Part II-D — Herding breeds (44)

Australian Cattle Dog

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Australia.

Not a beginner's dog. Suited to farms and estates.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Alert, protective, strong herding instinct (nipping).

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Congenital deafness (Routine) — Present from birth and permanent.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Congenital deafness — BAER hearing test
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high — 60–90 min/day.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Coat and grooming

Short, dense double coat. Brush weekly; more in moult.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate; heat-tolerant compared with thick-coated northern breeds..

This breed carries a heavy double coat evolved for cold. It can be kept in a hot climate, but only with genuine commitment: shade and water at all times, exercise confined to the cool hours, and often air-conditioning through summer. Do NOT shave the double coat — counter-intuitively it insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it can ruin the coat and expose the skin to sunburn. Watch closely for heat stress, and think hard about whether the climate you live in is fair to this dog before acquiring one.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–16 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Australian Kelpie

Origin and purpose

Herding; FCI Group 1. Origin: Australia; sheep-mustering working dog.

One of the more heat-adapted herders, but the relentless work drive is unsuited to a sedentary home.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Tireless, intelligent, intensely driven; loyal worker; needs a job.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high - a working dog needing hours of daily activity.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate to good - bred for hot, arid outback conditions, the short coat copes relatively well given water and shade..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Australian Shepherd

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Western United States, not Australia.

Increasingly popular in urban settings; often under-exercised.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Intelligent, work-driven, family-oriented, wary of strangers.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Idiopathic epilepsy (URGENT) — seizure disorder with no identifiable cause.
• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity (URGENT) — A single gene mutation that breaks the pump which normally keeps certain medication classes out of the brain.
• Cataracts (Routine) — congenital or diabetic or senior.
• Collie eye anomaly (Routine) — An inherited malformation of the tissue layers at the back of the eye, present from birth and non-progressive in its mild form.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Cataracts — Ophthalmologist eye examination
• Collie eye anomaly — Ophthalmologist examination of puppies, plus DNA test
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Idiopathic epilepsy — No screening test. Diagnosis is by exclusion, after blood work and imaging
• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity — DNA test (cheek swab)

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High — 60–90 min/day.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Coat and grooming

Medium-length, weather-resistant double coat. Brush 2–3× weekly.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate — the coat requires grooming, especially in humid climates..

This breed carries a heavy double coat evolved for cold. It can be kept in a hot climate, but only with genuine commitment: shade and water at all times, exercise confined to the cool hours, and often air-conditioning through summer. Do NOT shave the double coat — counter-intuitively it insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it can ruin the coat and expose the skin to sunburn. Watch closely for heat stress, and think hard about whether the climate you live in is fair to this dog before acquiring one.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog

Origin and purpose

Herding; FCI Group 1. Origin: Australia; natural bobtail cattle-droving dog.

A distinct naturally bob-tailed breed, not a docked Australian Cattle Dog; needs serious work, not an apartment.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Alert, hardy, independent; loyal one-person worker; a natural guard.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Congenital deafness (Routine) — Present from birth and permanent.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Congenital deafness — BAER hearing test
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high - a working cattle dog needing hours of daily activity.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate to good - a short-coated working dog that tolerates heat relatively well with shade and water..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Bearded Collie

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Scotland.

A herding breed with a distinctive long, shaggy coat.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Bouncy, active, biddable, playful.

This is a biddable breed that wants to work with you, which makes it forgiving of a novice's mistakes — but biddability is not the same as needing no training. Reward-based training, started early and kept short and frequent, is what these dogs thrive on. Punishment-based methods damage exactly the willingness that makes the breed easy.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's disease) (EMERGENCY) — insufficient cortisol.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Hypothyroidism (Routine) — underactive thyroid.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's disease) — Adrenal function blood tests (including electrolytes)
• Hypothyroidism — Thyroid blood panel

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Coat and grooming

Long, shaggy double coat. Brush every other day.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate heat tolerance; grooming is intensive..

This breed carries a heavy double coat evolved for cold. It can be kept in a hot climate, but only with genuine commitment: shade and water at all times, exercise confined to the cool hours, and often air-conditioning through summer. Do NOT shave the double coat — counter-intuitively it insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it can ruin the coat and expose the skin to sunburn. Watch closely for heat stress, and think hard about whether the climate you live in is fair to this dog before acquiring one.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–14 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Belgian Malinois

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Belgium (Malines).

Not a pet dog for the average owner. Working-line dogs need daily trained work.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Extremely high drive; workaholic; strong biddability; requires expert handling.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Idiopathic epilepsy (URGENT) — seizure disorder with no identifiable cause.
• Elbow dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal elbow joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Elbow dysplasia — Radiographic elbow evaluation
• Idiopathic epilepsy — No screening test. Diagnosis is by exclusion, after blood work and imaging
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high — 90+ min/day.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Coat and grooming

Short, dense double coat. Brush weekly; more in moult.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Adaptable and heat-tolerant; very commonly used in military and police canine units..

This breed carries a heavy double coat evolved for cold. It can be kept in a hot climate, but only with genuine commitment: shade and water at all times, exercise confined to the cool hours, and often air-conditioning through summer. Do NOT shave the double coat — counter-intuitively it insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it can ruin the coat and expose the skin to sunburn. Watch closely for heat stress, and think hard about whether the climate you live in is fair to this dog before acquiring one.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–14 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Belgian Sheepdog (Groenendael)

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Belgium.

