Most Mastiffs have notoriously wet mouths and loose lips, so they drool an awful lot. This is not the case with the American Mastiff. Originally bred in Ohio from the English and Anatolian Mastiffs, the American Mastiff has a firmer lip line and a drier mouth than most of the other Mastiff breeds. Selective breeding has maintained this trait, so this breed is excellent for people who love the Mastiff but hate the drool.
Sometimes weighing over 200 pounds, the American Mastiff is a large and powerful dog. Its chest is broad and the head is wide. Ears are round and set quite high on the head. The feet are, quite frankly, huge, so it should come as no surprise that his dog can stand as high as 36 inches. The tail is quite long, typically reaching the hocks if held downward. Eyes should be a dark amber.
Puppies are born dark in color and lighten as they age, so don't be surprised when you see a bunch of dark puppies squirming around a lighter-colored mother. Most dogs lighten to a fawn by one year of age, but some will retain darker hairs. Acceptable colors include fawn, apricot, and brindle. White markings are acceptable on the chin, nose, chest and feet. The face, including the ears, must have a dark mask. The coat is short and lays flat against the skin, making grooming easy. Simply stroke with a stiff brush and shine up your dog with a chamois cloth and your dog is gleaming.
Despite their large size, the American Mastiff is great with children. They are loving and playful and will happily romp with the little ones until darkness falls. The American Mastiff isn't usually an aggressive breed, but if its family is threatened you'll quickly see the protective side emerge. This is especially true if the children are threatened. So don't threaten the children.
Loyal and devoted, this loving breed is great with families of all sizes. They bond quickly to their family and don't like to be separated. In addition, the American Mastiff is kind, patient, understanding, gentle, and very wise. All in all, an excellent companion dog.
If left to their own devices, American Mastiffs are incredibly lazy. Except your furry friend to lay about on the couch all day unless there's a child playing who needs a friend. This lazy streak means they do fairly well in apartments. A small yard or a brisk walk is all they really need to keep them healthy and happy. Unlike other large breeds, the American Mastiff is a hardy breed with few of the health problem you'd often see in a breed this size.
If you're looking for a dog that is great with kids and relatively easy to exercise, the American Mastiff might be for you. Their gentle nature makes them excellent companions for the young and old alike.
It is an unfortunate fact that some breeds are changed to suit the needs and desires of people, sometimes so much so that the new breed bears no resemblance at all to the parent breed. This is the case with the Lo-Sze. In ancient China there are references to three distinct dogs with small heads and short legs. The first resembles the Pekingese, though it was referred to as the Fu Lin. The second was the Shoku-Ken, a dog that is probably the ancestor of the Japanese Chin. The third was the Lo-Sze, which looked similar to the Fu Lin but with a shorter coat and a tail that wasn't at all feathered. The Lo-Sze is the ancestor of the modern day Pug.
When trading began with the western world, all three dog were changed irrevocably. The Pekingese, Japanese Chin, and Pug all emerged, but the older breeds were quiet lost to time. In 1989 a woman by the name of Rebecca Manns began researching the history of the Pug and its older Chinese ancestor. When she discovered that the original traits of the Lo-Sze had been abandoned in favor of European traits, she decided to do what she could to restore the original grandeur of the Lo-Sze. In 1998 the American Lo-Sze Pug was recognized by the International Rare Breed Dog Club Registry, proving Manns efforts successful.
Like the modern Pug, the American Lo-Sze Pug should be short of stature but broad in the chest and face. The nose should have wide nostrils but may be of any color. A wrinkle in the nose is preferred but not required. Ears are set high and may be either drop-style or rose formation. Think Pug, but not quite Pug. This breed can weigh up to 12 pounds but stands no more than 10 inches tall.
The tail of the American Lo-Sze Pug should be set high and carried directly over the back. Offset tails are not allowed. The preferred coat type should be short, soft, and smooth. An undercoat may or may not be present. Less desired, but still permitted, is a longer coat with feathering around the ears, tail, legs, and toes. Regardless of coat type, any color or pattern is acceptable. A weekly brushing should keep the coat in top shape.
The American Lo-Sze Pug is a highly social dog and loves to be around adults, children, and other pets. They have been known to get along well with dogs, cats, birds, and even squirrels. This breed is a bit of a clown and will enchant family and friends with his antics. Smart and responsive, the American Lo-Sze Pug is easy to train, but may show shyness around strangers. They do bark to alert to anything suspicious, but they're not incessant about it.
Like the common Pug, the American Lo-Sze Pug does have a few health issues, many of them associated with the blunt nose so associated with this type of dog. Look for cleft palate, inadequate blinking, lacrimal duct atresia, patella luxation, stenotic nares, and umbilical hernia. They can also suffer from such conditions as cataracts, cleft lip, distichiasis, elongated soft palate, and hip dysplasia.
