Glossary

ACTION The way a dog moves

ANAL SAC Paired glands on either side of the anus

that produce material, deposited on passed faeces,

that identifies the depositor to other dogs

BASSET Any low-set, smooth-haired breed of scent

hound with short, strong legs and long, pendulous

ears. Also known as a basset hound

BAT EAR An erect ear, broad at the base, and

rounded at the top

BLENHEIM Chestnut-and-white coat colour

BLUE MERLE Marbled blue-and-grey coat colour

mixed with black

BLUETICK A speckled coat colour of a mixture

of black hairs on a white background

BRACHYCEPHALIC HEAD A short, flattened, and

rather broad head

BREED A grouping of pure-bred dogs that are

to a great extent uniform in size and appearance

BREED STANDARDS Description of breeds against

which dogs are judged at shows

BRINDLE A mixture of black hairs with lighter

gold, brown, red, or grey hairs

BRISKET The part of the body below the chest

and between the forelegs

BROKEN COAT Wire-haired coat

BULLDOG Any breed of dog originally bred for

bull baiting, having a sturdy, thickset physique with

a broad head, muscular body, and undershot jaw.

BUTTON EAR An ear in which the flap folds

forwards, with the tip close to the skull

CANIDAE The family of carnivores to which dogs,

wolves, foxes, and jackals belong

CANINE TEETH The two upper and lower long teeth

lateral to the incisors

CARNASSIAL TEETH The first lower-molar and the

last upper-premolar teeth, enlarged and modified

for slicing flesh

CARPALS The wrist bones

CAT FEET Short, round, compact feet resembling

those of a cat

CEREBRAL CORTEX Region of the brain responsible

for hosting complex functions, such as thought

and memory

COBBY Short, compact body

COCHLEA Spiral tube forming part of the inner ear

COCKERPOO A cross between a Miniature Poodle

and a Cocker Spaniel

COLLIE A silky-coated, often long-haired dog bred

for herding sheep and cattle

COONHOUND A hound bred to track and tree

raccoon or opossum for hunters

CORDED COAT Coat consisting of separate,

rope-like twists of hair formed from intertwined

topcoat and undercoat

CORKSCREW TAIL A twisted tail

CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; a life-saving

technique involving heart massage to stimulate

circulation and artificial respiration to supply air

to the lungs

CROPPING The amputation of the ears to enable

the remaining part to stand erect. Illegal in the EU

CROSSBREED The progeny of parents of two

different breeds

CROUP The part of the back above the hips

extending to the root of the tail

CULOTTE Long hair on thighs

DANDER Flakes of skin that are shed naturally

when skin renews itself

DEWCLAW The fifth digit (thumb) on the inside

of the leg. Sometimes double dewclaws are present

DEWLAP The loose, pendulous skin under the throat

DIAPHRAGM Thin sheet of muscle separating the

chest cavity from the abdomen

DISH-FACE A type of face with an upwards slanting,

or concave, nasal bone

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid; a complex molecule

in cell nuclei that is the basic structure of genes

DOCKING Amputating the tail. Illegal in most

regions of the EU

DOUBLE COAT Warm, waterproof undercoat and

weather-resistant topcoat

DROP EAR A folded, drooping ear

DWARF A short-legged dog, originally bred for

reduced running speed

DWARFISM A naturally occurring genetic mutation,

perpetuated through selective breeding, in which

long limb bones shorten and joints thicken

DYSPLASIA, HIP An abnormal development

of hip joint tissue, usually leading to arthritis.

In part a hereditary condition

ECTROPION A condition in which the lower eyelid

hangs loosely, exposing the inner lining, or haw

ELIMINATION The act of urinating or defecating

ENTROPION A condition in which the eyelids turn

in, causing the lashes to contact the eye

EPIDIDYMIS A sperm-carrying tube situated at

the back of the testis

EPIGLOTTIS A flap of cartilage at the back of the

tongue which closes after swallowing to cover the

larynx and thus prevent food from entering the lungs

EYE TEETH The upper canines

FEATHERING The long fringe of hair on the

ears, legs, tail, or body

FEMUR The thigh bone that lies between the hip

and the knee

FIBULA The outer, thinner of the two bones in the

leg, between the stifle and the hock

FLANK The sides of the body between the last rib

and the hip

FLEWS Pendulous upper lips

FLUSHING The act of driving game from cover,

forcing it to take flight

FLYBALL A sport in which teams of dogs race

against each other, stopping to press spring-loaded

pads that release tennis balls, before running back

to their handlers while carrying the balls

FREE RADICALS Atoms or molecules in the body

that destroy cell membranes

FRONTAL BONE The skull bone over the eye

FRONTAL SINUS An air-filled cavity in the forehead,

connecting to the nose

GAIT The pattern of leg movements, such as

walking, trotting, or running, by which a dog

moves forward, often specified in breed standards

GASTROINTESTINAL Of, or relating to, the stomach

and intestines

GENETIC Concerned with hereditary factors (genes)

