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Dog Dictionary
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Agility: A judged competitive timed events for dogs and their handlers in which dogs are trained to master different obstacles such as: tunnels, bridges, various types of high jumps, jumps through windows, board jumps, and jumps through tires. The course also includes inclined planes, elevated planks to walk, A-frames to climb, and more. Various agility titles are awarded to dogs that successfully complete the course in which they are entered.
Angulation: Angles created by bones of the dog, meeting at their joints.
Apple-headed: Refers to a dog's head that is round on top.
Armband: The number worn on the handler's left arm when in a dog show, that corresponds to the number listed in the official show catalog.
B
Bait: In a dog show, the food or object the handler uses to focus the dog's attention or to have it look alert in the ring.
Balance: Overall proportion and symmetry of conformation.
Barrel chest: Rounded ribcage.
Bat ear: Erect, broad next to the head and rounded at the tip, such as the ears on a Chihuahua.
Bear ears: Small erect ears on a dog.
Bench show: A dog show at which the dogs are kept on assigned benches when not being shown in competition, so they can be viewed and discussed by attendees, exhibitors, and breeders.
Best of Opposite Sex: In an AKC conformation dog show, the best dog that is of the opposite sex to the Best of Breed Winner.
Best of Winners: In an AKC conformation dog show, the dog judged as best between the Winners Dog and the Winners Bitch.
Bitch: Female dog.
Bite: Relationship of the upper and lower jaws of a dog when the mouth is closed.
Blunt ears: Ears on a dog that are too short and rounded at the tips.
Bred-by-Exhibitor Class: AKC term, a regular class for dogs that are owned or co-owned by one of the breeders and shown by one of the breeders or a member of the breeder's immediate family.
Breeder: A breeder of a particular dog is the person who owned the dam (mother) at the time she was bred to produce that dog.
Breeder-Owner-Handler: Someone who exhibits, owns, and handles the dog they bred.
Brisket: Chest or sternum area of a dog.
Bull-neck: Thick, muscular, often short neck.
Butterfly Nose: A dog's nose that has two colors
Button ear: A small ear where the tip folds forward nearly to the dog's skull, forming a V, an example is the Jack Russell Terrier dog.
C
Canine tooth: The first premolar; long grasping tooth or a dog's fang.
Cat foot: Short, round foot on a dog.
Catalog: An AKC term, the official listing of all dogs entered in the show, categorized by breed. Each breed is divided first by sex for class judging of non-champions. Next, champions are listed in the Best of Breed class. The catalog assigns each dog a number and follows with the dog's name, AKC registration number, date of birth, parentage, and ownership.
Catalog Order: See above…ordering of the dogs in the ring for preliminary class judging in the order they appear listed in the catalog.
Champion: An AKC title conferred upon a dog that has earned 15 points in competition as a result of defeating a specified number of dogs at a series of AKC dog shows.
Close behind: Moving with hocks close together.
Cobby: Compact. Often to describe the Pomeranian’s body, as in a “cobby bodied Pomeranian”.
Conformation: The form, structure, shape, and arrangement of the parts of a dog, as they relate and conform to the written standard of the breed.
Conformation Dog Show: An event held under AKC rules where championship points are awarded. The purpose is to allow dog breeders to evaluate the success of their breeding program, with the goal of achieving structure and temperament necessary for the breed's function and to evaluate dogs for use as future breeding stock.
Crest: Arched area near the top of the dog's neck.
Cropped: When a dog's ears are surgically cut to be smaller, usually also to prompt them to stand erect
Crossing-over: When viewed from the front (or rarely, the rear), the legs converge beyond the midline.
D
Dam: Female parent.
Dealer: One who buys and sells dogs bred by others.
Dentition: Canine tooth development and eruption. There are 12 deciduous incisors that erupt at four to five weeks of age, three on each side, six in the upper jaw and six in the lower. Behind them are four deciduous canine teeth, one on either side, in the upper and lower jaws that erupt at about the same time as the incisors. The 12 deciduous premolars erupt about a week later, and are positioned behind the canines, three on each side, in the upper and lower jaws. They complete the set of 28 deciduous or milk teeth. At about 3 months of age, the central incisors are replaced by permanent teeth. The four permanent canine teeth are often the last to appear, and typically are not visible until about 6 months of age. Permanent premolars begin to erupt when a puppy is about four months of age. There are four on each side, on both the upper and lower jaws, and the rearmost is usually visible by six months of age. Those 16 permanent teeth take the place of the 12 deciduous premolars. The 2 upper molars on each side and three lower molars on each side also begin to appear at about four months, with the last of the ten erupting at about six months. Those 42 teeth make up the permanent set of adult canine teeth.
Dew claws: Extra toes on the insides of the front, and sometimes, rear legs of a dog.
Dish-faced: Nose tipped up.
Docked: When a dog's tail is shortened by surgery or oanther method, usually two or three days after birth.
Dominance: Assertive characteristics of a dog and its influence over other dogs.
Dominant: Alpha dog of a pack that displays a behavior superiority or dominance over other dogs of the pack, and exerts a rule influence.
Double-coated: When a dog breed has a thick,short undercoat that is usually dense enough to resist penetration by water and a stronger, rougher weather-resistant outer coat (topcoat), also referred to as guard hairs.
Down in pastern: Weak, overly sloping pastern.
Drive: Strong thrust from the hindquarters.
Drop Ear: An ear that folds and droops close to the head
Dudley nose: Liver-or flesh-colored nose.
Dysplasia: Abnormality of development, especially of the hip or kneecap, but it may refer to an organ of the body.
Dystropy: Abnormal behavior; behavior problems.
E
Ear Canker: External ear ulceration and infection.
Ear Carriage: 1. Describing the way the ears are held, indicating the dog's mood. 2. Position of the ear's attachment to the head.