One of four Belgian shepherd varieties, distinguished by its long black coat.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Intelligent, active, protective; long black coat.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Idiopathic epilepsy (URGENT) — seizure disorder with no identifiable cause.
• Elbow dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal elbow joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Elbow dysplasia — Radiographic elbow evaluation
• Idiopathic epilepsy — No screening test. Diagnosis is by exclusion, after blood work and imaging
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate heat tolerance; needs a committed handler in any climate..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–14 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Belgian Tervuren

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Belgium.

The fawn-mahogany, long-coated variant of the Belgian shepherd family.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Intelligent, sensitive, hard-working.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Idiopathic epilepsy (URGENT) — seizure disorder with no identifiable cause.
• Elbow dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal elbow joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Elbow dysplasia — Radiographic elbow evaluation
• Idiopathic epilepsy — No screening test. Diagnosis is by exclusion, after blood work and imaging
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Coat and grooming

Long, dense double coat. Brush 3× weekly.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate heat tolerance; suited to a range of climates with attentive coat care..

This breed carries a heavy double coat evolved for cold. It can be kept in a hot climate, but only with genuine commitment: shade and water at all times, exercise confined to the cool hours, and often air-conditioning through summer. Do NOT shave the double coat — counter-intuitively it insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it can ruin the coat and expose the skin to sunburn. Watch closely for heat stress, and think hard about whether the climate you live in is fair to this dog before acquiring one.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–14 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Bergamasco Shepherd

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC); FCI Group 1. Origin: Italy; Alpine sheep-herding dog with a corded coat.

The signature matted 'flocks' form over years and cannot be brushed out; ill-suited to a hot climate.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Patient, watchful, independent thinker; devoted and even-tempered.

This is an independent-minded breed that was developed to make its own decisions, and it will not work for you simply because you asked. That is not stubbornness or stupidity — it is the trait the breed was selected for. Training must be genuinely rewarding to the dog, and expectations of instant, military obedience are misplaced. Recall, in particular, is often unreliable in these breeds; be honest about that before letting one off-lead near traffic.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate - 45-60 min/day plus mental work.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor - the felted, flocked coat traps heat and is nearly impossible to maintain in humid conditions..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 13-15 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Bohemian Shepherd

Origin and purpose

Herding; FCI Group 1 (national breed). Origin: Czech Republic; Chodsko border-guarding and herding dog.

An old Czech breed (Chodsky pes); healthier and lighter than a German Shepherd but similarly coated.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Friendly, obedient, alert; a gentle family and watchdog; very trainable.

This is a biddable breed that wants to work with you, which makes it forgiving of a novice's mistakes — but biddability is not the same as needing no training. Reward-based training, started early and kept short and frequent, is what these dogs thrive on. Punishment-based methods damage exactly the willingness that makes the breed easy.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High - 60-90 min/day plus training.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor to moderate - a thick double coat resembling a small GSD; needs shade and cool hours..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Border Collie

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Scottish–English border.

The most intelligent breed by most measures; also the most commonly mis-owned. MDR1 genetic testing is important before certain medication classes.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Extremely intelligent, high biddability, obsessive work drive; under-stimulation → destructive behaviour.

This is a biddable breed that wants to work with you, which makes it forgiving of a novice's mistakes — but biddability is not the same as needing no training. Reward-based training, started early and kept short and frequent, is what these dogs thrive on. Punishment-based methods damage exactly the willingness that makes the breed easy.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Idiopathic epilepsy (URGENT) — seizure disorder with no identifiable cause.
• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity (URGENT) — A single gene mutation that breaks the pump which normally keeps certain medication classes out of the brain.
• Collie eye anomaly (Routine) — An inherited malformation of the tissue layers at the back of the eye, present from birth and non-progressive in its mild form.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Collie eye anomaly — Ophthalmologist examination of puppies, plus DNA test
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Idiopathic epilepsy — No screening test. Diagnosis is by exclusion, after blood work and imaging
• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity — DNA test (cheek swab)

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high — 90+ min/day AND daily mental work.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Coat and grooming

Double coat, rough or smooth. Brush 2–3× weekly; more in moult.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor fit for apartment and urban living without exceptional owner commitment..

This breed carries a heavy double coat evolved for cold. It can be kept in a hot climate, but only with genuine commitment: shade and water at all times, exercise confined to the cool hours, and often air-conditioning through summer. Do NOT shave the double coat — counter-intuitively it insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it can ruin the coat and expose the skin to sunburn. Watch closely for heat stress, and think hard about whether the climate you live in is fair to this dog before acquiring one.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Bouvier des Flandres

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Belgium.

A powerful herding and working dog from the Flanders region; requires professional grooming.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Calm, biddable, protective; low shedding.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV, 'bloat') (EMERGENCY) — stomach twists on itself.
• Glaucoma (URGENT) — elevated intraocular pressure.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Hypothyroidism (Routine) — underactive thyroid.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV, 'bloat') — No screening test. Discuss preventive gastropexy with your vet in deep-chested breeds
• Glaucoma — Eye-pressure measurement (tonometry); gonioscopy in predisposed breeds
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Hypothyroidism — Thyroid blood panel

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

This breed is deep-chested and at risk of gastric dilatation and volvulus (bloat), which kills quickly. Feed two or more smaller meals rather than one large one, avoid vigorous exercise for an hour either side of eating, and slow down a gulping eater. Learn the signs — a restless dog with a swelling belly, retching without bringing anything up — and treat them as an immediate emergency. Ask your vet whether a preventive gastropexy is appropriate at neutering.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Coat and grooming

Rough, tousled double coat. Brush 3× weekly; trim every 8 weeks.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate heat tolerance; grooming is very intensive..