GREYHOUND A tall, slender dog of an ancient

breed, capable of great speed, which hunts by sight

GRIFFON A type of wire-haired scent hound

GUARD HAIRS The long, thick, heavy hair that

creates the topcoat

GUNDOG Any breed of dog bred and trained

to work with a hunter or shooting party, especially

at pointing, flushing, or retrieving

HACKLES The hair on the back and the neck that

can be raised involuntarily

HARE FOOT A long, narrow foot, with middle toes

longer than the outer toes, and not too arched

HARLEQUIN Patched colours of black or blue

on a white coat

HAUNCH The region that is directly above the hips

HEAD HALTER An arrangement of canvas or

webbing straps that fits onto a dog’s head, with

a lead attached, used to discourage a dog from

pulling. When the dog pulls forward, the momentum

pulls his head down and shuts the jaws

HEAT The female dog’s oestrus period

HEELER A dog that herds cattle by biting or nipping

at their heels

HEIGHT The distance from the top of the withers

to the ground

HOCK The leg region, formed by the tarsal bones,

between the knee and the toes

HORMONES The chemical substances that circulate

in the blood, produced by endocrine glands

HOUND Any breed of dog used for hunting

HOUSELINE A long, light leash that can be used

around the house to keep control of a dog

HUMERUS The bone of the upper arm

ILIUM The part of the pelvis into the cavity

of which the head of the femur fits

IN-BREEDING Mating of closely related dogs

ISCHIUM The hind portion of the floor of the pelvis

LABRADOODLE A cross between a Labrador

Retriever and a Standard Poodle

LACRIMAL GLAND A gland that secretes tears. It is

found in the upper, outer part of each eye socket

LAUFHUND Any breed of Swiss walking dog,

developed to accompany hunters on foot

LEARNING CENTRE Part of the brain that

has the capacity to develop consistent responses

to situations and stimuli

LENTICULAR SCLEROSIS An eye condition

in elderly dogs in which the lenses go cloudy,

impairing vision

LIVER A coat colour of brown, bronze, or reddish

brown shades – also called chocolate or brown

LOINS The front thigh muscles

MANDIBLE The lower-jaw bone

MASTIFF Any of a group of large, powerful,

short-haired dogs related to an ancient breed

originally bred for guarding, fighting, and herding.

Also known as Molossoid

MAXILLA The upper-jaw bone

MERLE EYE Flecked brown or blue eye, with

black iris

METATARSALS The bones between the hock and

the foot

MINIATURIZATION A natural genetic mutation,

perpetuated by selective breeding, in which all

parts of the skeleton are equally reduced in size

MOULT The shedding of the coat

MUTT see random-bred dog

MUZZLE The foreface – the head in front

of the eyes

NEUTERING Removing the sex hormone-producing

apparatus from the male or female. In males, the

testicles are removed. In females, the ovaries and

uterus are removed

NIEDERLAUFHUND Any of the short-legged breeds

of Swiss walking dogs, developed to accompany

hunters on foot in mountainous terrain

OESOPHAGUS The tube in the body which takes

food from the pharynx (throat) to the stomach

OESTRUS The period during which a female

ovulates and mates willingly

OVERSHOT JAW A jaw in which the front teeth

overlap and do not touch the teeth of the lower jaw

PADS The thickened cushion beneath the toes and

on the soles of the feet

PARIAH DOG Another name for a street dog

PARTI-COLOUR Two colours in variegated patches

PASTERN The region between the hock, or

wrist, and the toes

PATELLA The kneecap

PEDIGREE A record of a dog’s ancestry

PINNA The ear flap

PINSCHER German for “terrier” or “biter”

