Page 351 - (DK) The Dog Encyclopedia

GLOSSARY

DEWLAP Loose, hanging skin that falls in folds HARLEQUIN A color pattern comprising the mouth is closed. The other teeth interlock with
on the chin, throat, and neck of some breeds: for irregularly sized patches of black on white; seen no gaps and form the cutting edge of the “scissors.”
example, the Bloodhound. only in the Great Dane.
SEMIERECT EARS Erect ears in which only
DOCKED TAIL A tail cut to a specific length, HOCK Joint on the hind leg; equivalent to the the tip is inclined forward, as seen in breeds such
according to the breed standard. The procedure is human heel; in dogs this is elevated because they as the Rough Collie (right).
normaly done when puppies are only a few days walk on their toes.
old. The practice is illegal in parts of Europe, except SESAME A coat color comprising an equal
on working dogs such as the German Pointer. ISABELLA A fawn color found in some breeds, mixture of black and white hairs. In black
including the Bergamasco and Dobermann. sesame, there are more black hairs than white;
DOLICHOCEPHALIC HEAD A long, narrow red sesame is a mixture of red and black hairs.
head with an imperceptible stop, as seen in the MASK Dark coloration on the face, usually
Borzoi, for example. around the muzzle and eyes. SICKLE TAIL Tail that is carried in a half circle
over the back.
DOUBLE COAT Coat consisting of a thick, MERLE A marbled coat with darker patches or
warm underlayer and a weatherproof top layer. spots. Blue merle (black on a bluish-gray SPOONLIKE FEET Similar to catlike feet but
background) is the most common variation. more oval in shape because the middle toes are
DROP EARS Ears that hang down from their longer than the outer toes.
base. Pendant ears are a more extreme form of MESATICEPHALIC HEAD Head shape in
drop ears, being longer and heavier. which the base and width are of medium STOP The indentation between the muzzle
proportions. The Labrador Retriever and Border and the top of the head, in between the eyes.
ERECT EARS Upright or pricked ears with Collie are examples of breeds with this type of The stop is almost absent in dolichocephalic
pointed or rounded tips. Candle-flame ears are head shape. breeds, such as the Borzoi, and very pronounced
an extreme type of erect ears. in brachycephalic and dome-headed breeds, such
NEUTERING A surgical procedure that prevents as the Cocker Spaniel and the Chihuahua.
ESTRUS A period of about three weeks in the dogs from breeding. Male dogs are castrated at
reproductive cycle during which a female dog can about six months and female dogs spayed about TEMPERAMENT The character of a dog.
be mated. Primitive breeds tend to come into three months after their first estrus.
estrus once a year (as do wolves); in other breeds TOPCOAT Outer coat of guard hairs.
it is usually twice a year. OTTER TAIL A thickly furred, rounded tail
that has a broad base and tapers to the tip; the TOPKNOT Long tuft of hair on the top of the
FEATHERS, FEATHERING Fringes of hair hair on the underside is parted. head.
that may be found on the ear margins, belly,
backs of legs, and the underside of the tail. PACK Usually used to describe a group of scent TOPLINE The outline of the dog’s upper body
or sight hounds that hunt together. from ears to tail.
FLEWS The lips of a dog. Most commonly used
to describe the fleshy, hanging upper lips in dogs PASTERN Lower part of the leg, below the TRICOLOR A coat of three colors in well-
of the mastiff type. carpals (wrist bones) of the foreleg or the hock on defined patches, usually black, tan, and white.
the hind leg.
FORELOCK Lock of hair on the forehead that TUCKED UP Referring to the belly, an upward
falls forward between the ears. PENDANT EARS Ears that hang down from curve to the abdomen toward the hindquarters,
their base; an extreme form of drop ears. typically seen in breeds such as the Greyhound
FURROW A shallow groove, seen in some breeds, and the Whippet.
that runs from the top of the head down to the stop. PENDULOUS LIPS Full, loosely hanging upper
or lower lips. UNDERCOAT Underlayer of hair, usually
GAIT Movement or action. short, thick, and sometimes woolly, that
ROSE EARS Small, drop ears that fold outward provides insulation between the topcoat
GRIFFON (Fr.) Referring to a coarse or wire coat. and backward so that part of the ear canal is and the skin.
exposed. This type of ear is seen in Whippets.
GRIZZLE Usually a mixture of black and white UNDERSHOT Facial conformation in which
hairs, which gives a blue-gray or iron-gray shading RUFF A long, thick collar of stand-out hair the lower jaw protrudes beyond the upper jaw,
to the coat. It is seen in some breeds of terrier. around the neck. seen in breeds such as the Bulldog.

GROUP Dog breeds are classified into various SABLE A coat color in which hairs tipped with UNDERSHOT BITE The normal bite of
groups by the Kennel Club, FCI, and American black overlay a lighter background color. brachycephalic breeds such as the Bulldog.
Kennel Club. The groups are loosely based on Because the lower jaw is longer than the
function but no two systems agree. The number SADDLE A darker colored area that extends upper jaw, the incisor teeth do not meet
and names of the groups differ, as do the breeds over the back. and the lower incisors are in front of the
that are recognized and included in them. upper ones.
SCISSORS BITE The normal bite of dogs with
HACKNEY GAIT Dogs with this type of action, mesaticephalic and dolichocephalic heads. The WITHERS The highest point of the shoulder,
such as the Miniature Pinscher, raise the lower part upper incisors (front teeth) are slightly in front where the neck meets the back. A dog’s height is
of the leg particularly high as they walk. of but in contact with the lower incisors when measured vertically from the ground to the withers.

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