How can you determine the breed of a dog?

Currently, there are officially at least 400 dog breeds in the world, each of which is distinguished by its appearance, character, service and decorative qualities. Taking a stranger into the house, you should always have a good idea of ​​how the animal will grow up, and what you can expect from it. For this, it does not hurt to find out the basic methods for determining the breed.

Determining whether puppies or adult animals are pedigree can be useful in several cases.

1. This is important when there are suspicions about the origin of the animal when choosing and buying it. It's no secret that even exclusive puppies in infancy can resemble their homeless cousins, while outbred puppies sometimes look like expensive dogs. Not necessarily an unscrupulous breeder can sell a street "Bobik" to an inexperienced dog breeder, but if there are no relevant documents for him, it may well be a mestizo.
2. Quite often, the owner finds the future pet on the street. And outwardly, he may have some resemblance to a thoroughbred dog. Understanding the difference between a courtyard and an elite animal, a person no longer needs to spend time contacting experienced dog breeders or veterinarians, and he can immediately begin domestication and education of the found.
3. Knowledge of the characteristics of a mongrel and a dog of good origin is also necessary if an animal that does not correspond to the declared breed has already been taken into the house. In any case, the owner needs to know how to keep him, how to feed him, because different conditions for a normal life are provided for different dogs.In addition, you need to know the nuances of character, understand the purpose and main points of training, if it is a service dog.

Regardless of whether you bought a dog from your hands, or pity made you take a homeless puppy, the ability to find out what breed the animal belongs to, it is important already because the owner receives as much information about him as possible:

• preferred type of diet;
• ability to learn;
• the dog's temperament and physical characteristics;
• suitable climatic conditions;
• the ability to interact with adults, children and other animals;
• hereditary diseases that largely determine the life span.

In some cases, probably it is worth contacting professionals or at least a veterinarian, who understands different types of animals, and will be able to clarify the origin of the dog.

Any dog, first of all, can be attributed to a certain species, and only after that one can go deeper into the study of the characteristic and uncharacteristic features of the breed or outbredness.

There are three types in total: mestizos, mongrels, thoroughbred.

They are a cross between a titled and a purebred animal. In their blood, genotypes of several breeds may be present, and outbredness may appear later. One parent of such puppies can be a pedigree or also a mestizo, while the other is a purebred "nobleman".

A phenotype is an animal that, in appearance and description, fully corresponds to the type of an elite dog, but at the same time he does not have a passport or documents of noble birth.

A purebred pedigree dog is an animal with a pedigree, a brand and an electronic chip with a number. A purebred puppy has a puppy passport, which contains his nickname, date of birth, as well as information about the breed and color. From the age of 6 to 15 months, the pet receives a pedigree document, which contains information about its ancestors, parents and owner. All information about these dogs can be obtained from the breeders' club or veterinary clinic.

Often it is difficult to recognize the breed of a found puppy due to the lack of a brand and a chip, and the description of the standards of a particular purebred dog applies only to adults, while at about 5-12 months the puppy's coat is replaced by an adult one.

You can find out about the origin of an animal by examining its appearance. For this, the size and weight of the individual, the type of body, the shape of the head and ears, the features of the tail, the quality, structure and length of the coat are determined.

Consider the important criteria for determining the breed.

This is why you need to build on, studying the rest of the characteristics. And you can install it by the teeth of an animal.

That's why only the age from 4 to 7 months can be reliably determined, when in dogs milk teeth are replaced by molars.

Unfortunately, by the size of puppies it is difficult to judge the size in an adult state, especially since their body in infancy is not proportional.

But it is possible, if, judging by the appearance, the age of the dog has passed 1-1.5 years and older:

• dwarf dog breeds have a height of no more than 30 cm and a body weight that rarely reaches 5 kg;
• parameters of small-breed dogs - 30-40 cm (height) and weight from 5 to 12 kg;
• medium-sized animals weigh from 12 to 22 kg, height at the withers - 40-55 cm;
• Large dogs are considered to be from 56 to 65 cm in height with a mass of 20-30 kg;
• very large ones can grow up to 70-75 cm and weigh 40-50 kg;
• giant breeds are also found - their height can exceed 75 cm, and weight - more than 50 kg.

Comparing a newly-made pet with photographs of potential "relatives", it is possible to understand what species the dog belongs to. To do this, you need to take measurements of the length and width of the body, chest, back, paws and pelvic area:

• dogs with a wide bone, developed sternum, muscular paws in most cases have large dimensions, and in the presence of long hair with a thick undercoat, they can belong to the shepherd dogs of the Central European and Caucasian breeds;
• with medium parameters, the width of the chest is the same as the pelvis, or slightly wider, the general harmony of the body and different types of hair (short and long), the animal is likely to belong to various service dogs, and the list of them is quite large;
• if the skeleton of an individual is narrow, the sizes of the pelvis and sternum are almost the same, and the legs are long, it can be assumed that this is a running breed.

Other important features of some pedigree animals can help in identifying the existing breed.

• Posture of the animal - the back can be slightly inclined, downward or straight. Sagging it happens in sick and elderly animals, due to malformations it can sag even in a puppy.
• The skin is in the form of folds, or tightly attached to the body.
• Ears, different in shape and fit, erect, hanging, cropped.
• The coat is found short, long, not counting hairless dogs. Some species are identified by the presence of long mustaches, eyebrows, and beards.
• The tail can be short and long, fluffy and rough-haired, curled, rising above the spinal column, docked.
• The peculiar color can also tell which species the animal belongs to.

Based on the behavior of the pet, you can find its service qualities.

If the puppy belongs to a guard breed, he will constantly warn the owner by barking if a stranger is near the house.

Another sure way to find out if an animal belongs to a certain group of breeding dogs is DNA test performed in a veterinary clinic. The doctor himself will take the necessary samples from the pet and give an answer within 2-3 weeks. And although many consider such testing to be one hundred percent, there is still a chance of error, since the database on the genetics of various purebred species is not yet extensive enough.

However, do not be upset if the dog turned out to be not at all a representative of the famous breed - sometimes mongrels are much smarter, more devoted and health of their titled relatives. And they are equally worthy to have their own home and a loving owner.

How you can determine the breed of dogs, see below.