#American water spaniel

[ghosts-and-glory]

I bring on this day, another batch of ten dogs.

I’m almost through the A breeds, there’s three left, I can sense, progress.

I’ve missed three days so far in these first 20. I try and not skip too often but my main goal really is to also not burn myself out and get through them all.

#my post #my art #daily dog #digital art #art #photoshop #dog #dog art #dog illustration #American foxhound #american hairless terrier #american staffordshire terrier #American water spaniel #Anatolian shepherd dog #anatolian shepherd #appenzeller sennenhund #australian cattle dog #blue heeler #red heeler #Australian kelpie #Kelpie dog #australian shepherd

[theartdaleterrier]

Ran out of cards 😅

#art #artists on tumblr #dog #pencil #sketch #ink #affenpinscher #afghan hound #airedale terrier #american akita #alaskan klee kai #alaskan malamute #american bulldog #american english coonhound #american spitz #american foxhound #american hairless terrier #american leopard hound #american staffordshire terrier #american water spaniel #anatolian shepherd #appenzeller sennenhund #australian cattle dog #australian kelpie #australian shepherd #australian stumpy tail cattle dog

[tournamentofdogbreeds]

#American Foxhound #American Hairless Terrier #American Leopard Hound #American Pit Bull Terrier #american staffordshire terrier #American water spaniel #Anglo-Français de Petite Vénerie #Appenzeller Sennenhund #Ariège Pointer #Ariégeois #Lots of Americans lots of french hounds and 1 swiss good boy

[twilidramon]

American Water Spaniel

The American Water Spaniel, native to the lake country of the upper Midwest, is an upbeat, outdoorsy athlete who loves to hunt and swim. They are known to be happy, eager, and charming, though aloof with strangers and a bit stubborn. American Water Spaniels are muscular midsize gundogs, not flashy in looks or performance, and recognizable by a luscious brown coat that is either tightly curled or wavy. Bred to work the icy waters and marshy banks of the Great Lakes region, these spaniels are ideally outfitted for the job: The coat is dense and waterproof, the feet are thickly padded, the toes are webbed, and the body is small enough for the dog to hop in and out of a skiff without rocking the boat. The breed's admirers describe a merry, intelligent, and versatile spaniel suited to a variety of dog sports. As hunters, they combine the working traits of spaniels and retrievers. The key to the American Water Spaniel's happiness is activity, especially alongside their adored human. An underemployed dog can be barky and destructive. (source)

If you like my work please consider commissioning me! Also, consider supporting me on Patreon or buying me a Ko-fi!

#twiart #american water spaniel #sfw

[wellesleybooks]

Our Puppy of the Week

Rosie is a delightful 9-week-old American Water Spaniel puppy from Michigan who visited us a bit past her bedtime last week. She charmed us all with her softness, kisses and sleepy snuggles--though she particularly took to our book buyer Lorna, who is a puppy magnet. She already knows how to sit and retrieve, using her keen sense of smell, though she is not particularly treat-motivated. She's still learning how to be gentle with her big sister, who is a Papillon/Yorkie mix.

#dog of the week #dog friendly #dog friendly bookstore #dog friendly book buyer #puppy #american water spaniel

[iicraft505]

American Water Spaniel

#iicraft505 #dog #dogs #american water spaniel #water spaniel

[angieschiffahoi]

*prue is turned into a blue eyed white husky*

phoebe: she’s such a pretty dog!

piper: what did you expect?

leo: a doberman?

dog!prue: *angrily barks at leo*

this show is so funny, but prue is absolutely a husky. 100% correct. intelligent, indipendent, stubborn, self-destructive, thinks it’s better than you and probably is, has a tendency to run off and disappear, will NOT listen to you if it thinks its idea is better than yours, playful but damn serious about its family

#only other breed she could have been is the american akita #dobermann’s get a bad rep but they’re actually friendly goofballs #also piper is either a labrador or a spanish water dog #and phoebe is probably a brittany or an english cocker spaniel #leo is a chihuahua… all bark no substance #anxious 25/7 #good alarm though #angie rants #ignore #charmed #charmed rewatch