This breed carries a heavy double coat evolved for cold. It can be kept in a hot climate, but only with genuine commitment: shade and water at all times, exercise confined to the cool hours, and often air-conditioning through summer. Do NOT shave the double coat — counter-intuitively it insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it can ruin the coat and expose the skin to sunburn. Watch closely for heat stress, and think hard about whether the climate you live in is fair to this dog before acquiring one.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 10–12 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Cao da Serra de Aires

Origin and purpose

Herding; FCI Group 1. Origin: Portugal; Alentejo sheep-herding dog (Portuguese Sheepdog).

The Portuguese Sheepdog; the long coat needs regular grooming and is a burden in the heat.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Lively, intelligent, devoted; the 'monkey dog' for its expressive face; a keen worker.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High - 60-90 min/day plus a job.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor to moderate - a long goat-like coat suits a temperate climate, not lowland heat and humidity..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-13 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Cardigan Welsh Corgi

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Wales.

The older of the two Welsh corgi breeds, distinguished by its full tail.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Alert, active, affectionate; the tailed corgi.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) (EMERGENCY) — disc herniation.
• Degenerative myelopathy (URGENT) — progressive spinal-cord degeneration in senior large breeds (German Shepherd, Boxer).
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Degenerative myelopathy — SOD1 DNA test
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) — DNA test for the chondrodystrophy variant; imaging if signs appear
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Coat and grooming

Medium, dense double coat. Brush 2–3× weekly.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Good, heat-tolerant; adapts well to warm and temperate climates..

This breed carries a heavy double coat evolved for cold. It can be kept in a hot climate, but only with genuine commitment: shade and water at all times, exercise confined to the cool hours, and often air-conditioning through summer. Do NOT shave the double coat — counter-intuitively it insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it can ruin the coat and expose the skin to sunburn. Watch closely for heat stress, and think hard about whether the climate you live in is fair to this dog before acquiring one.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Carpathian Shepherd

Origin and purpose

Livestock Guardian; FCI Group 1. Origin: Romania; Carpathian Mountains flock-guarding dog.

A livestock guardian needing land and stock; not an urban or hot-climate pet.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Balanced, devoted, protective guardian; independent; suspicious of intruders.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV, 'bloat') (EMERGENCY) — stomach twists on itself.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV, 'bloat') — No screening test. Discuss preventive gastropexy with your vet in deep-chested breeds
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

This breed is deep-chested and at risk of gastric dilatation and volvulus (bloat), which kills quickly. Feed two or more smaller meals rather than one large one, avoid vigorous exercise for an hour either side of eating, and slow down a gulping eater. Learn the signs — a restless dog with a swelling belly, retching without bringing anything up — and treat them as an immediate emergency. Ask your vet whether a preventive gastropexy is appropriate at neutering.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate - patrol space more than structured drills.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor - a heavy-coated mountain guardian that overheats badly in hot lowlands..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-14 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Catalan Sheepdog

Origin and purpose

Herding; FCI Group 1. Origin: Spain (Catalonia); Gos d'Atura Catala, Pyrenean-foothill herder.

Hardy Pyrenean herder; the abundant coat needs regular grooming and is a liability in the heat.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Loyal, hardworking, self-reliant; good-natured; a keen watchdog.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High - 60-90 min/day plus tasks.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor to moderate - a long weatherproof coat suits cool uplands, not lowland heat and humidity..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-14 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Collie (Rough)

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Scotland.

MDR1 genetic testing is essential before administering certain medication classes.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Gentle, biddable, family-oriented; classic 'Lassie'.

This is a biddable breed that wants to work with you, which makes it forgiving of a novice's mistakes — but biddability is not the same as needing no training. Reward-based training, started early and kept short and frequent, is what these dogs thrive on. Punishment-based methods damage exactly the willingness that makes the breed easy.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity (URGENT) — A single gene mutation that breaks the pump which normally keeps certain medication classes out of the brain.
• Collie eye anomaly (Routine) — An inherited malformation of the tissue layers at the back of the eye, present from birth and non-progressive in its mild form.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Collie eye anomaly — Ophthalmologist examination of puppies, plus DNA test
• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity — DNA test (cheek swab)
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate to high.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Coat and grooming

Long, profuse double coat with a heavy mane. Brush 3–4× weekly; it mats behind the ears and under the elbows.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate heat tolerance; grooming is intensive..

This breed carries a heavy double coat evolved for cold. It can be kept in a hot climate, but only with genuine commitment: shade and water at all times, exercise confined to the cool hours, and often air-conditioning through summer. Do NOT shave the double coat — counter-intuitively it insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it can ruin the coat and expose the skin to sunburn. Watch closely for heat stress, and think hard about whether the climate you live in is fair to this dog before acquiring one.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–14 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Croatian Sheepdog

Origin and purpose

Herding; FCI Group 1. Origin: Croatia; Slavonian plains sheep- and cattle-herding dog.

A hardy, agile working herder; needs an active job to stay balanced.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Alert, energetic, devoted; independent worker; a lively watchdog.

This is an independent-minded breed that was developed to make its own decisions, and it will not work for you simply because you asked. That is not stubbornness or stupidity — it is the trait the breed was selected for. Training must be genuinely rewarding to the dog, and expectations of instant, military obedience are misplaced. Recall, in particular, is often unreliable in these breeds; be honest about that before letting one off-lead near traffic.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

No breed-linked conditions are recorded for this breed. For landraces and village dogs this is often a genuine finding rather than a gap — a broad genetic base leaves them with markedly fewer inherited disorders than the closed-studbook breeds, and it is one of the strongest arguments for them. The routine risks that apply to every dog — parasites, tick-borne disease, heat — still apply here.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High - 60-90 min/day plus mental work.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate - the black wavy coat is medium weight; needs shade and cool hours but is a hardy dog overall..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-14 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Dutch Shepherd

Origin and purpose

Herding; FCI Group 1. Origin: Netherlands; all-purpose farm and flock dog.