POINTER One of many breeds of dog used in

hunting, which points to indicate the position

of game to the hunter

POINTING Freezing on sight of game and pointing

in direction of game

PREMOLAR TEETH The teeth situated between the

canines and the molars

PRICK EAR An erect, pointed ear

PRIMITIVE BREED Arbitrary label applied to breeds

of dog belonging to a group of breeds that

are genetically closest to the wolf

PROSTATE GLAND A gland in males at the neck

of the bladder that secretes a liquid that acts as

transport medium for sperm

PUREBRED DOG A dog whose parents both belong

to the same breed

QUICK The area of living tissue inside a toenail,

particularly sensitive to pain

RADIUS The second bone of the foreleg lying

parallel to the ulna

RANDOM-BRED DOG A dog whose parents do not

both belong to recognized breeds. Also called a mutt

RECYCLED DOG A dog obtained from a rescue centre

REDTICK A speckled coat colour of a mixture

of red hairs on a white background

RETRIEVER Any breed of dog bred and trained

to retrieve game

ROSE EAR A small, drop ear folding over and back

SABLE Coat colour featuring black-tipped hairs

on a background of gold, silver, grey, or tan

SABRE TAIL Tail carried in a curve

SACRUM A mass of fused vertebrae situated

between the lumbar vertebrae and the bones

of the tail

SCAPULA The shoulder blade

SCENT HOUND A hound that hunts primarily

by ground scent

SCISSOR BITE A bite in which the upper teeth

closely overlap the lower teeth

SCLERA The white outer layer of the eyeball that

surrounds the eye from the cornea at the front to

the optic nerve at the back

SEASON A bitch’s heat or oestrus period

SEBACEOUS GLAND An oil-producing skin

gland that adds waterproofing to the coat

SECOND THIGH The region of the hindquarters

from the stifle to the hock

SEMI-PRICK EARS Erect ears, which have tips

that break forwards

SEPTUM The division between the nostrils

SETTER One of several breeds of dog developed to

freeze on sighting game, indicating the position

SETTING Freezing on sight of game and flushing

game upon command

SICKLE TAIL Tail carried out and up in a semicircle

SIGHT HOUND A dog that hunts more by sight than

by scent

SOUND Term generally used to describe ease

of movement

SPANIEL One of several breeds of usually

silky-coated gundogs with long, pendant ears,

used for flushing and retrieving

SPECIES A group of individuals sharing common

characteristics, with the capacity to interbreed

SPITZ A variety of curly-tailed dog, resembling

a wolf, that developed in Arctic regions

STIFLE The joint between the thigh and the

second thigh

STOP The depression before the eyes between the

skull and the muzzle

STREET DOG A stray dog, without an owner, which

survives through scavenging

STRIPPING A COAT The removal by hand

of old hair from a wire-haired coat

TAIL SET The position of the tail

TERRIER One of many breeds of small dog,

originally used to follow prey underground

THICK-SET Broad and solid

THIGH The region from the hip to the stifle

THYROID GLAND The largest endocrine

glands in the dog’s body, producing hormones

vital for growth and metabolism

TIBIA The inner bone between the stifle and the hock

TICKING Non-solid coat colour, a mixture

of coloured hairs on a white background

TOLL To lure (for example, a duck tolling retriever

entices ducks to come ashore, capering and leaping

in a fox-like manner)

TOPCOAT Coat of heavy, primary (guard) hairs

TOPKNOT The long, fluffy hair that grows on

the crown of the head

TOY The smallest size classification of dogs

TREEING Tracking or driving prey into a tree, and

then alerting the human hunter

TRICOLOUR Three-coloured – black, white, and tan

ULNA The larger of the lower-foreleg bones

UNDERCOAT The dense, usually short, soft coat

closest to the skin

UNDERSHOT JAW A jaw in which the lower-front

teeth stick out beyond the upper-front teeth

UVEA The middle layer of the eye, made up of

the iris, the ciliary body, and the choroid

VESTIGIAL A part of the body whose original

function has been lost or superseded during

evolution. For example, the dewclaw

VOMERONASAL ORGAN A sensory organ found in

the nose that recognizes specific pheromones

WATER DOG A dog bred and trained to hunt in,

or retrieve from, water

WELL-BONED Showing good thickness, quality, and

strength in the legs, especially the forelegs

WELL-SPRUNG RIBS Rounded, as opposed

to flattened, ribs

WHEATEN Pale yellow or fawn coat colour

WITHERS The highest point on the trunk

of a dog’s body just behind the neck

WRINKLES The loose folds of skin around

the skull