BACKGROUND The favourite animal of the Florentine Nobles of the 15th Century, the Lowchen catered to the whims of the elite. Ladies at court clipped the hair from the dog's backs and used them as "hot water bottles". Developed in Europe, the breed has been traditionally clipped similar to the Portuguese Water Dog in the lion trim (poodle look). This is probably not its immediate origin, but the similarity o ...

BACKGROUND The large Munsterlander is a black and white variety of the German Longhaired Pointer. Its ancestors can be traced back to the 9th Century. The large Munsterlander was introduced to Australia and recognised by the Australian National Kennel Council in 1983. AVERAGE LIFESPAN The average lifespan of a large Munsterlander is 12 to 16 years. BREED PERSONALITY, CHARACTERISTICS & TEMPERAMENT This i ...

BACKGROUND The origin of the Keeshond is the Netherlands. The Keeshond (pronounced caze-hawnd) is best known as the Dutch Barge Dog, having come to prominence guarding the barges traveling up and down the canals of Holland. It took its name from Cornelis de Gyselaar, the leader of the Patriots in the Netherlands during the late 1700s, whose dog "Kees" became the political emblem of the Dutch party. AVERAGE ...

BACKGROUND One of life's mysteries is why the Japanese Chin is still comparatively rare and unknown. Here is a little dog that has it all - it is easy to care for, lovely to look at, and has even had Royal patronage - Queen Alexandra owned 261 of them! The Japanese Chin is one of the most ancient of breeds and its exact history is difficult to determine, but ancestors can be traced back to China or Korea mo ...

BACKGROUND This small breed is a recent development in Japan where its ancestors have been kept as "family dogs" since ancient times. It is thought that the Japanese Spitz originated from the "Peat Dog" that spread from the Swiss Lakes and from Finland ABOUT 6000 years ago, before finally reaching Japan and China by 400 A.D. The first Japanese Spitz arrived in Australia in 1979. Although the Japanese Spitz ...

BACKGROUND The Reverend Jack Russell was very interested in fox hunting and saw the need for a small terrier to be used to flush out foxes that had gone to ground. In 1814 he acquired a terrier bitch named Trump from the local milkman which became his foundation bitch – and so the breed was born.The first Jack Russells were quite tall dogs (35cm) but during the years the breed has changed, and there are now ...

BACKGROUND The origin of the Irish Wolfhound has been lost in antiquity, however, from illustrations dating back to 1400 BC we know that the Celts had huge hounds. Irish mythology, legends and sagas abound with the exploits of this ancient breed. This dog was the companion of kings - whether at war, on the hunt or just by the hearth. History tells of many hounds being sent to the royal houses of both Europe ...

BACKGROUND The ancestry of the Irish Terrier goes back into the mists of time, and long ago it was used by the Irish farmers as a worker, a guard dog for the family and a wonderful companion. It has a heart three sizes too big for its shaggy body; a heart that is as white and clean as that of a knight-errant. There is a psychic side of the Irish Terrier too, found in almost no other dog, a tinge of the myst ...

BACKGROUND The Italian Greyhound is a true miniature of the Greyhound, and goes back to the times of the Egyptian Pharaohs, as drawings of small greyhounds, very similar to the Italian Greyhound, were to be found painted on the walls of their tombs. They were most likely taken by the Romans from Egypt to the Mediterranean, and became very popular in the European courts for a number of centuries. In England, ...

BACKGROUND The Irish Water Spaniel is acknowledged to be a very old breed, but as is the case with so many Irish dogs and horses, it is impossible to separate fact from folklore and the exact date of origin cannot be established. It is believed to be a descendant of the old Portuguese Water Dogs and Spaniel root stock that came to Ireland from the Iberian Peninsula. The lineage can be traced back to the per ...