A driven working dog (police/IGP lines especially); the short-coat type is the most practical in hot climates.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Intelligent, loyal, biddable; high working drive; alert and trainable.

This is a biddable breed that wants to work with you, which makes it forgiving of a novice's mistakes — but biddability is not the same as needing no training. Reward-based training, started early and kept short and frequent, is what these dogs thrive on. Punishment-based methods damage exactly the willingness that makes the breed easy.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high - 90+ min/day with training and work.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate - the short-haired variety tolerates heat reasonably well; needs shade, water and a committed working owner..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-14 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

English Shepherd

Origin and purpose

Herding (working landrace; USA/UK lineage). Origin: United States; all-purpose farm and herding dog of British collie stock.

An all-round chore-and-herding farm dog; MDR1 testing matters before using several common medications.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Versatile, sensible, loyal; independent farm worker; protective of home.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity (URGENT) — A single gene mutation that breaks the pump which normally keeps certain medication classes out of the brain.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity — DNA test (cheek swab)

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High - 60-90 min/day plus a job to do.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor to moderate - a medium double coat suited to temperate farms; needs shade and cool hours..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-15 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Icelandic Sheepdog

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Iceland.

Iceland's only native breed; relatively uncommon.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Cheerful, friendly, curious.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Cataracts (Routine) — congenital or diabetic or senior.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Patellar luxation (Routine) — kneecap slips out of groove.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Cataracts — Ophthalmologist eye examination
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Patellar luxation — Patellar palpation by a vet

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poorly suited to hot climates; best in cool or temperate climates..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Koolie

Origin and purpose

Herding (working breed; Australia). Origin: Australia; cattle- and sheep-herding dog.

Avoid double-merle breeding; a driven Australian stock dog that needs real work, not an apartment.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Agile, keen, versatile; strong herding instinct; devoted worker.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Congenital deafness (Routine) — Present from birth and permanent.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Congenital deafness — BAER hearing test

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high - a working dog needing extensive daily activity.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate to good - a short-coated working dog reasonably heat-tolerant with shade and water..

This breed is well adapted to hot climates — which is one of the strongest practical arguments for it. It still needs shade, unlimited fresh water, and walks outside the hottest hours, but it is not fighting its own biology to live here.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Lancashire Heeler

Origin and purpose

Herding; FCI Group 1 (Kennel Club, vulnerable native breed). Origin: England; small cattle-driving and ratting heeler.

One of the more heat-tolerant, apartment-sized herders; a rare, vulnerable native breed.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Alert, affectionate, mischievous; keen ratter; quick to learn.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Collie eye anomaly (Routine) — An inherited malformation of the tissue layers at the back of the eye, present from birth and non-progressive in its mild form.
• Patellar luxation (Routine) — kneecap slips out of groove.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Collie eye anomaly — Ophthalmologist examination of puppies, plus DNA test
• Patellar luxation — Patellar palpation by a vet
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

Small stomachs, fast metabolisms. Feed a diet formulated for small breeds, split across three or four meals a day as a puppy and two as an adult; toy puppies can become dangerously hypoglycaemic if a meal is missed. Portions are tiny, which means treats and table scraps overwhelm the daily allowance startlingly fast — a single biscuit can be a meaningful share of a 4 kg dog's intake. Dental disease is near-universal in small breeds, so ask your vet about diet texture and dental care from the start.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate - 45-60 min/day plus games.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate to good - small and short-coated, it copes with heat better than most herders given shade and water..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-15 years. This dog is a senior from around 9–10 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Small dogs age slowly and often live into their mid-teens. Dental disease and heart-valve disease are the two things that most often shorten a small dog's life, and both are catchable early. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Maremma Sheepdog

Origin and purpose

Livestock Guardian; FCI Group 1. Origin: Italy; Maremma and Abruzzo flock-guarding dog.

A guarding dog for livestock, not a pet; needs land and stock, not an urban home.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Independent, steady, protective guardian; aloof with strangers; bonded to livestock.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV, 'bloat') (EMERGENCY) — stomach twists on itself.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV, 'bloat') — No screening test. Discuss preventive gastropexy with your vet in deep-chested breeds
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

This breed is deep-chested and at risk of gastric dilatation and volvulus (bloat), which kills quickly. Feed two or more smaller meals rather than one large one, avoid vigorous exercise for an hour either side of eating, and slow down a gulping eater. Learn the signs — a restless dog with a swelling belly, retching without bringing anything up — and treat them as an immediate emergency. Ask your vet whether a preventive gastropexy is appropriate at neutering.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate - patrol and roaming space more than drills.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor - a thick white mountain guardian that overheats in hot lowlands and is only marginally workable in cool hills..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 11-13 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

McNab

Origin and purpose

Herding (working landrace; USA). Origin: United States (California); ranch stock-herding dog.

Bred purely for stock work; the short single coat is more heat-practical than most sheepdogs.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Intelligent, hardy, focused; strong loose-eyed herding style; devoted to its handler.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

No breed-linked conditions are recorded for this breed. For landraces and village dogs this is often a genuine finding rather than a gap — a broad genetic base leaves them with markedly fewer inherited disorders than the closed-studbook breeds, and it is one of the strongest arguments for them. The routine risks that apply to every dog — parasites, tick-borne disease, heat — still apply here.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high - a ranch dog needing extensive daily work.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate - the short coat handles heat better than most herders; suits rural, working homes over apartments..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 13-15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Miniature American Shepherd

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: United States; small stock-dog bred down from the Australian Shepherd.

