Many a marketing expert has contacted us with offers of their services. Inevitably, every single one of them says, “Why do you have all those dog breed labels? Why don’t you have one label with a dog’s nose on it?
While I'm tempted to scream, "You're a GENIUS...I NEVER thought of that!" I smile and thank them for their input.
One reason we have so many dog breed labels is to celebrate the diversity amongst all of the dog breeds the world over.
Ever since that first friendly wolf puppy crawled to the campfire for a snack, humankind has wanted a dog that was bigger, smaller, fluffier, taller, longer, every imaginable color combination, friendlier, more fierce, better tracker, better swimmer, the list is truly endless.
For eons dogs were expected to hunt or guard. That is all humans in earlier times cared about. Adaptations for the climate and geographical area also shaped the decisions on dog breeding. Tibetan Mastiffs are huge guarding dogs with a very thick coat, to withstand the harsh Tibetan weather. The Saluki is lean, wiry and fast, with a much closer coat, as they were bred to chase prey in the hot, sandy desert.
Canine genetics is relatively easy to work with when compared to many other species. In dogs, ONE genetic variation controls coat type and earset, size and shape. In people every characteristic such as hair or eye color is controlled by complex genetic coding.
CanMap,a mind-boggling research project actually determined that all, as in EVERY, factor that changes how dogs look (ears, coat, color) are controlled by one of only 50 different genetic combinations.
This allows people to breed a dog for every job, every climate, every lifestyle, every canine imaginable variation! Plus, we have the dazzling array of fabulous mixes!
In answer to the question...WHY SO MANY DOG BREED LABELS?
To celebrate the mind-boggling diversity amongst dogs and the people who love them!
Tili, our 175# Leonberger/Great Pyrenees girl and Larkan and Cinnabar, smooth Brussels Griffons (12-15# each) are pictured. We lost Tili in the summer of 2023 to bone cancer and will miss her always.
Affenpinscher
Akita
Alaskan Malamute
American Bulldog
American Eskimo Dog
American Staffordshire Terrier
Anatolian Shepherd
Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd
Basenji
Basset Hound
Beagle
Bearded Collie
Belgian Malinois
Bernese Mountain Dog
Bichon Frise
Biewer Terrier
Bloodhound
Border Collie
Boston Terrier
Boxer
Brittany
Brussels Griffon
Bull Terrier
Bulldog
Bullmastiff
Cane Corso
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Chihuahua
Chinese Crested
Chinese Shar-Pei
Chow
Clumber Spaniel
Cocker Spaniel
Collie
Coton de Tulear
Coonhound
Corgi
Curly-Coated Retriever
Dachshund
Dalmatian
Doberman Pinscher
Dogue de Bordeaux
Dogo de Argentino
English Cocker Spaniel
English Springer Spaniel
English Toy Spaniel
Field Spaniel
Fila Brasileiro
Flat-Coated Retriever
French Bulldog
German Shepherd
German Shorthaired Pointer
Golden Retriever
Goldendoodle
Gordon Setter
Great Dane
Great Pyrenees
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Greyhound
Havanese
Icelandic Sheepdog
Irish Setter
Irish Wolfhound
Italian Greyhound
Japanese Chin
Keeshond
Kuvasz
Labradoodle
Labrador Retriever
Lagotto Romagnola
Leonberger
Lhasa Apso
Lowchen
Maltese
Mastiff
Miniature Pinscher
Mixed Breed
Neapolitan Mastiff
Newfoundland
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
Olde English Bulldoggee
Papillon
Parson Russell Terrier
Pekingese
Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
Pomeranian
Poodle
Portuguese Water Dog
Pug
Puggle
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Rottweiler
Samoyed
Schnauzer
Scottish Terrier
Shetland Sheepdog
Shiba Inu
Shih Tzu
Siberian Husky
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Springer Spaniel
St. Bernard
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Tibetan Mastiff
Tibetan Spaniel
Tibetan Terrier
Vizsla
Weimaraner
West Highland White Terrier
Whippet
Xoloitzcuintli
Yorkshire Terrier