The Airedale Terrier is named after a valley in West Riding of Yorkshire. The river Aire runs through the valley and on its shores lived the people who first bred this dog. The offspring of Welsh Terriers and Otterhounds, the Airedale was bred with hunting in mind. During the 19th century it was not unusual [...]

Akitas originate from the northeast region of the Japanese island Honshu. The ancestors of the modern Akita, the Matagi dogs, flourished in this area centuries ago. The Matagi were hunting dogs that fed themselves on large game like elk, boar, and antelope. Recent dating efforts show that these dogs are one of the oldest breeds. [...]

One of the oldest dog breeds, Alaskan Malamutes are descendants of the dogs of the Alaskan Inuit tribe known as the Mahlemut, for whom they served the vital roles of sled dogs, pack dogs and hunting companions. During the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 19th century, Malamutes assisted exploratory expeditions into the Arctic and [...]

The ancestors of the American Bulldog are the Mastiffs of the British Isles. In the 11th century, these Mastiffs were bred with Spanish Alaunts to produce the Bulldog. Strong and tenacious, Bulldogs were used in herding and hunting tasks. As their name suggests, dogs of this breed were also used in bull-baiting. This “sport” involved [...]

The Anatolian Shepherd is an ancient breed of guardian dogs hailing from Turkey. As the name suggests, Anatolian Shepherd dogs were bred to guard livestock from all kinds of animal predators, and the breed continues to serve this important function even today. Imported to Britain in the 1960s by archaeologist-author Charmian Hussey, Anatolian Shepherds are [...]

The Australian Cattle Dog (ACD) was developed in the 19th century to herd wild cattle over long distances, when the available breeds of dogs began to prove inadequate for the demands of the burgeoning beef industry of the new settlers. Dingo, a native Australian hunting dog, was crossed with a Dalmatian, Highland Collies and the [...]

The Basenji is a hunting dog originating from central Africa, going back four thousand years. One of the earliest accounts of the breed where they were given as presents to the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. The breed was first introduced in England in 1937, and the first litter of Basenji puppies raised to maturity in [...]

The Basset Hound is a short legged breed of the hound family. Originating in France it was bred from the bloodhound to hunt rabbits. The name Basset is derived from the French word bas, meaning “low”, with the attenuating suffix -et, together meaning “rather low”. In France, basset hounds rose to the height of popularity [...]

Beagles have been a recognised breed in England since the 1830s and came about from breeding a number of breeds including the Talbot Hound, the North Country Beagle, the Southern Hound, and possibly the Harrier. Before then the name Beagle was used as a generic term to describe several small hound breeds. Reverend Phillip Honeywood [...]

The Bearded Collie is a herding dog from the Scottish Highlands. The modern day breed is traced back by a bloodline to the end of World War 11 when Mrs. G.O. Willison, owner of the Bothkennar Kennels began to breed them for show purposes and pushed the establishment of the Bearded Collie Club in Britain [...]

The Beauceron is a French herding breed whose oldest records date back to the late 1500s. Pierre Megnin, in 1863, established two types of sheepdogs, one with a long coat, which became known as the Briard, and the other with a short coat, which became the Beauceron. In 1889, the breed name and standard were [...]

The Bedlington Terrier came to be from the country of Northumberland, England and was originally known as the Rothbury Terrier, named after the district of Rothbury. Around 1825 the breed was renamed the Bedlington Terrier after the Bedlington Mining Shire. It was the pride of the Shire for its hunting of foxes, hares and badgers. [...]

The Belgian Shepherd has the honor of being the only breed to have four distinct variations. Each only differs by coat and colour. There is the long coated black – the Groenendael, the long coated other than black – the Tervueren, the short coated – the Malinois and the rough coated – the Laekenois. The [...]

The origins of the Bernese Mountain Dog are not well documented. There is a long history of this breed in Switzerland.  They began appearing in paintings and tapestries around the 17th Century. Believed to have descended from the mastiff dogs of Romans who invaded Switzerland around two thousand years ago, it is said that these [...]

The Bichon Frise is a descendant the Barbet or Water Spaniel and the Standard Poodle. These little powder puff dogs were early favourites of sailors in the 14th century, who carried them from one continent to another, as barter, while also using them as companions on the ships. It is believed that Spanish seamen introduced [...]

There has been an ongoing debate on where Bichon Maltais breed originated from. Many think that the little white dog came from Malta in the Mediterranean area. But there is evidence that the Maltaid may have come from Asia, related to Tibetan Terrier or from Switzerland descended from a Spitz. However, the oldest record dated [...]

The Bloodhound’s name supposedly means “hound of pure blood,” and is not to be mistakenly taken as “blood-seeking hound”. Records for the breed can be traced back to the 14th century. It was here that the rebel William Wallace of Scotland was successfully tracked by Sleuth Hounds, which later were determined to be the same [...]

Belonging in the herding group, the Border Collie originated in the border country between Scotland and England. Formerly called the “Scotch Sheep Dog”, the Border Collie helped sheep herders organise and lead a large herd of sheep. Like most herding breeds the Border Collie descended from the Persian Sheepdog. In the second half of the [...]