A compact herder, not a toy; MDR1 testing is important before common medications.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Bright, biddable, energetic; loyal and trainable; a keen small herder.

This is a biddable breed that wants to work with you, which makes it forgiving of a novice's mistakes — but biddability is not the same as needing no training. Reward-based training, started early and kept short and frequent, is what these dogs thrive on. Punishment-based methods damage exactly the willingness that makes the breed easy.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity (URGENT) — A single gene mutation that breaks the pump which normally keeps certain medication classes out of the brain.
• Cataracts (Routine) — congenital or diabetic or senior.
• Collie eye anomaly (Routine) — An inherited malformation of the tissue layers at the back of the eye, present from birth and non-progressive in its mild form.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Cataracts — Ophthalmologist eye examination
• Collie eye anomaly — Ophthalmologist examination of puppies, plus DNA test
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity — DNA test (cheek swab)
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High - 60+ min/day plus training.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor to moderate - a medium double coat; smaller size helps but heat and grooming remain issues..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-13 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Mioritic Shepherd

Origin and purpose

Livestock Guardian; FCI Group 1. Origin: Romania; Carpathian shaggy flock-guarding dog.

A big, heavily coated flock guardian; needs space, stock and cool weather, not an apartment.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Calm, devoted, courageous guardian; gentle with family; strongly protective.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV, 'bloat') (EMERGENCY) — stomach twists on itself.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV, 'bloat') — No screening test. Discuss preventive gastropexy with your vet in deep-chested breeds
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)

Feeding

Slow, controlled growth is essential — giant-breed puppies grow for eighteen months or more, and pushing that growth with over-feeding or calcium supplementation causes lasting orthopaedic damage. Use a diet formulated for large- or giant-breed growth and keep the puppy visibly lean. As an adult, two measured meals a day, never one large one. Feeding costs are substantial and should be budgeted before acquiring the dog.

This breed is deep-chested and at risk of gastric dilatation and volvulus (bloat), which kills quickly. Feed two or more smaller meals rather than one large one, avoid vigorous exercise for an hour either side of eating, and slow down a gulping eater. Learn the signs — a restless dog with a swelling belly, retching without bringing anything up — and treat them as an immediate emergency. Ask your vet whether a preventive gastropexy is appropriate at neutering.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate - roaming and patrol more than exercise drills.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor - a large shaggy-coated guardian built for mountain cold; unsuited to hot climates..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-14 years. This dog is a senior from around 5–6 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Giant breeds age fast and live short lives, and this is the hardest fact about owning one. Senior screening should start early, orthopaedic support matters from middle age, and cardiac and bone cancer risks are real. Go in with your eyes open. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Mudi

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC); FCI Group 1. Origin: Hungary; versatile farm and herding dog.

A rare, hardy all-round farm dog; needs a working outlet or it invents its own mischief.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Energetic, alert, courageous; quick to learn; a natural watchdog.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Idiopathic epilepsy (URGENT) — seizure disorder with no identifiable cause.
• Cataracts (Routine) — congenital or diabetic or senior.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Cataracts — Ophthalmologist eye examination
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Idiopathic epilepsy — No screening test. Diagnosis is by exclusion, after blood work and imaging

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High - 60+ min/day plus problem-solving tasks.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate - the medium wavy coat copes better than heavier sheepdogs but still needs shade and cool hours..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-14 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Norwegian Buhund

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC); FCI Group 5 (Nordic herding spitz). Origin: Norway; farm herding and watchdog spitz.

A hardy Nordic herding spitz; the dense coat and cold-weather build are liabilities in hot climates.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Cheerful, alert, energetic; affectionate and vocal; a keen watchdog.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Cataracts (Routine) — congenital or diabetic or senior.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Cataracts — Ophthalmologist eye examination
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High - 60+ min/day plus tasks.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor to moderate - a thick spitz double coat bred for cold climates; sheds heavily and overheats in the heat..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Old English Sheepdog

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: England.

Grooming the profuse coat is a full-time commitment.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Playful, affectionate, adaptable; distinctive bear-like appearance.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Congenital deafness (Routine) — Present from birth and permanent.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Hypothyroidism (Routine) — underactive thyroid.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Congenital deafness — BAER hearing test
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Hypothyroidism — Thyroid blood panel

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate to high.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Coat and grooming

Profuse, shaggy double coat. Brush daily — genuinely daily — or keep it clipped short. One of the highest-maintenance coats there is.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poorly suited to hot climates; the profuse coat traps heat. Best in temperate climates..

This breed carries a heavy double coat evolved for cold. It can be kept in a hot climate, but only with genuine commitment: shade and water at all times, exercise confined to the cool hours, and often air-conditioning through summer. Do NOT shave the double coat — counter-intuitively it insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it can ruin the coat and expose the skin to sunburn. Watch closely for heat stress, and think hard about whether the climate you live in is fair to this dog before acquiring one.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 10–12 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Old German Sheepdog

Origin and purpose

Herding (landrace group; Altdeutsche Hutehunde). Origin: Germany; regional landrace herding dogs (Schafpudel, Tiger, etc.).

A family of working strains rather than one standardised breed; kept for herding, not show.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Diligent, steady, biddable; strong flock instinct; tireless worker.

