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How do I know my dog’s breed? Have you just adopted a puppy and can’t figure out what breed it belongs to?
If your dog doesn’t have a pedigree but you’d like an idea of how big he’s going to get when he’s big or you’re just curious what breed he is.
Don’t worry.
We are going to tell you some tricks that will help you to find out the breed of a dog.
How to find out my dog’s breed
There are thousands of dog breeds in the world and identifying them may not be an easy task, especially when the animal is still a puppy or comes from crossing two different breeds.
But what are the characteristics that should be considered when trying to identify a dog breed?
Carefully observe your animal’s physical characteristics, such as height and weight, shape and size of ears, head and muzzle, tail and even the type of fur.
Also pay attention to his personality, as some breeds tend to have specific behaviors because they are puppies.
Some breeds like the Belgian Shepherd, for example, are more reserved, while others like the Poodle are more sociable and cuddly.
See these aspects in detail now.
Dimensions and weight
If your dog is already an adult, take a good look at his measurements. Dogs are classified according to their size:
- Toy (1 to 6 kg, height less than 28 cm)
- Small (6 to 15 kg, height 28 to 35 cm)
- Medium (15 to 25 kg, height 36 to 49 cm)
- Large (25 to 45 kg, height 50 to 69 cm)
- Giant (45 to 60 kg, height over 70 cm)
Now, if your dog is still a puppy, to know if he’s going to get big or small you’ll need to examine his paws, if they’re big and long or not.
The ears
Take a good look at the size, shape and how they are positioned.
Some breeds, like the Akita and German Shepherd , for example, have pointed, straight ears.
Breeds like Labradors and Dachshunds have floppy ears, but while the former have triangular floppy ears, Dachshunds often have long, folded ears.
Of course, these aren’t the only dog ear shapes. There are actually about 12 different formats.
The head and snout
The shape and size of the dog’s head and muzzle are thus important in understanding which breed it belongs to.
Basically, there are three types of canine skull: dolichocephalic , mesocephalic (or mesticephalic) and brachycalcal .
- The dolichocephalic has a long, narrow head with an elongated snout. Some examples of dolichocephalic dogs are the Border Collie, Afghan Hound and Greyhound.
- The mesocephalon, to which the Beagle and Bull Terrier belong, is a more proportionate skull type and medium muzzle.
- Finally, dogs with a short, broad head and a very short muzzle belong to the brachycephalic. Some brachycephalic breeds are the Bull Terrier, the Boxer , the Pekingese and the Shih Tzu .
Tail
Pay attention to the length and shape of the tail. Some have a long tail, like the Border Collie and the Doberman, others have a very short tail, like the Welsh Corgi .
There are also dogs with curled tails, which form a kind of snail, including the Chow Chow and the Pug .
Unfortunately, some people perform caudectomy (tail docking) on their dogs, especially on certain breeds like the Boxer and Rottweiler.
It’s not natural at all and can also lower a dog’s sense of balance.
Type of fur
Carefully observe the length and shape of your dog’s hair.
Color and possible patterns, whether spots or stripes, can also give a clue as to the dog’s breed.
There are different types of coat that can be related to different dog breeds: short, long, hard and double.
Textures can be rough, wavy or smooth. Colors can vary greatly, and each breed typically has its own color palette.
The personality
Another characteristic that must be taken into account when trying to understand what breed a dog is is its personality.
Each race is unique and usually has its own model.
Some breeds are more outgoing and like to socialize with people and other animals.
Others, on the other hand, are more reserved and shy, or suspicious of strangers.
There are dogs that can be brave and self-confident, others like the Poodle that like to be the center of attention and become extremely jealous.
Some are very lazy, like the English Bulldog , etc…
Still in doubt about how to recognize your dog’s breed?
