The Yorkshire Terrier originated from Yorkshire but its descendants were several types of Terrier from Scotland, which were brought to Yorkshire by working men who developed the breed for the purpose of rat catching.  These descendants are believed to have included the Clydesdale Terrier, the Waterside Terrier and the Old English Terrier. The Paisley Terrier […]

The West Highland Terrier originated in Poltalloch, Scotland. They were originally called the Polatalloch Terrier, as well as the Roseneath Terrier. In the mid 19th century, Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm started this breed. The story goes that the Colonel kept a group of light coloured terriers as hunting dogs. One day while on a hunt, […]

The Keeshond is a medium breed of dog originating from Germany and Holland. It is a member of the Spitz group of dogs which include Pomeranians, Chow Chows and Alaskan Malamutes. The breed came to prominence during the Dutch Revolution as the symbol of the Dutch Patriot political party. The leader of this party, Cornelius […]

Italian Greyhounds are an ancient breed, dating back over 5,000 years. Evidence of their remains has been found in Egyptian tombs and drawings of the breed were found in the ruins of Pompeii. These dogs were mostly used as companions, but some have been used for rodent catching and falcon hunting. By the Middle Ages, […]

Known as “the Apollo of all dogs,” the Great Dane is an ancient breed dating back to 3000 BC Egypt. The Dane we know today was developed not in Denmark but in Germany, where it was used for hunting wild boar. The name can be traced to the 18th century, before which the breed was […]

Golden Retrievers were first bred in Scotland during the mid 1800’s. Because of an upswing in the number and quality of hunting guns during that time, hunters found that they were losing a lot of game. In order to combat this, Sir Dudley Marjoribanks decided to breed a type of dog that would be inclined […]

All Schnauzers were developed in Germany in the 19th century on the farmlands of Wurttemberg and Bavaria. The Giant Schnauzer (known in Germany as Riesenschnauzer) was developed by crossing the standard variety, which was developed first, with the black Great Dane and other herding breeds, for the purpose of herding and guarding. Until the 20th […]

As its name suggests, the German Shepherd was first bred in Germany. The forefathers of this breed were working dogs that were bred selectively for their intelligence, agility and strength. These dogs resembled the modern German Shepherd, but varied from region to region. In 1899, a German man named Max von Stephanitz purchased one of […]

By looking at its name, it’s easy to get the idea that the French Bulldog originated in France but that isn’t quite the case. This breed actually comes from Nottingham, England. The bulldogs of that area and time were big and tenacious which made them great for baiting bulls, but not as desirable as a […]

The English Bulldog has been around for a while, although its ancestors were quite different in temperament than the Bulldog of today. These dogs were originally bred for the sport of bull baiting. This betting sport required the dog to attack and subdue a bull. Naturally, the dogs bred for this task would have to […]