This is a biddable breed that wants to work with you, which makes it forgiving of a novice's mistakes — but biddability is not the same as needing no training. Reward-based training, started early and kept short and frequent, is what these dogs thrive on. Punishment-based methods damage exactly the willingness that makes the breed easy.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

No breed-linked conditions are recorded for this breed. For landraces and village dogs this is often a genuine finding rather than a gap — a broad genetic base leaves them with markedly fewer inherited disorders than the closed-studbook breeds, and it is one of the strongest arguments for them. The routine risks that apply to every dog — parasites, tick-borne disease, heat — still apply here.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high - a genuine working dog needing sustained daily work.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor to moderate - coated regional herders bred for a temperate climate; best in cooler areas with real work..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-14 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Wales.

A Welsh herding breed popularised globally as a royal favourite.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Bold, tenacious, family-oriented; the docked-tail corgi.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) (EMERGENCY) — disc herniation.
• Degenerative myelopathy (URGENT) — progressive spinal-cord degeneration in senior large breeds (German Shepherd, Boxer).
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• von Willebrand disease (Routine) — The most common inherited bleeding disorder of dogs: a deficiency of von Willebrand factor, a protein needed for platelets to plug a damaged vessel.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Degenerative myelopathy — SOD1 DNA test
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) — DNA test for the chondrodystrophy variant; imaging if signs appear
• von Willebrand disease — von Willebrand factor blood assay, or DNA test

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Coat and grooming

Medium, weatherproof double coat. Brush 2–3× weekly. Sheds heavily for its size.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Good, heat-tolerant; adapts well to warm and temperate climates..

This breed carries a heavy double coat evolved for cold. It can be kept in a hot climate, but only with genuine commitment: shade and water at all times, exercise confined to the cool hours, and often air-conditioning through summer. Do NOT shave the double coat — counter-intuitively it insulates against heat as well as cold, and shaving it can ruin the coat and expose the skin to sunburn. Watch closely for heat stress, and think hard about whether the climate you live in is fair to this dog before acquiring one.

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Polish Lowland Sheepdog

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC); FCI Group 1. Origin: Poland; lowland sheep-herding dog.

A working sheepdog needing a job; the long coat is high-maintenance and mats fast in humid conditions.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Lively, intelligent, self-reliant; excellent memory; watchful and vocal.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Hypothyroidism (Routine) — underactive thyroid.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Hypothyroidism — Thyroid blood panel
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High - 60-90 min/day plus mental work.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor to moderate - the dense shaggy double coat struggles in lowland heat and is workable only in cooler highlands with heavy grooming..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-14 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Polish Tatra Sheepdog

Origin and purpose

Herding / Livestock Guardian; FCI Group 1. Origin: Poland; Tatra Mountains flock-guarding dog.

A large livestock guardian, not a household pet; unsuited to apartments or hot climates.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Calm, steady, independent guardian; territorial; gentle with its flock.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Elbow dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal elbow joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Elbow dysplasia — Radiographic elbow evaluation

Feeding

Slow, controlled growth is essential — giant-breed puppies grow for eighteen months or more, and pushing that growth with over-feeding or calcium supplementation causes lasting orthopaedic damage. Use a diet formulated for large- or giant-breed growth and keep the puppy visibly lean. As an adult, two measured meals a day, never one large one. Feeding costs are substantial and should be budgeted before acquiring the dog.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate - space to patrol more than structured exercise.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor - a heavy white mountain guardian built for cold that overheats badly in hot lowlands..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 10-12 years. This dog is a senior from around 5–6 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Giant breeds age fast and live short lives, and this is the hardest fact about owning one. Senior screening should start early, orthopaedic support matters from middle age, and cardiac and bone cancer risks are real. Go in with your eyes open. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Puli

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Hungary.

A Hungarian herding breed whose corded coat is a full-time maintenance commitment.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Alert, agile, family-loyal; distinctive corded coat.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Degenerative myelopathy (URGENT) — progressive spinal-cord degeneration in senior large breeds (German Shepherd, Boxer).
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Degenerative myelopathy — SOD1 DNA test
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poorly suited to hot climates; the corded coat traps heat. Best in temperate climates..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 10–15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Pumi

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC); FCI Group 1. Origin: Hungary; sheep- and cattle-driving terrier-type herder.

Distinctive corkscrew-curled coat needs regular trimming, not brushing; a busy, noisy breed.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Bold, whistling-alert, lively; very vocal; intensely people-focused.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Degenerative myelopathy (URGENT) — progressive spinal-cord degeneration in senior large breeds (German Shepherd, Boxer).
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Patellar luxation (Routine) — kneecap slips out of groove.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Degenerative myelopathy — SOD1 DNA test
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Patellar luxation — Patellar palpation by a vet

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High - 60+ min/day plus training games.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate - the curly coat sheds little, but the dog's high drive and barking suit a rural or active home over a hot apartment..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-14 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Pyrenean Shepherd

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC); FCI Group 1. Origin: France; Pyrenees sheep-herding dog (rough- and smooth-faced).

One of the most energetic small herders; needs far more work than its size suggests.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Energetic, sensitive, intensely devoted; wary of strangers; famously long-lived.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Idiopathic epilepsy (URGENT) — seizure disorder with no identifiable cause.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) (Routine) — congenital; failure of a foetal blood vessel to close.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Idiopathic epilepsy — No screening test. Diagnosis is by exclusion, after blood work and imaging
• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) — Cardiac auscultation in the puppy; echocardiography
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high - a tireless small herder needing 90+ min/day.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate - small and agile but coated for mountain cold; best in cooler climates with an active owner..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 15-17 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Sarplaninac

Origin and purpose

Livestock Guardian; FCI Group 1. Origin: Balkans (Sar Mountains); flock-guarding dog.