[goverment-agency-bracket]

Here are the dog breeds that I have assigned to agencies because I have gotten a bit away from my original idea:

USPS is a Goberian

NOAA is a American Water Spaniel

NASA is a Spitz

OSHA is a Labrador

NPS is a Saint Bernard

CDC is a Shetland Sheepdog

That’s all my brain has come up with, please share any ideas y’all have

#mx gov speaks #government agencies

[thehollowwriter]

The Official Bio of Nancy "Pidge" Brooks

Basic Info:

Name: Nancy "Pidge" Brooks

Homeland: The Shaftlands

Nicknames: Pidge, Pufferfish (courtesy of Floyd)

Species: American Cocker Spaniel Beastman

Birthday: 22 June

Age: 16

Height/length: 154cm

Dominant hand: Right

Unique magic: None

Family:

Unnamed father

Unnamed mother (deceased)

Preferences:

Hobbies: Reading, sewing, sketching, taking pictures, collecting old things

Likes: Biscuits, sweets, fashion, nature, the night, fireflies, mysteries

Dislikes: Very loud noises, the rain, water, rude people, small spaces, being alone

Favourite food: No specific one, but she likes Italian dishes

Least favourite food: Chocolate

Appearance:

Nancy is a short young lady with bushy hair tied into pigtails and is brown and gold like this:

She has dark brown eyes and lots of freckles. She likes dressing in the 50s style, especially the dresses. (If you ask her, the men's fashion at the time was very boring). She has them sharp canines.

Personality:

Nancy is a quick-witted, short-tempered but friendly girl. She's very curious and imaginative and is always excited to find something new to learn about. She's very bold and fierce despite her small size. She can also be very loud.

Some Fun Facts/Extra Info:

•Nancy is based off Lady from Lady and the Tramp

•Her father is a very succesful lawyer who, after her mother died, mostly just ignores her and leaves her to her own devices, so now she wonders if maybe she did something wrong (dw sweetie it's just that lawyers are evil)

•She has magic, but it's too weak for her to be accepted into magic schools

•She likes travelling to Sage Island during the holidays and is good friends with Yizé because of this.

•She is a big fan of Vil

•She and Jack met during Portfest, and they have a good friendship going now

•There's this annoying af gal who lives on Sage Island that always comes to say hi and gets on her nerves (she likes her, lol)

Tagging: @distant-velleity @br3adtoasty @rainesol @theleechyskrunkly @jovieinramshackle

@galaxies-and-gore @cyanide-latte @cynthinesia @officialdaydreamer00 @krenenbaker

@kitwasnothere @elenauaurs @boopshoops @am0nline @1dont-really-know @kazumify

@minteasketches @elysia-nsimp @skrimpyskimpy @casp1an-sea @offorestsongs

@the-banana-0verlord @skriblee-ksk @quartztwst @ramshacklerumble

#nancy “pidge” brooks #twisted wonderland #twst oc

[clouseplayssims]

Breeds For All Needs Update

If the GoS theme this month wasn't a sign that I needed to get back to my Breeds For All Needs project I don't know what is!

Now for those of you who DON'T know what this is - essentially I wanted to remake all of the breeds from TS1-TS4. I also linked existing pet breeds by other creators when I found ones I liked. And then I got distracted and forgot about it.

As a refresher, here's a complete list with links to those I have already completed - please note some of these breeds I -have- done but part of the project is including links to other creators so I haven't made the official post yet:

Large Dogs

Afghan Hound (TS1; TS3; TS4) Airedale Terrier (TS2; TS3; TS4) Akita (TS2; TS3; TS4) Alaskan Malamute (TS3; TS4) American Eskimo Dog (includes small version) (TS3; TS4) American Foxhound (TS2; TS3) American Staffordshire Terrier (TS2 - as AmStaff; TS3) Anatolian Shepherd Dog Australian Cattle Dog (TS2; TS3; TS4) Australian Shepherd (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Bernese Mountain Dog (TS3; TS4) Black & Tan Coonhound (TS2 - as Black & Tan; TS3; TS4) Black Mouth Cur (TS4) Black Russian Terrier (TS4) Bloodhound (TS3; TS4) Bluetick Coonhound (TS3; TS4) Border Collie (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Borzoi (TS2; TS3; TS4) Boxer (TS2; TS3; TS4) Brittany (TS2; TS3; TS4) Bull Terrier (TS2; TS4) Bull Mastiff (TS2 - as Bullmastiff; TS3; TS4 - as Bullmastiff) Canaan Dog (TS2; TS3 - as Canaan; TS4 - as Canaan) Chesapeake Bay Retriever (TS2 - as Chessie; TS3; TS4) Chow Chow (TS2 - as Chowchow; TS3; TS4) Chow-Lab Mix (TS2; TS3; TS4) Collie (TS2 - rough collie version; TS3 - rough collie version; TS4 - rough collie version) Curly Coated Retriever (TS2; TS3; TS4) Dalmatian (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Doberman Pinscher (TS2; TS3; TS4) English Foxhound (TS2; TS3; TS4) English Setter (TS3; TS4) Foxhound (TS4) German Shepherd (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) German Shorthaired Pointer (TS2; TS3; TS4 - as German Pointer) German Spitz (TS4) Giant Schnauzer (TS2; TS3; TS4) Golden Retriever (TS2; TS3; TS4) Golden Doodle (TS2 - as Goldendoodle; TS3; TS4 - as Goldendoodle) Great Dane (TS2; TS3; TS4) Great Pyrenees (TS3; TS4) Greyhound (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Ibizan Hound (TS3; TS4) Icelandic Sheepdog (TS4) Irish Red and White Setter (TS3; TS4) Irish Setter (TS1 - as Setter; TS3; TS4) Irish Terrier (TS3; TS4) Irish Wolfhound (TS2; TS3; TS4) Keeshond (TS2; TS3; TS4) Kerry Blue Terrier (TS2; TS3; TS4) Labradinger (TS2; TS3) Labradoodle (TS2; TS3; TS4) Labrador Retriever (TS1; TS2 - as Black Lab, Chocolate Lab, Yellow Lab; TS4) Mastiff (TS2; TS3) Newfoundland (TS2; TS3; TS4) Norsk Elk Shepherd (TS2; TS3; TS4) Norwegian Buhund (TS4) Old English Sheepdog (TS3; TS4) Otterhound (TS3; TS4) Pharaoh Hound (TS3; TS4) Pit Bull Terrier (TS2; TS3; TS4 - as Pit Bull) Pointer (TS2; TS3; TS4) Polish Lowland Sheepdog (TS3; TS4) Poodle (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Portuguese Water Dog (TS4) Redbone Coonhound (TS2; TS3; TS4) Rhodesian Ridgeback (TS3; TS4) Rottweiler (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Saint Bernard (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Saluki (TS2) Samoyed (TS2; TS3; TS4) Shar Pei (TS1 - as Sharpei; TS4) Siberian Husky (TS1 - as Husky; TS2 - as Husky; TS3; TS4) Standard Schnauzer (TS4) Tibetan Mastiff (TS3; TS4) Vizsla (TS3; TS4) Weimaraner (TS2; TS3; TS4) Welsh Springer Spaniel (TS3; TS4) Wheaten Terrier (TS3; TS4) Whippet (TS2; TS3; TS4)