Because of the short nose, the American Lo-Sze Pug is prone to overheating. Case must be taken when exercising this dog and it should never be left outside in the heat. Or in the cold, for that matter. In fact, this dog is definitely an indoor dog. If your dog overheats, throwing a cold bucket of water over him usually helps. Sometimes veterinary intervention is required, so watch your dog closely.
If you're looking for a dog that is excellent with children and does well in small spaces, the American Lo-Sze Pug might be for you.
There's a great deal of debate surrounding the origins of the modern American Indian Dog. Some claim they are an ancient breed while others are certain that the current American Indian Dog is merely a recreation of a much older breed. In the end, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that there is an American Indian Dog and its popularity is growing slowly but steadily.
The American Indian Dog is medium in size with a light build. They can be up to 20 inches tall, but they only weigh 60 pounds at their heaviest. The ears are pricked and very pointy while the muzzle has a natural look. The eyes are medium in shape and have a slanted appearance. Acceptable eye color includes yellow, blue, gray, or even silver. The color and the shape of the eyes give the impression that the dog is staring right into your soul.
The nose and lips should be black, though liver is an acceptable color for some coat colors. Teeth should come together in a scissor bite. The tail should be plumed and medium in length. It should be carried with a slight curve, though this curve should never extend over the back.
This sturdy breed has a medium-length coat that is shiny and thick. Hair is longer on the tail, ruff, shoulders, chest, and on the back of the legs. Acceptable colors include blue, black, chocolate, cream, fawn, gray, golden red, red and tan, silver, tan, and white. All colors should have sable shading with darker tipped guard hairs. There should be very little spotting or defining marks between the colors, meaning the colors on the coat blend together seamlessly. Some white on the chest, collar, feet, and tip of the tail is accepted but not desired.
The American Indian Dog is a true pack animal so it tends to bond intensely with its family. They are quite territorial and don't like unknown people or animals in their space. Wary of strangers, they make good watchdogs. This breed is also highly intelligent and easy to train. Sometimes the American Indian Dog will try to take charge of the entire family, but a strong pack leader (a human one) can normally head this off.
With its ability to adapt to most environments and its overall health, this is a good choice for a family pet or companion dog. It should be noted, however, that the American Indian Dog is not recognized by all associations.
Sometimes genetics grows a sense of humor, as it did in 1972. A little of Rat Terriers was born, and among them was a tiny hairless female. This dog, named Josephine, was bred when she matured, but produced only a single hairless pup. Her next several litters produced no puppies of the hairless variety. Finally, when Josephine was nine years old, she produced two hairless puppies, one male and one female. These pups would be the basis for a new breed that would eventually be labeled as the American Hairless Terrier.
This hairless trait is quite different from the hairless trait shared by other 'hairless' dogs. For one thing, the American Hairless Terrier has no powder-puff variety; they're all hairless. All of them. The second and most importance difference is that the American Hairless Terrier has a autosomal recessive hairless gene instead of the semi-lethal dominant gene common in other hairless breeds. This results in a healthier dog that is truly hairless in every respect.
Physically, the American Hairless Terrier is nearly identical to the Rat Terrier (except for the hairless nature, of course). They're a medium sized dog, typically weighing in at no more than 16 pounds, with strong shoulders, a deep chest, and powerful legs. Ears should be perky and tails should be left long. Docking the tail is an immediate disqualification in the show ring.
Puppies are born with a light fuzz, but this fuzz will shed out as the pup matures. They should be entirely hairless by the time they are six weeks old. The skin should be primarily gray with black, gold, gray, or red spots. There should be no tuffs of hair on an adult dog, but all dogs should have normal eyebrows and whiskers.
Like Rat Terriers, American Hairless Terriers are sweet, playful, loving, and very smart. They also have a lot of energy and are great with children. This last part is especially true if they are raised from puppyhood with said children because they will develop an intense bond to the entire family. This terrier is really territorial, making them excellent watchdogs.
Terriers through and through, the American Hairless Terrier is quick, feisty, and fearless. Because they are so intelligent they are fairly easy to train, but they also have a dominant streak. Proper obedience classes and at least 30 minutes a day of exercise can help curb this and other undesirable behaviors, especially if you keep your dog in an apartment.
American Hairless Terriers don't have the health problems associated with many of the hairless breeds such as absent premolars and skin complications, but that doesn't mean everything is rosy. Because they really do have no hair, they can get sunburns and even occasional rashes. Use a sunscreen rated for dogs and apply lotion (that is lanolin-free) to any rashes that develop. This dog has sweat glands, so expect your dog to sweat and even get pimples. Sweating is normal and pimples will go away on their own.
The total lack of hair makes this dog as 'hypoallergenic' as dogs can get. They still drop dander, however, so they are not truly allergen-free. Still, many people who are allergic to dogs find they can tolerate the American Hairless Terrier. The lack of hair also means that this breed experiences the cold quite intensely, so don't leave him outside in the winter.
If you're looking for a dog with boundless energy who won't drop hair all over your sofa, the American Hairless Terrier might be for you. Just remember to buy him a sweater.