A serious livestock guardian, powerful and independent; needs experienced handling and land.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Independent, steady, fearless guardian; devoted to its charges; aloof with strangers.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)

Feeding

Growth is the thing that matters. Large-breed puppies must be fed a diet formulated for large-breed growth and must NOT be overfed or supplemented with calcium — growing too fast is a direct route to the joint disease this size of dog is already prone to. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy. As an adult, two measured meals a day, and keep the dog lean for life: excess weight is the single biggest accelerator of hip and elbow disease and arthritis.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate - patrol territory rather than structured exercise.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor - a dense-coated mountain guardian that struggles in heat and is only marginally workable in cool hills..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 11-13 years. This dog is a senior from around 7 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Large dogs age faster than small ones. Arthritis and cancer are the dominant concerns; do not dismiss a limp in an older large dog as 'just age' — bone cancer presents exactly that way. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Schapendoes

Origin and purpose

Herding; FCI Group 1. Origin: Netherlands; Dutch shaggy sheepdog.

A light, springy shaggy herder; the coat is demanding to maintain in humid conditions.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Cheerful, spirited, affectionate; agile jumper; friendly and trainable.

This is a biddable breed that wants to work with you, which makes it forgiving of a novice's mistakes — but biddability is not the same as needing no training. Reward-based training, started early and kept short and frequent, is what these dogs thrive on. Punishment-based methods damage exactly the willingness that makes the breed easy.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: High - 60+ min/day plus agility-type activity.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor to moderate - the long shaggy coat mats and traps heat, so the dog is only comfortable in cooler climates..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie)

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Shetland Islands (Scotland).

An excellent agility competitor.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Playful, energetic, biddable; smaller Collie-like.

This is a biddable breed that wants to work with you, which makes it forgiving of a novice's mistakes — but biddability is not the same as needing no training. Reward-based training, started early and kept short and frequent, is what these dogs thrive on. Punishment-based methods damage exactly the willingness that makes the breed easy.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity (URGENT) — A single gene mutation that breaks the pump which normally keeps certain medication classes out of the brain.
• Collie eye anomaly (Routine) — An inherited malformation of the tissue layers at the back of the eye, present from birth and non-progressive in its mild form.
• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Hypothyroidism (Routine) — underactive thyroid.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Collie eye anomaly — Ophthalmologist examination of puppies, plus DNA test
• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Hypothyroidism — Thyroid blood panel
• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity — DNA test (cheek swab)

Feeding

Small stomachs, fast metabolisms. Feed a diet formulated for small breeds, split across three or four meals a day as a puppy and two as an adult; toy puppies can become dangerously hypoglycaemic if a meal is missed. Portions are tiny, which means treats and table scraps overwhelm the daily allowance startlingly fast — a single biscuit can be a meaningful share of a 4 kg dog's intake. Dental disease is near-universal in small breeds, so ask your vet about diet texture and dental care from the start.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate to high.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Good; the smaller size makes apartment living workable with attentive coat care..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–14 years. This dog is a senior from around 9–10 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Small dogs age slowly and often live into their mid-teens. Dental disease and heart-valve disease are the two things that most often shorten a small dog's life, and both are catchable early. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Smooth Collie

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC); FCI Group 1. Origin: Scotland; short-coated variety of the Collie.

Same breed as the Rough Collie but short-coated, making it markedly easier to keep in hot climates; MDR1 testing matters.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Gentle, loyal, sensitive; intelligent and biddable; a devoted family dog.

This is a biddable breed that wants to work with you, which makes it forgiving of a novice's mistakes — but biddability is not the same as needing no training. Reward-based training, started early and kept short and frequent, is what these dogs thrive on. Punishment-based methods damage exactly the willingness that makes the breed easy.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Idiopathic epilepsy (URGENT) — seizure disorder with no identifiable cause.
• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity (URGENT) — A single gene mutation that breaks the pump which normally keeps certain medication classes out of the brain.
• Collie eye anomaly (Routine) — An inherited malformation of the tissue layers at the back of the eye, present from birth and non-progressive in its mild form.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Collie eye anomaly — Ophthalmologist examination of puppies, plus DNA test
• Idiopathic epilepsy — No screening test. Diagnosis is by exclusion, after blood work and imaging
• MDR1 (ABCB1) drug sensitivity — DNA test (cheek swab)
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate to high - 60 min/day plus mental work.

A high-energy dog needing substantial, committed daily exercise plus mental work. Do not take this breed on unless the daily commitment is realistic on your worst week, not your best one.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Moderate - the short coat is far more heat-practical than the Rough Collie's; still needs shade and cool hours..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-14 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

South Russian Ovcharka

Origin and purpose

Herding / Livestock Guardian; FCI Group 1. Origin: Russia/Ukraine; steppe sheep-guarding dog.

A powerful, protective guardian for experienced owners only; ill-suited to hot climates or close quarters.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Bold, dominant, fiercely protective; independent; wary and territorial.

A guarding breed: it is naturally suspicious of strangers, and that is what it was bred for. Early, broad, positive socialisation — many people, many places, many situations, before sixteen weeks — is not optional for this breed; it is the difference between a discriminating guardian and a dangerous liability. A guarding dog that has not been socialised is a problem you have created, not a temperament you have discovered.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)

Feeding

Slow, controlled growth is essential — giant-breed puppies grow for eighteen months or more, and pushing that growth with over-feeding or calcium supplementation causes lasting orthopaedic damage. Use a diet formulated for large- or giant-breed growth and keep the puppy visibly lean. As an adult, two measured meals a day, never one large one. Feeding costs are substantial and should be budgeted before acquiring the dog.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate - space to patrol plus daily activity.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor - a massive white long-coated guardian bred for cold steppes; overheats and mats in hot, humid conditions..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 9-11 years. This dog is a senior from around 5–6 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Giant breeds age fast and live short lives, and this is the hardest fact about owning one. Senior screening should start early, orthopaedic support matters from middle age, and cardiac and bone cancer risks are real. Go in with your eyes open. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Swedish Vallhund

Origin and purpose

Herding (AKC). Origin: Sweden.