Small Dogs

American Cocker Spaniel (TS2 - as Spaniel; TS3 - as Cocker Spaniel; TS4 - as Cocker Spaniel) American Eskimo Dog Basenji (TS2; TS3; TS4) Beagle (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Bedlington Terrier (TS3; TS4) Bichon Frise (TS3; TS4) Black Russian Terrier (TS2; TS3) Bocker (TS2; TS3; TS4) Boston Terrier (TS2; TS3; TS4) Bull Terrier (TS1; TS3 - twice, once as Pitbull) Cairn Terrier (TS1; TS3 - as Highland Terrier) Cardigan Welsh Corgi (TS3; TS4) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (TS3; TS4 - as King Charles Spaniel) Chihuahua (Long) (TS2) Chihuahua (Smooth) (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Cockapoo (TS4) Dachshund (TS3; TS4) English Bulldog (TS1 - as Bulldog; TS2; TS3 - as Bull Dog; TS4 - as Bulldog) English Cocker Spaniel (TS3; TS4) English Springer Spaniel (TS1; TS3 - as a large dog; TS4) English Toy Spaniel (TS3; TS4) Field Spaniel (TS3 - as a large dog; TS4) French Bulldog (TS2; TS3; TS4) Havanese (TS3; TS4) Italian Greyhound (TS2; TS3; TS4) Jack Russell Terrier (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Lhasa Apso (TS4) Maltese (TS4) Miniature Bull Terrier (TS2) Miniature Pinscher (TS3; TS4) Miniature Poodle (TS1; TS2; TS3 - as Poodle; TS4) Miniature Schnauzer (TS2; TS3; TS4) Papillon (TS3; TS4) Parson Russell Terrier (TS3 - as large dog; TS4) Pekingese (TS3; TS4) Pembroke Welsh Corgi (TS3; TS4) Pomeranian (TS3; TS4) Pug (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Puggle (TS2; TS3; TS4) Schipperke (TS2; TS3; TS4) Schnoodle (TS2; TS3; TS4) Scottish Terrier (TS1; TS3; TS4) Shetland Sheepdog (TS3; TS4) Shiba Inu (TS2; TS3; TS4) Shih Tzu (TS3; TS4) Silky Terrier (TS3; TS4) Smooth Fox Terrier (TS2; TS3; TS4) Staffordshire Bull Terrier (TS2; TS3 - as large dog; TS4) Toy Fox Terrier (TS3; TS4) Welsh Corgi (TS1) West Highland White Terrier (TS3 - as West Highland Terrier; TS4) Wire Fox Terrier (TS3; TS4) Yorkshire Terrier (TS3; TS4)

Cats

Abyssinian (TS2; TS3; TS4) American Bobtail (TS3; TS4) American Longhair (TS3; TS4) American Shorthair (TS1 - as Brown Tabby, Orange Tabby, Tortoiseshell; TS2 - as Shorthair Tabby, Tuxedo Cat; TS3 - also as Black Cat, Shorthair Tabby, Tuxedo; TS4 - also as Black Cat, Tabby, Tuxedo) American Wirehair (TS4) Balinese (TS2; TS3; TS4) Bengal (TS3; TS4) Birman (TS2; TS3; TS4) Bombay (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) British Shorthair (TS1 - as Silver Tabby British Shorthair; TS2; TS3; TS4) British Longhair (TS3; TS4) Burmese (TS2; TS3; TS4) Calico (TS1 - as Calico, Calico - Black, Calico - Red; TS2; TS3; TS4) Chatreux (TS2; TS3; TS4) Colorpoint Shorthair (TS3; TS4) Cornish Rex (TS3; TS4) Devon Rex (TS3; TS4) Egyptian Mau (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Exotic Shorthair (TS2) German Rex (TS3; TS4) Havana Brown (TS2; TS3; TS4) Himalayan (TS2; TS3; TS4) Japanese Bobtail (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Javanese (TS3; TS4) Korat (TS3; TS4) Kurilian Bobtail (TS3; TS4) La Perm (TS3; TS4) Lykoi (TS4) Maine Coon (TS1 - as Maine Coone; TS2; TS3; TS4) Manx (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Norwegian Forest (TS2; TS3; TS4) Ocicat (TS2; TS3; TS4) Oriental Shorthair (TS2; TS3; TS4) Oriental Longhair (TS4) Persian (TS1 - as Perisan, Bi-Color Persian; TS2; TS3; TS4) Ragdoll (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Russian Blue (TS2; TS3; TS4) Savannah (TS3; TS4) Scottish Fold (TS2; TS3; TS4) Siamese (TS1; TS2; TS3; TS4) Siberian (TS2; TS3; TS4) Singapura (TS2; TS3; TS4) Somali (TS3; TS4) Sphynx (TS1; TS4) Tonkinese (TS2; TS3; TS4) Turkish Angora (TS2 - as Turkish Agora; TS3; TS4) Turkish Van (TS1)

