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A Plus Pet Goods - Glossary of dog terms Category: Animals and Nature > Glossary of dog terms Date & country: 12/11/2010, USA Words: 897

Blunt Muzzle
A square muzzle typical of many breeds such as the Mastiff and Pointers.

Board
To feed, house, and care for a dog for a fee.

Bobtail
A dog born without a tail, or a dog with a tail docked very short. Often used as a name for the Old English Sheepdog.

Body Length
Distance from the prosternum (front portion of the breastbone) to the posterior portion of the pelvic girdle.

Booster Vaccination
Periodic injections given after a primary injection to continue immunity to a specific disease.

Border Collie
A British sheepdog that has a wavy, usually black coat with white markings and is used for herding.

Border Terrier
A small rough-coated terrier of British origin

Bordetellosis
A bacterial infection affecting the respiratory system.

Borreliosis
An infectious arthritis caused by a spirochete bacterium, more commonly known as Lyme disease.

Borzoi
Any of a breed of tall, slender dogs having a narrow, pointed head and a silky, predominantly white coat, originally developed in Russia for hunting wolves. Also called Russian wolfhound.

Bossy
Over-development of the shoulder muscles.

Bouvier des Flandres
A breed of large, strong dogs developed in Belgium, having a rough, fawn to black coat and originally used for herding and guarding cattle.

Boxer
A medium-sized, short-haired dog of a breed developed in Germany, having a brownish coat and a short, square-jawed muzzle.

Brace
(1) Two of the same breed presented together as a pair. (2) Performance

Break
Term used to describe changing of coat color from puppies to adult stages.

Breastbone
See Sternum

Breech Birth
A birth of a puppy whose hind end comes out first rather than the head.

Breeches
The fringe-like hair on long-coated dogs that grows on the upper and sometimes lower thighs. Also known as culottes, pants and trousers.

Breed
A domestic race of dogs (selected and maintained by man) with a common gene pool and characterized appearance and function.

Breed club
An organization comprised of dog fanciers dedicated to the promotion and improvement of a particular breed of dog.

Breed rescue
An organization dedicated to finding good homes for unwanted or abandoned purebred dogs.

Breed Standard
The set of breed descriptions originally laid down by the various parent breed clubs and accepted officially by international bodies.

Breeder
A person who breeds dogs.

Breeding Particulars
Sire, dam, date of birth, sex, color, etc.

Briard
An ancient French breed of sturdily built, rough-coated dogs.

Brick-shaped
Rectangular.

Brindle
A marking pattern used to describe many breeds, usually in conjunction with another color. Layering of black hairs in regions of lighter color (usually, fawn, brown, or gray) producing a tiger-striped pattern. Brindle is often used to describe Great Danes, Bulldogs, and Boxers. In Boxers, reverse brindle may occur; i.e., there is such a heavy concentration of black striping that the fawn backgroun...

Brisket
Usually refers to the sternum, but in some standards it refers to the entire thorax.

Britches
Longer hair found on the upper rear area of the legs.

Brittany Spaniel
A large pointing spaniel of a breed originating in France.

Broken Color
Self-color broken by white or another color. Color definitions may vary by breed. Always check the breed standard for the definitive color description.

Broken-haired
A rough, wiry coat.

Broken-Up Face
A receding nose, together with a deep stop, wrinkle, and undershot jaw, as in the Bulldog or Pekingese.

Bronze
Used to describe Newfoundlands, this color is usually a tinge in a black coat caused by the sun. It is like the color of the metal of the same name, which can be described as a moderately bright, yellowish brown. Color definitions may vary by breed. Always check the breed standard for the definitive color description.

Brood Bitch
Female dog (bitch) used for breeding.

Brows
The ridges formed above the eyes by frontal bone contours.

Brucellosis
A chronic disease caused by the bacterium Brucella canis and characterized by prolonged disorders of the genital tract, including infertility.

Brush
A bushy tail; a tail heavy with hair.

Brushing
A gaiting fault, when parallel pasterns are so close that the legs brush in passing.

Buff
Off-white to gold. Color definitions may vary by breed. Always check the breed standard for the definitive color description.

Bull Neck
A heavy neck, well-muscled.

Bull Terrier
A breed of dog having a short, usually white coat and a tapering muzzle, developed in England by crossing a bulldog with a now extinct breed of terrier.

Bulldog
A breed of short-haired dog characterized by a large head, strong square jaws with dewlaps, and a stocky body. It was originally bred for bullbaiting.

Bullmastiff
A large, heavy-set, powerful dog of a breed developed from the bulldog and the mastiff.

Burr
The inside of the ear; i.e., the irregular formation visible within the cup.

Butterfly
A partially unpigmented nose; i.e., dark, spotted with flesh color.

Buttocks
The rump or hips.

Button Ear
A small, neat ear with the flap folding forward, covering the opening of the ear.

By-Products
Animal products which are not of a sufficient quality to be used for human consumption

Cafe Au Lait
Usually used to describe Poodles, this color is the typical color of the French coffee of the same name, which is about equal parts of coffee and milk. It may be described as rich, well-saturated light brown. Color definitions may vary by breed. Always check the breed standard for the definitive color description.

