boss dog’s dominance. They know their place, and they get frustrated if the rules aren’t set. The dog does the work and its reward is that the owner provides food and housing.
Collies originate from the dogs used by the shepherds and farmers of Scotland to herd their sheep and cattle. The Bearded Collie has a long, shaggy coat which protects it against harsh weather, and which is similar to that of the Old English Sheepdog. It is a lively, even-tempered breed that loves exercise. It makes an affectionate, gentle, well-mannered pet and an intelligent worker. It has sometimes been described as temperamentally softer than some of the other working breeds.
The Border Collie originated in the border country between England and Scotland, where it was used as a sheepdog. It quickly became prized for its untiring willingness to work, its speed and agility and its alert and attentive manner. The breed is well-known for its piercing gaze, which has a hypnotic, controlling effect on sheep. This breed is also famous for its loyalty, and a story is told of a Border Collie that stood guard over his dead master in England for several days after the shepherd had died while working in the hills with his flock. The breed has become popular as a household pet, but the dogs can have a workaholic streak, derived from their instinctive desire to round up sheep, and they can be driven to herd anything or anyone.
The Rough Collie, with its distinctive, elongated nose, has become known as the ‘Lassie dog’, after the famous television series starring a Rough Collie. The dog originated in the lowlands of Scotland, and probably took its name from the local black sheep known as the colley. The long, aristocratic nose is thought to have come from a cross with a Russian Borzoi. The breed received its first increase in popularity in England in the late 19th century, after Queen Victoria had seen the dogs while staying at her Scottish estate at Balmoral, and took some back to Windsor Castle. The dogs are good-natured, affectionate, and as loyal to their owner and family as they can be suspicious of strangers.
All of the Collies can occasionally be short-tempered and ‘nippy’, traits which come from their herding instinct.
Welsh farmers bred Corgis to herd sheep and cows by nipping at their heels. They are believed to have some Nordic blood and look similar to the Swedish Vallhund, which has the same short legs and long body. The Cardigan Corgi is slightly larger and longer-bodied, while the Pembrokeshire Corgi is more foxy in appearance. The dogs are bold, full of self-importance and they make excellent guard dogs. Even though they love exercise and country living, Corgis are equally suited to city apartments.
The German Shepherd is the perfect example of why selection of the right breed is so important for would-be owners. Originally known as the Alsatian Wolf Dog, it first appeared at a show in Hanover in 1882. It is a forceful, intelligent dog, ever alert and suspicious of strangers. In the right hands, it is an excellent dog, good-looking, graceful, and handsome.
It is a dominant dog, but if owned by dominant people, it is usually very pleasant to handle. However, to some people who buy dogs as an extension of their own personalities, the German Shepherd represents power and unassailability. For that reason, if this breed gets into the wrong hands, it can be an attacking monster. If you buy a German Shepherd, and you’re not a dominant person, obviously the dog will dominate. (Breeds’ reputations can be destroyed if the dogs get in the hands of ignorant owners.)
The Old English Sheepdog, which is better known as the shaggy ‘Dulux dog’ from the paint advertisements, originated in England’s West Country, where farmers wanted a dog to herd sheep and drive cattle. Its ancestry probably included the similar-looking Bearded Collie but, despite its English name, European shepherd dogs are also thought to have figured in its evolution. It is a friendly, faithful dog with an intelligent and boisterous manner.
The utility breeds include the Alaskan Malamute, Boxer, Bullmastiff, Dobermann, Husky, Rottweiler, St Bernard, Samoyed and Schnauzer. The Alaskan Malamute, Husky, Russian Samoyed and the St Bernard are all long-coated dogs bred for working in the cold, northern climates. The St Bernard has become famous for rescuing lost travellers in the Alps, while the Husky, Malamute and Samoyed were originally used by the Eskimos as sled dogs.
The Alaskan Malamute derives its name from the Mahlemuts, the Inuit people of upper western Alaska, who used dogs to haul their possessions around on sleds. The dogs, with their gentle, bright eyes and thick coats, became known for their fortitude and endurance, because of the great distances they would travel.
In recent years the breed has become increasingly popular as a pet and guard dog, but it has proved to be unsuited to the confined spaces of suburbia. Malamutes tend to be one-owner dogs, rather like the Dingo. The dogs are still close to their wild origins and their dominance needs to be carefully controlled. They are currently fashionable, but in many cases owners haven’t made an appropriate selection for their lifestyle.
The Bullmastiff resulted from crossing a Mastiff with a Bulldog, resulting in a quiet, agile tracking dog which was used widely in England to detect poachers. The cross combined the courage and ferocity of the Bulldog with the power, speed and nose of the Mastiff. The Bullmastiff is a big, strong, active dog, and it makes an excellent guard dog and a reliable family pet.
The Boxer, Dobermann, Rottweiler and Schnauzer are all German breeds. The Boxer resulted late in the 19th century from a cross between a bull-fighting type and a Bulldog; while the Schnauzer, sometimes referred to as the German Terrier, was used as a drovers’ dog and watch dog.
The Schnauzer is temperamentally close to a terrier, like the Airedale, which it also resembles. The breed comes in standard and miniature sizes — the miniatures, in particular, make excellent pets.
The Dobermann and Rottweiler are both dominant dogs. The Dobermann was named after Louis Dobermann, who bred the dogs in the late 1800s by crossing the Rottweiler, the German Pinscher, the black-and-tan English Terrier and, possibly, the German Shepherd. The resulting smooth-haired dogs were strong and aggressive and their value was quickly seen as police or army guard dogs. Their temperament is occasionally questioned, but when they are properly trained they are affectionate and obedient.
Similar questions have been posed about the aggression of the Rottweiler, which was originally used as a cattle drover around the town of Rottweil, which was a major European centre for the trading of livestock. Traders accompanying cattle to market used to tie money belts around the necks of the Rottweilers as protection against attack from highwaymen. They were strong-minded, courageous dogs and they required firm discipline. Like the Dobermann, they were often used for guard duties.
People often buy dominant breeds like Rottweilers and German Shepherds as guard dogs, but the best burglar deterrents are small, alert dogs who live in the house and make a lot of noise. Dogs have a sense of possession of their properties when they are secure in their lifestyle, and they will bark the roof off if anyone tries to invade the property.