Bonus

Albino (TS1) Cheetah (TS1) Dingo (TS3; TS4) Fox (TS4) Pink Poodle (TS1) Raccoon (TS4) Robot Cat (TS1) Robot Dog (TS1) Star Dalmatian (TS2) Tiger (TS1) Turkish Blue (TS1)

#breeds for all needs

[katmilk]

what breed of dog i think the tf2 mercs are (plus ms. pauling)

do note that this is on vibes alone and I am a horse expert, not a dog one

DEMOMAN: airedale terrier! friendly, clever, and moderately active nodnod

ENGINEER:

boerboels!!! calm, intelligent, and confident dogs nodnod. very family oriented, and competent working dogs

HEAVY: tibetan mastiff. just look at it and tell me i'm wrong. you can't. I'm not wrong. they're typically very reserved and intelligent dogs. but that doesn't matter. look at them. they're fucking HUGE.

MEDIC: jagdterrier.........competent, courageous,, hardworking,,, strong eyebrow...s.

PYRO:

puli dogs. literal fucking creatures. literal mop. i love i love. la creatura

SCOUT: ibizan hounds! lithe, family-oriented, and very loyal dogs! originally bred for rabbit hunting nodnod

SNIPER: Azawakh! Lanky, independent, loyal. nodnod. very reserved, adaptable, and quiet

SOLDIER:

irish red and white setter courageous, determined, and spirited

SPY: briards! faithful, confident and smart. and high maintenance

MS. PAULING: american water spaniels! charming. eager. happy. and eager to please

#team fortress two #team fortress 2 #tf2 #dogs #medic tf2 #pyro tf2 #engineer tf2 #heavy tf2 #spy tf2 #scout tf2 #sniper tf2 #demoman tf2 #ms pauling tf2 #soldier tf2 #this took for fucking ever. #i hate dogs and everything they are. im jokin gbut wow i should've done this with horses.

[alaskashigh]

Talk about pets! Talk about Wisconsin and Arizona and their pets!

Wisconsin:

I feel like Wisconsin would have a coyote named Colby or Swiss

A big and lazy raccoon named Cheddar

and a American Water Spaniel named Jack (after Colby Jack)

He likes to take them all down to the lake just outside his house and fish with them. Jack likes to jump in after the fish, Cheddar will just look around or sleep, and Colby/Swiss runs off into the forest or lays next to him

Arizona:

Definitely has a few reptiles and amphibians. (gov is freaked out by all them)

Two snakes (Western Diamondback Rattlesnake and a Black-necked Garter snake)

An Arizona woodrat

A Arizona myotis

a frog (Relict Leopard Frog)

and a toad (Couch’s Spadefoot toad)

he probably has a bunch of lizards too

(couldn’t think of any names for them)

he has a big room in his house where he keeps them all and takes care of them. sometimes he’ll bring one or two back to the statehouse with him and keep them in his room.

i have this headcanon that dangerous animals won’t attack their state. so thats why a lot of the states have animals that are considered dangerous. other states have to be careful around animals not native to their state

#wttt wisconsin #wttsh wisconsin #wttt arizona #wttsh arizona #wttt #welcome to the table #welcome to the statehouse #wttsh #ben brainard

[theartdaleterrier]

Finally! The Dogcember 2023 prompt list!

Feel free to join - this is just a challenge to practice drawing dogs and other animals, if you so choose! (Note: the breed groups correlate with the AKC breed groups.) Transcript under the cut!

[ID: A screenshot of the Dogcember prompt list for 2023. There is a piece of clip art of a Pointer at the top of the page, on a light blue background with black text.