Cairn Terrier
A small dog of a breed developed in Scotland, having a broad head and a rough shaggy coat.

Camel Back
An arched back.

Candle Flame Ears
A type of dog-ear that is large and erect with uneven edges.

Canid
A family (Canidae) of carnivorous animals including dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, and jackals.

Canine
An animal of the family Canidae, especially a dog.

Canine Distemper
The most important viral infectious disease in dogs, caused by canine distemper virus and characterized by acute upper respiratory disease symptoms and fever and later by more serious respiratory symptoms as well as fever, vomiting, diarrhea and neurological signs.

Canine Good Citizen® (CGC)
Outreach program, put on by a club, which tests a dog's behavior.

Canine Teeth
The large, sharp, curved teeth that are located on each side of the mouth. Also referred to as eye teeth.

Canter
A gait with three beats to each stride, two legs moving separately and two as a diagonal pair. Slower than the gallop and not as tiring.

Cao de Agua
See Portuguese Water Dog

Cap
Darkly shaded color pattern on the skull of some breeds.

Cape
Long, thick hair covering the shoulders.

Cardiomyopathy
A disease or disorder of the heart muscle, especially of unknown or obscure cause.

Carnivore
A flesh-eating animal.

Carpals
Bones of the wrist.

Carrier
A dog who, though not showing any indication of being affected, carries a genetic defect or disease-causing organism that can be passed to other animals.

Castrate
To remove the testicles of a male dog.

Cat Foot
Neat, round foot, with high-arched toes held closely together.

Cataract
Opacity of the lens or capsule of the eye, causing impairment of vision or blindness

Caucasian Ovtcharka
A large, strong breed originating in Caucasia and bred to protect livestock.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
An English toy spaniel with a curly, black and tan coat and long ears

Ch
A title conferred on a dog by the AKC as a result of defeating a specified number of dogs in specified competition at a series of AKC-licensed or -member dog shows.

Champion
A title conferred on a dog by the AKC as a result of defeating a specified number of dogs in specified competition at a series of AKC-licensed or -member dog shows.

Cheeks
The region of the skin that lies below the eyes and begins at the lips, reaching back to the area in front of the ears.

Cheeky
Cheeks prominently rounded; thick, protruding.

Cherry Eye
Prolapsed gland of the third eyelid.

Chesapeake Bay Retriever
A hunting dog of a breed developed in the United States, having a thick short wavy coat ranging from dark brown to tan in color and known for its skill in retrieving game from water.

Chest
The part of the body or trunk that is enclosed by the ribs.

Chestnut
Usually used to describe Irish Setters and Pharaoh Hounds, the color may be described as deep, heavily saturated, reddish brown (like the nut of the same name). Color definitions may vary by breed. Always check the breed standard for the definitive color description.

Chihuahua
A very small dog of a breed originating in Mexico, having pointed ears and a smooth coat.

China Eye
A clear or spotted blue, light blue, or whitish eye.

Chippendale Front
Forelegs out at the elbows, pasterns close, and feet turned out. Named after the Chippendale chair. Also called fiddle front.

Chiseled
Clean-cut in head, as contrasted with bumpy or bulging outlines, particularly beneath the eyes.

Chocolate
A medium chocolate brown color of dog.

Choke Collar
A chain collar that tightens like a noose when the leash is pulled, used to train or control dogs or other animals. Also called choke chain.

Chops
Jowls or pendulous flesh of the lips and jaw.

Chorea
A nervous jerking caused by involuntary contractions of the muscles (may be caused by distemper or hepatitis).

Chow Chow
Any of a breed of heavyset dog originating in China, having a long, dense, reddish-brown or black coat and a blue-black tongue.

Chronic Disease
A disease lasting indefinitely.

Cinnamon
Usually used to describe Chow Chows. Like the color or the spice of the same name, this color is a lightly saturated, yellowish brown. Color definitions may vary by breed. Always check the breed standard for the definitive color description.

Circular Eye
A round eye. Seen in the Smooth Fox Terrier.

Cleft Palate
A birth defect in which the two halves of the mouth do not fuse together properly.

Clip
The method of trimming the coat in some breeds.

Clipping
When pertaining to gait, the back foot striking the front foot.

Cloddy
Low, thickset, comparatively heavy.

Close Mating
A condition where there is less than 4 months and 15 days between either (1) The date of mating of a previously registered litter and the date of mating of a newly submitted litter application for the same dam; or (2) The whelping date of a previously registered litter and the whelping date of a newly submitted litter application out of the same dam.

Close-Coupled
Comparatively short from the last rib to the commencement of the hindquarters; occasionally used to characterize a comparative shortness from withers to hipbones.

Clydesdale Terrier
A breed of small silky-haired terriers related to, but smaller than, the Skye terrier, having smaller and perfectly erect ears.

Coarse
Considered a negative term, a dog not refined or harmonious in conformation.

Coat
The dog's hair covering. Most breeds have two coats