Ways to Classify Dogs

All dogs were bred for a purpose. Some were bred to hunt, others to protect and still others were bred for more specific roles. For example, the Springer Spaniel was bred for flushing out birds from bushes, and the Portuguese Water Dog was bred to bring in fishing nets. Noting the historical purpose of a dog is an important part of the classification process. It gives you valuable information about size, temperament, behavior and appearance.

  1. By Group

    • Herding breeds like this German Shepherd are typically very intelligent.

      The American Kennel Club breed registry has eight group classifications. Breeds are grouped together based on what kind of work they were bred for. Dogs in the Sporting group were bred for flushing out and retrieving birds. Hounds were bred for hunting for food by scent or vision. The Working group features dogs bred for guarding, pulling and rescuing. The Terrier group contains dog that hunt vermin and pests. Toy breeds were bred for companionship. The Herding group contains breeds that worked in fields. The Non-sporting group is for dogs without a specifically defined role, capable of a range of activities. The Miscellaneous group contains rarer breeds that are not yet recognized by the American Kennel Club.

    By Job

    • Lean, fast and sharp-sighted, the Greyhound is an instinctive chaser.

      As well classifying by the type of work, you can classify a dog by his specific job. The specifics of the job often hold the answer to questions about unusual appearance. The large and powerful Komondor developed a distinctive braided-looking coat to protect it from harsh winds when guarding livestock in Hungary. Greyhounds have narrow faces with wide-set eyes so that they could see the movement of prey on the open planes of North Africa. Rottweilers are large and powerful because they were bred to pull carts and protect the contents from thieves.

    By Country of Origin

    • Siberian Huskies are quite capable of enduring freezing temperatures.

      Dogs are a source of pride for their compatriots.The British Bulldog is informally used as a symbol of strength and resilience by the British. The region in which a dog breed was established strongly influences the appearance. If you look closely at a dog, you can predict with some accuracy what part of the world it originates from. For example, dogs with thick, white coats such as Huskies and Samoyeds come from cold, snowy regions. Sight-hounds, such as the Saluki and Borzoi, were bred on the flat lands of North Africa. All sight hounds are lean and elegant with short or fine hair to keep them cool.

    By Size

    • Dogs have an extremely diverse size range.

      You might need to classify dogs by size for practical reasons. For instance, if you are considering bring a new pet into your bijou downtown apartment. Typically dogs are split into four unofficial size groupings. Toy-sized dogs, such as Chihuahuas, are the smallest. Terrier-sized dogs are also relatively small, but larger and typically more energetic than toy-sized dogs. There is a wide-ranging group of dogs that are loosely categorized as "large," including German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers and Dalmatians. "Giant" breeds, such as the Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound and St. Bernard are the largest.