Copy of `Terricom - Glossary of canine terms`

The wordlist doesn't exist anymore, or, the website doesn't exist anymore. On this page you can find a copy of the original information. The information may have been taken offline because it is outdated.

Terricom - Glossary of canine terms Category: Animals and Nature > Glossary of dog terms Date & country: 01/02/2011, USA Words: 177

Action
Movement

Anal Glands
Sacs located on each side of the rectum

Apron
Longer hair on the chest below the neck

Arched skull
a skull which arches from side to side or sometimes lengthways

Back
Arched over the loins

Balanced head
the skull and foreface are equal in length (e.g. Gordon Setter)

Bay
Cry of a hunting dog, in particular the hound.

Beard
Long hair under jaw and on muzzle

Belton
Coloured hair mingled with white

Bi-coloured
Two colours in coat

Bitch
female dog

Blaze
White strip running down the centre of the face

Blenheim
Particular chestnut and white colour of King Charles and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

Blunt tipped ears
Round tipped as opposed to pointed ears (e.g. Chow Chow)

Bob tail
a dog born without a tail or one which has been docked close to the connection to the body.

Bowed front
forelegs curving out from elbows then in to wrist (e.g. Pekingese)

Brick shaped head
the skull and muzzle are equal in width (e.g. Wire Haired Fox Terrier)

Brindle
Fine strips of black hair evenly dispersed on lighter colour on coat

Broad skull
wide between the ears in relation to the length (e.g. Golden Retriever)

Brush tail
long, thick erect hair on tail (e.g. Siberian Husky)

Button ears
Semi erect, folded ears

Candle flame ears
large, wide, erect and pointed ears specific to the English Toy Terrier

Canines
long, stabbing teeth placed either side of the incisors

Carrot shaped tail
(e.g. Scottish terrier)

Castration
neutering of male dog (removal of testicles)

Cat feet
round, compact feet with well arched and tightly bunched toes. Deeply cushioned, thick skinned pads.

Clean head
free from wrinkles and bony or muscled lumps

Cobby
a dog which is strong but compact (e.g. Pug)

Cocked ears
Semi erect, similar to button ears but with just the tip folded

Cocked up tail
raised at right angles (e.g. Cocker spaniel)

Cone shaped head
triangular in outline (e.g. dachshund)

Couple
two hounds

Crank tail
the tail is arched out from the root then hangs down and angles out at the end

Crooked front
forelegs inclining inwards and slightly curved (e.g. Basset hound)

Cropped ears
surgical removal of part of the ear, practiced in the USA but, thankfully, forbidden in the UK

Cross breeding
Breeding bitch of one breed with male dog of another breed

Curled tail
can be a single or double curl

Dam
mother dog

Deep set eyes
(e.g. Chow Chow)

Dew Claws
Fifth digits, found on the inside of the leg

Dewlap
Loose skin under throat

Dock
amputation of whole or part of the tail

Docked tail
surgical removal of end of tail (now illegal if not done by a vet)

Domino
a reverse facial mask.

Double coat
Weather-resistant outer coat with softer, insulating undercoat.

Drop ears
ears which hand down from the junction with the head

Ears Bat ears
fully erect, wide, forward facing and broad at base (e.g. Cardigan Corgi)

Egg shaped head
the head tapers towards the nose (e.g. Bull Terrier)

Eyes Almond eyes
oval and bluntly pointed at both corners (e.g. Borzoi)

Feathering
Long hair on ears and/or body, legs and tail.

Femur
Thigh bone

Filbert shaped ears
particularly used to describe the unusual shape of the Bedlington Terrier's ears

Flagpole tail
long and carried erect (e.g. Beagle)

Flared nostrils
wide, open nostrils (Bouvier des Flandres)

Flat skull
flat from ear to ear and stop to occiput (e.g. Pointer)

Flecking
coat ticked with another colour

Flesh coloured nose
an even but light coloured nose (e.g. Pharaoh Hound)

Floating ribs
unattached thirteenth and last rib

Flying ears
ears which stick out from the side of the head

Folded ears
pendant ears which hang in downward folds rather than lying flat (i.e Bloodhound)

Fox like head
Triangular and elongated head with fine foreface (e.g. Spitz)

Gait
movement at various speed

Game
Wild animals and birds hunted by dogs

Gay tail
carried higher than horizontal

Gestation
period between conception and birth

Giving tongue
baying of a hound pack

Globular eyes
round and prominant but not bulging in profile

Guard hairs
Longer, thicker hairs which grow through the undercoat.

Gun barrel front
forelegs and pasterns straight, parallel and vertical to the ground

Hare foot
elongated foot

Harlequin
Black on white or blue on white patched or pied coat.

Haw eyes
eyes where the inner of the lower eyelid is visible (e.g. bloodhound)

Head
Apple head

Heart shaped ears
(e.g. Pekingese)

Heat
Seasonal fertility of bitch

High set ears
ears set high to the top of the skull

Hooded ears
small ears with both edges curving forward (e.g. basenji)

Hook tail
hangs down with an upward curl at the tip

Horizontal tail
(e.g. Bull Terrier)

Horseshoe front
straight forelegs wider apart at the chest (e.g. Bedlington Terrier)

Humerus
largest bone in front legs

Incisors
Usually six, top and bottom, front teeth

Kinked tail
a tail with a sharp bend somewhere along it's length

Lachrymal glands
tear producing glands in inner corner of eye

Landseer
Black & white colouring relating to Newfoundlands

Level back
height at the withers is the same as height at the loins

Lion clip
Traditional show clip of poodle and some other breeds.

Liver nose
brown pigment to nose

Lobe shaped ears
(e.g. cocker spaniel)

Long back
Distance from withers to rump is much longer than height of dog to the withers (e.g. Dachshund)

Long Head
a long, narrow head which tapers (e.g. Borzoi)

Low set ears
ears set low on the skull (e.g. bloodhound)

Low set tail
a tail which begins lower than the topline or from a sloping croup

Mask
Dark shading on face

Merle
Blue-grey colouring often flecked with black.

Molars
Back teeth (two each side in the top jaw and three each side in the bottom jaw)

Mottled
Bi-coloured coat consisting of dark patches on lighter background

Moult
shedding of coat

Muzzle
foreface in front of eyes

Nose
Butterfly nose