An ancient Scandinavian breed of Viking origin with a low, long profile; relatively uncommon.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Alert, watchful, active.

Reward-based training from the day the puppy arrives, with the socialisation window (roughly three to sixteen weeks) treated as the priority it is — what happens in those weeks shapes the adult dog more than anything you do later. Short, frequent, positive sessions. See Parts IV and IX.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

Drawn from this breed's documented health issues and cross-referenced to Part III. A predisposition is not a prophecy — most dogs of any breed never develop these — but it is what you and your vet should be watching for.

• Hip dysplasia (Routine) — abnormal hip joint development.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (Routine) — genetic retinal degeneration.

Health screening — what to test, and when

Derived from the predispositions above. Take this list to your vet; it is a starting point for a conversation, not a prescription, and your vet may reasonably add to it or leave items out for your dog.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

For breeders — test before you mate

The heritable subset of the screening above. These are the tests a responsible breeder of this breed completes BEFORE a mating, and the results a buyer is entitled to ask to see. A breeder who cannot produce them is telling you something. See Part XII.

• Hip dysplasia — Radiographic hip evaluation (hip scoring)
• Progressive retinal atrophy — Ophthalmologist eye examination, plus DNA test where one exists for the breed

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Moderate.

Moderate daily exercise plus mental stimulation. Adaptable to apartment life provided the daily walk actually happens every day.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Good heat tolerance; adapts to a range of climates..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12–15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Ask the breeder for the health-test results listed above — for BOTH parents, on paper, before you pay a deposit. A breeder who has done the tests will be proud to show you; one who deflects, or who tells you the tests are unnecessary in this line, is telling you what you need to know.
• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).

Welsh Sheepdog

Origin and purpose

Herding (working landrace; Wales). Origin: Wales; upland sheep- and cattle-herding dog.

A working strain distinct from the Border Collie; bred for stamina on the hills, not for show.

What a breed was built to do explains most of what it will do in your home. A dog selected for hundreds of years to run, guard, herd, or hunt does not stop wanting to because it now lives in an apartment — the drive is the breed, and the job of the owner is to give it somewhere to go.

Temperament and training

Stated temperament: Independent, loose-eyed worker; hardy; devoted to its handler.

This is an independent-minded breed that was developed to make its own decisions, and it will not work for you simply because you asked. That is not stubbornness or stupidity — it is the trait the breed was selected for. Training must be genuinely rewarding to the dog, and expectations of instant, military obedience are misplaced. Recall, in particular, is often unreliable in these breeds; be honest about that before letting one off-lead near traffic.

Health — what this breed is predisposed to

No breed-linked conditions are recorded for this breed. For landraces and village dogs this is often a genuine finding rather than a gap — a broad genetic base leaves them with markedly fewer inherited disorders than the closed-studbook breeds, and it is one of the strongest arguments for them. The routine risks that apply to every dog — parasites, tick-borne disease, heat — still apply here.

Every dog, every breed: an annual health examination (twice yearly from seven years), body-condition scoring at each visit, dental assessment, year-round parasite control, and the core vaccinations.

Vaccination is NOT breed-specific, and any source that claims a breed-specific vaccination schedule should be treated with suspicion. The core schedule — the puppy series and its boosters, and rabies above all — is the same for this dog as for every other, and is set out in Parts VI and IX. What IS specific to the dog is its exposure: a dog that swims, roams, or lives where monsoon flooding occurs has a different leptospirosis risk from an apartment dog, and a dog that boards or meets many other dogs has a different kennel-cough risk. Discuss the dog's actual life with your vet, not its breed.

Feeding

The most forgiving size to feed. A good-quality complete diet appropriate to the life stage, measured with a cup or scales rather than judged by eye, split into two meals a day. Weigh the food; guessing is how dogs get fat. Treats counted within the daily allowance, not added on top.

Exercise and enrichment

Stated requirement: Very high - a hill dog needing sustained daily work.

This is a genuinely high-energy dog and the commonest reason such dogs are rehomed is that their owners underestimated this. It needs hard daily physical exercise AND a job to think about; a walk around the block is not exercise for this breed. An under-exercised dog of this type becomes destructive, noisy, and anxious — behaviour problems that are, correctly understood, an exercise deficit.

Climate and living conditions

Stated suitability: Poor to moderate - bred for damp, cool uplands; coat and drive suit cool, working environments..

Ageing and senior care

Life expectancy: 12-15 years. This dog is a senior from around 8–9 years, at which point wellness examinations should move to twice a year and senior blood and urine screening begins. Watch for the gradual onset of arthritis, dental disease, and the endocrine conditions of middle age. See Part X.

Before you take one home

• Consider adoption. Shelters and rescues have dogs of every kind, including purebreds, and the local native or landrace dog is often healthier, better adapted to its climate, and more in need of a home than almost anything you can buy. See Part XII.

DRAFT — VET REVIEW PENDING. The predispositions, screening schedule, and breeder tests above are derived from this breed's recorded health issues; the feeding, exercise, climate, training, and ageing guidance is derived from its size, skull shape, coat, and temperament. Both are drafts until a veterinarian signs them off (Appendix A.3).