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General Information
about Non-Sporting Dogs
All of the dogs listed below belong to the collection of dogs referred to as
Non-Sporting Dogs.
Dogs in the Non-Sporting Group are a diverse group which do not fit the
specified criteria of the other breed groups. In addition, the Non-Sporting Group may no longer perform the tasks they were originally bred for. These dogs vary in every conceivable way from size, temperament,
features and coats! Some are well known and some are less common.
There is no unifying theme
with these dogs! Times,
fashions and societies have changed and so have the need for
breeds to assist in what was once considered entertainment, or
sport, such as bull or bear baiting.
Non-Sporting
Breed
- Past Duties
The characteristics and features
of Non-Sporting Dogs cannot be generalised. Each breed would have
originally have been introduced and strengthened
by
breeding with animals who already demonstrated the desired traits.
Breeding for appearance was only introduced in the 19th Century.
Before this time dogs and puppies were bred to increase useful abilities and traits
helpful for the duties they were intended for. Because of
the diverse nature of these breeds it is not possible to detail
every task they were involved with but here are a few:
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Hunting game
birds - the Finnish Spitz
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Hunting
waterfowl
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Hunting
small game - the Shiba
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Truffle
hunter - the Poodle
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Bull
Baiting - the English Bulldog
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Coach
Dog - the Dalmatian
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Circus
Performers
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Guarding
duties
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In
this day and age only a few of the breeds might undertake these tasks, but
nevertheless, they still harbour the skills and characteristics that made
the original breeding programs so successful. These dogs
generally fall into the medium to large size groups and make
popular family companions.
Information
about Non-Sporting Dogs
To discover more about
specific breeds of Non-Sporting Dogs, their origins, history, temperaments and
characteristics please follow one of the following links:
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Non-Sporting Dogs
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