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Breed Characteristics + English

  • Factors to Consider in Pet Selection - Cats

    You’ve probably heard lots of funny cat anecdotes; about how you don’t own them…they own YOU; how they feel superior to everyone, especially dogs; that they expect to be treated like royalty. If you are considering a feline acquisition, first consider this: lots of those remarks are true! This handout explains the other factors to consider in selecting the cat most likely to choose your family, too.

  • Factors to Consider in Pet Selection - Dogs

    Dogs can be amazing family members and greatly enrich our lives! Adding a dog to the family is also a serious commitment, and research before choosing a dog will help set the family and the dog up for success. This handout goes over some factors to consider when selecting a dog.

  • Field Spaniel

    The Field Spaniel can be a dedicated hunting companion, an enthusiastic hiking partner, eager agility competitor, ecstatic retriever of anything, and contented lap warmer, all rolled into one.

  • Finnish Lapphund

    Despite being loud, alert and agile when on the chase, Lappies are calm, friendly and very submissive with people. Their gentle disposition makes them ideal dogs around small children and the elderly.

  • Finnish Spitz

    The Finnish Spitz, the national dog of Finland, loves to bark, and his barking talents are so valued that every year in Finland, officials select a King Barker. Maybe not the breed for peace-and-quiet lovers, the Finkie, as he is known to his friends, is nonetheless a playful and devoted companion.

  • Flat-Coated Retriever

    For reasons that are difficult to explain, Flat-Coated Retrievers are not as common as pets as other retriever breeds, but it is said that once you live with a Flat-Coated Retriever, no other breed will do.

  • French Bulldog

    The Frenchie is a quiet but sociable dog who continues to love snoozing on human laps and otherwise cuddle at every opportunity.

  • Genetic (DNA) Testing

    Genetic (DNA) testing is readily available, whether you are using it for fun to find out what breeds your pet is made up of or if you are looking into possible medical conditions. DNA samples can be collected either from a cheek swab or a blood draw. Knowing which breeds your pet is made up of can help you and your veterinarian prevent or prepare for health issues in the future.

  • Genetics Basics: Breed Determination

    All dogs evolved from a common ancestor. Humans started breeding dogs for pleasure in the 19th century and this led to an intense diversification of dog species into the nearly 400 breeds recognized today. DNA tests can be performed on mixed-breed dogs to determine their breed ancestry.

  • Genetics Basics: Coat Color Genetics in Dogs

    Despite the huge variety in coat color, there are only two basic pigments that determine the color of canines: eumelanin (black) and phaeomelanin (red). All different variations in color are created by these two pigments, which are both forms of melanin. This handout discusses the details of genetics and coat color selection.