All Dogs Welcome

The annual Westminster Dog Show airs this Monday and Tuesday, February 13 - 14th.  The AKC has recently admitted 6 new dogs that will debut in their groups during this years competition.  These are not new breeds of dogs. Don't be confused.  Some of them have been around longer than we can track.  But rather they have been newly admitted to the AKC and are now eligible to compete in one of the most prestigious kennel shows in the world.

I've provided a brief description of each of these breeds below but strongly recommend that you watch the show to learn more!

The Entlebucher Mountain Dog is the smallest of the four tri-colored Swiss Mountain Dogs.  This group also includes the Appenzeller Sennenhund, Bernese Mountain Dog and the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.  The overall appearance of the Entle is that of a strong, compact dog of medium size.  This breed presents with a short, thick coat consisting of tri-colored markings that truly stand out.  The primary color is bright black with symmetrical, pure white markings on the feet, chest, muzzle and blaze.  Shades ranging from fawn to a deep mahogany are seen on the eyebrows and between the black and white markings.  This is a highly intelligent dog that trains easily.  He is as happy to play as he is to exercise his impressive work ethic.  This is an extremely self-assured dog of high energy and intensity.  This is not a breed that is recommended for the casual dog owner.

The Norwegian Lundehund is a small, Spitze type of dog that, as the name suggests, originated in Norway.  The breed was developed for the purpose of hunting Puffin (small birds) and their eggs.  This is a small dog with a unique blend of spitze type characteristics assuring that it has a great agility, prowess and range of motion that allows them to easily maneuver in tight places, including extricating themselves from small passage ways during their hunt. Thus making them perfect for their task.  The double coat consists of a harsh undercoat and soft outer coat ranging in color from fallow to reddish brown to tan with black hair tips and white markings, or, white with red or dark markings.  The black hair tips increase as the dog matures. This is an intelligent and playful breed that is very loyal to their people.  They are at times, however, wary of strangers.  But their small size and winning personalities make them ideal pets.

The Finnish Lupphund is medium sized and displays the temperament of a herding dog with a look common to northern type dogs.  The face of this dog somewhat resembles a cross between a wolf and a teddy bear!  This breed originates from north of the Arctic Circle and was, in fact, developed to live and work outdoors. Therefore it possesses an extremely thick and profuse double coat that is both warm and waterproof.  The color of the coat varies tremendously including white, black, red, brown, sable and wolf-sable.  However each dog should be predominately one color with markings of another color.  The breed was developed from hunting dogs but bred for herding.  They enjoy their work and while herding are very agile, noisy and active.  There interactions with people tend to be calm and friendly, bordering on submissive.  Lappies, as they are also known, require daily exercise and activities.

The Cesky Terrier is a small, terrier type dog that originated in Czechoslovakia.  It somewhat resembles the Miniature Schnauzer in appearance though it is actually a cross between the Sealyham Terrier and the Scottish Terrier.  It is a rather short-legged yet long bodied dog with a bushy beard, mustache and eyebrows on its elongated head.  It has a silky, wavy coat that can be seen in shades of gray-blue with tan, gray, white, or yellow furnishings or light coffee, drop ears and a natural tail.  Although most pups are born with black coats that change as they mature.  The Cesky was bred to work in packs and is considerably quieter and less active than most terriers.  Though this breed is extremely loyal to their family members they have a tendency to be quit reserved with strangers.  Therefore they should continually be socialized throughout their lives.

The American English Coonhound is a descendant of the English Foxhound that arrived in the U.S. and was used in the development of the 'Virginia Hounds.'  It is renowned for its excellent voice, tremendous speed and endurance.   The earlier stock dogs were bred to be able to hunt both fox and raccoon.  The American English Coonhound was developed to be a wide-ranging hunter capable of performing in tougher terrain than were his forbearers.  This is a very strong, athletic and graceful animal.  He is a medium sized dog with a hard, protective, medium length coat that presents in three types: red and white ticked, blue and white ticked and a tricolor tick pattern.  Given that he will be an avid hunter and athlete in need of regular exercise and activity to avoid behavior problems associated with boredom and frustration, this dog should be owned by active, experienced dog owners.

Xoloitzcuintli was previously known as the Mexican Hairless Dog.  It is bred in three sizes: toy, miniature and standard, and two varieties: hairless and coated.  The hairless variety will sometimes actually have short crops of hair on the top of the head, the feet, and the last third of the tail.  This variety tends to have smooth, tough, protective skin to compensate for the absence of a coat.  The coated variety is completely covered with a short, smooth coat of a dark, uniform color ranging from black, gray black, slate, red, liver or bronze, although white spots and markings are sometimes present.    The 'Xolo' (wow - that's so much easier to say) is native to Mexico where the breed is believed to have existed in access of 3,000 years and has served as both a guard dog and a companion.  the development of this breed is credited to evolution, not intentional breeding for form and function.  Xolo's make excellent companion dogs with their calm and tranquil personality and require minimal grooming.