Akita

Herding breed

Irish Water Spaniel

Toy breed

Carolina Dog

Free day

Horse breed - or English Foxhound

Jagdterrier

Non-sporting breed

American Bully

Hound breed

Maltese

Free day

Cat breed - or Shiba Inu

Neapolitan Mastiff

Sporting breed

Silken Windhound

Working breed

Segugio Italiano

Free day

Pigeon breed - or Brittany

Barbet

Terrier breed

Xoloitzcuintli

Miscellaneous class

Wirehaired Vizsla

Free day

Livestock breed - or Australian Shepherd

Dalmatian

Foundation Stock Service

Afghan Hound / end ID.]

Clipart from https://openclipart.org/detail/234614/hunting-dog.

#dogcember

[can-of-pringles]

Your OCs as dog breeds?

Luckily I already know some of these!

Fox: German shepherd or Rhodesian Ridgeback.

Beatrice Maddison: Border Collie

Dannie Karim: Basenji

Willow Tree: Wetterhoun

Silas Petersson: Tornjak

Iriel: Lab or golden retriever.

Kaia: Australian Shepherd.

Odel: Pomeranian or corgi.

Eliška Hasek: Chodský pes / Bohemian Shepherd

Marigold Rosales: Irish Setter.

Rosie Rosales-Maximoff: German Shorthaired Pointer.

Allison Dahir: American Water Spaniel

Lee Quinn: Yorkshire Terrier

#answered asks #pringle answers #practically an xman #oc: fox #carina shepherd // beatrice maddison #dannie karim #willow crazy tree #silas petersson #pringles good omens ocs #iriel!goodomensoc #kaia!goodomensoc #odel!goodomensoc #eliška hasek #xmen oc au #marigold rosales #leapsecond #rose rosales maximoff #spectra #allison dahir #tidal wave #lee quinn

[bestinsucc]

Welcome to the first ever Succession Dog Show

Contestants have been split into seven groups for the first of three rounds. The second round will have the same groups, with just the top three from the first round. Then the winner of each group will move on to the final round‚ which will also include special guest Mondale Roy. Also, Marcia is the judge because <3 and I say so.

In each group there are five succession characters plus three more normal dogs because I didn’t think five was enough and also I think it’s funny that it’s a possibility that none of the characters make it to the final round.

These polls all will last 1 week‚ closing and opening on Sundays.

Here are the Round 1 polls:

Herding Group

Hound Group

Non-Sporting Group

Sporting Group

Terrier Group

Toy Group

Working Group

+ tag to just scroll through them

character lists are below the cut

(normal non-succession character dogs are italicized)

Herding

Boggle the German Shepherd

Willa the Corgi

Naomi the Icelandic Sheepdog

Turbo the Border Collie

Sandy the Australian Cattle Dog

Sandi the Belgian Tervuren

Charlotte the Beauceron

Karolina the Norwegian Buhund

Hound

Lily the Beagle

Sweetpea the Dachsund

Kendall the Basset Hound

Matsson the Basenji

Ebba the Norwegian Elkhound

Greg the Borzoi

Buster the Bluetick Coonhound

Nate the Harrier

Non-Sporting

Laird the Bulldog

Frank the Boston Terrier

Roman the Bichon Frisé

Cici the Dalmatian

Cyd the Lhasa Apso

Fancy the Chow Chow

Louis the Tibetan Terrier

Stewy the Tibetan Spaniel

Sporting

Salmon the Golden Retriever

Jeryd the Weimeraner

Angel the Irish Setter

Karl the Spinone Italiano

Murphy the Clumber Spaniel

Connor the Wirehaired Vizsla

Jess the Curly-Coated Retriever

Tabitha the American Water Spaniel

Terrier

Lawrence Yee the Scottish Terrier

Peanut the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier

Ewan the Cairn Terrier

Kerry the American Staffordshire Terrier

Hank the Smooth Fox Terrier (poll says Wire‚ but it’s actually Smooth)

Rhea the Welsh Terrier

Caroline the Manchester Terrier

Mozart the Bedlington Terrier

Toy

Tom the Toy Poodle

Atlas the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Earl the Shih Tzu

Shiv the Chihuahua

Dixie the Pug

Nan the Maltese

Marianne the Miniature Pinscher

Hugo the Brussels Griffon

Working

Colin the Rottweiler

Gerri the Doberman Pinscher

Butterfly the Cane Corso

Rava the Great Dane

Kermit the Siberian Husky

Annie the Newfoundland

Logan the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

Gil the Black Russian Terrier

#links will go up once I post the polls. #hang on I’m having trouble with hyperlinking it. #succession #best in succ #bracket poll #< is it a bracket? idk. #also I’ll actually put the characters down in a sec hold on #shit i forgot to do the alt text for all the poll images. well it was just gonna say that it’s the same thing as listed.

[canisitsnotlupus]

"How many types of retrievers are there? What were these retrievers bred to do?

Retrievers were originally bred to help hunters find birds or other game and bring them back undamaged. For this sort of job, the dog needed a “soft,” gentle mouth, where he would carefully carry the prey without damaging it. Also required were strength and agility to traverse a rugged landscape or work in water, as well as intelligence and a great willingness to please and obey. With the development of the retriever breeds over the years, all these qualities combined to make some outstanding breeds, among which are deservedly the most popular in the world today.

The retriever breeds are exceptionally smart, “biddable” (willing to learn), athletic, and sweet-tempered. As these breeds were developed for their outstanding abilities in working closely with humans, it is no wonder that they are so amazing at taking on anything you ask of them — including just being fantastic companions. There’s a reason they are the most popular breed in America.

The American Kennel Club recognizes six retriever breeds in the Sporting Group. Get to know what makes each retriever breed unique:" AKC website

The Retrievers – British and North American Cousins

© Marcia R. Schlehr 2004

Excerpt….

Origins: The “St. Johns Dog” from the Newfoundland/Labrador area of Canada is behind these six retriever breeds, with various additions of other breeds or types, often to serve a particular purpose or to suit the needs and preferences of the people using them. What breeds combined to produce the St Johns Dog is unrecorded, but most likely were various spaniels and hounds, perhaps larger dogs, from Great Britain, Portugal, Spain and France.

Labrador: densely-coated ‘water dogs’ taken back to England and used as gun dogs, with an addition of pointer and foxhound for shorter coat and increased game finding and scenting ability. Developed largely in private by aristocratic families on their extensive estates. In the 20th Century, Labradors became the favored dog for field trial competition.

Flat-Coat: Retained the feathered coat of the St Johns Dog; first called the “Wavy-Coated” Retriever it was a heavier sort than today; under the influence of a few breeders and an infusion of black setter, resulted in a racier sort of dog with definite elegance of outline and a longer, sleeker, distinctive head shape. A favorite of gamekeepers.

Golden: developed from yellow “sports” born to black wavy-coats, combined with the now-extinct Tweed Water Spaniel with some backcrosses to wavy- or flat-coats, as well as to a few yellow Labradors. Like the Labrador, Goldens were created and developed into the true breed in private, by aristocrats, and have proved to be a most versatile breed.

Curly-Coat: probably the oldest of the British retrievers, the Curly was originally much like the Wavy-Coat, (indeed, Curlies and Wavies might be born in the same litter) but the old English Water-Spaniel contributed a more pronounced curl which has developed into the very distinctive tightly curled coat of today. Curlies were often used by market hunters and poachers; even occasionally on big game.

Chesapeake Bay: very much a native American breed, originated in the Chesapeake Bay of Maryland, from two dogs from a stranded ship from Newfoundland, crossed with local hounds and miscellaneous hunting dogs. Various local sportsmen and practical hunters, market hunters and watermen, found many uses for this tough, tenacious retriever of ducks and geese in the icy waters of Chesapeake Bay.

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever: the smallest retriever grew from local ducking dogs working the rocky shores of Nova Scotia, whatever could do the job for practical “meat hunters.” It shares many characteristics with the Kooikerhund of Holland, including its ability at Tolling; and likely various retrievers and spaniels, possible even a farm collie or two, made contributions in forming the modern Toller. from here

#retrievers #interesting