Ear Hematoma: Pocket of blood that occurs between the layers of the ear pinna cartilage and skin. It is often caused by shaking head and whipping the ears due to ear mites or foreign bodies in the dog's external ear canals.
Ear Leather: Pinna or flap of the dog's ear.
Ear Mange: Redness and crustiness of the ear that is usually caused by ear mites
Earmark: Tattoo that is permanently inked into the ear leather of the dog, as a means of permanent identification.
Ear Ossicles: Three bones of the middle ear: malleus, incus, and stapes. They transmit sound waves from the eardrum to the otic nerve.
Ear Set: Describing where on the head the ears are attached.
Ears Set High: Placement of ears high on the crown of the head.
Ears Set Low: Placement of the ears set low on the head.
Ears Set Wide: Placement of the ears on the head at the maximum distance apart.
East-west front: When feet turn out to the sides, pointing away from each other.
Erect: Perk ear; pinna of the ear that stands erect, either normally or assisted by ear cropping.
Eruption: Normal activity of the teeth as they break through the gums.
Ewe neck: Neck that is arched so that the top line of the neck is concave and the bottom is convex.
Exhibitor: Someone whose dog is entered and shown at a dog show.
Expression: The general appearance of all features of the head
F
F1: The result of 2 purebred dogs mated together. The puppies would be F1 puppies
F2: Any next step in the breeding program after F1. Often the F1 offspring bred back to a purebred dog.
F3: Third cross after F2 and so on
Fancy: The group of people who are especially interested in purebred dogs or in a specific breed. Fanciers usually are active in the sport of purebred dogs.
Feathering: Longer fringe hair on ears, tail, or body.
Feral Dog: A dog living in a fully wild state.
Fiddle front: East-west front combined with a bowed front, so that the assembly looks like a fiddle.
Full dentition: No missing teeth.
G
Gait: Way of moving, the type of walk that a dog has.
Groups: All AKC-recognized breeds are a member of one of seven groups: Sporting (dogs developed for the hunting of feathered game); Hound (dogs commonly used for hunting by sight or scent); Working (dogs used to pull carts, guard property, and for search and rescue work); Terrier (dogs originally used to hunt vermin); Toy (dogs characterized by very small size- The Pomeranian is in this group); Non-Sporting (diverse group of multi-functional dogs not generally regarded to be game hunters); and Herding (group of dogs whose main duty is to drive livestock from one place to another).
Goose neck: Overly long, thin neck lacking strength and shape.
H
Hackney: High-stepping front movement.
Hand Stripping: The process of pulling the dead hair out of the coat of a non-shedding dog or wiry haired dog, either by using a stripping knife or the fingers. A hard, wiry coat has a cycle where it starts growing and then sheds as it reaches maximum length. Hand-stripping makes room for a new coat to grow and for the loose hairs to not tangle in with the dog's coat.
Handler: A person or agent who takes a dog into the show ring or who works the dog at a field trial or other performance.
Hare foot: Long, narrow paw.
Heel: A command to a dog to keep close beside its handler, usually to the left side of the handler
High in rear: A dog that is higher over its rear quarters than over its front quarters.
High-stationed: Tall and long-legged.
Hip dysplasia: A common and debilitating genetic disease of the hips, where the junction of the femur head (large bone in the leg) and the hip socket do not fit as they should. Often, surgery is necessary to correct the problem.
Hock: Joint on the dog's hind limb between lower thigh and pastern. Since the hock is a joint it cannot itself be long or short; terms such as long or short in hock refer to the distance between the hock joint and the ground.
I
In and In: Inbreeding of dogs without regards to results.
Inbred: Descriptive of offspring of mated dogs that are closely related to each other, for example father to daughter.
Inbreeding: Practice of mating siblings to each other: father to daughter, mother to son, or other animals closely related to each other.
Incisors: Any one of the "biting off" or "cutting" teeth directly in the front of the dog's mouth. There are six incisors in the upper jaw, six in the lower. They are named central, intermediate, and corner.
J
Junior Handler: Person between the ages of 10 and 18 who competes in an AKC-sponsored class called Junior Showmanship. Junior handlers are judged on their ability to show and handle their dog, not on the quality of the dog.
K
Kennel: 1. Backyard doghouse where family pets or breeding stock are kept. 2. Commercial establishment used to maintain a group of dogs, such as a boarding kennel.
Kennel Type: Bloodline or strain of dogs that has been developed by an individual breeder in a specific kennel.
L
Lay back: Angle at which the shoulders are set on the dog's body.
Level bite: When upper and lower incisors meet evenly
Line: 1. Family of related dogs, usually bred by a single kennel.
Linebreeding: Mating two dogs that have the same bloodline but are not closely related; a technique used to concentrate and fix genetic features in dog.
Lineage: Genealogical decent from a common ancestor; dog's pedigree or family tree.
Loin: Region between the ribcage and croup.
Loose movement: Erratic movement suggestive of poor muscle development.
Lower thigh: Area from stifle to hock, also called second thigh.
Lumbering: Heavy, ungainly movement.
M
Match show: A usually informal dog show at which no championship points are awarded. This does not show on your dog’s record.
Metacarpus: Referring to bones leading from the carpus (wrist) to the toes; anatomical region of the forepastern.
N
Neck Well Set-On: When a dog's neck forms a smooth transition into the topline and merges gradually into the withers.
O
OFA: Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
OFA Certified: A dog’s hips have been x-rayed for hip dysplasia, a very common and debilitating genetic disease.
Over bite: When upper incisors overlap lower incisors, leaving a gap between the teeth.
P
Pacing: Moving both legs on the same side of the body in unison, as though hobbled together.
Paper foot: Flat foot.
Pariah Dog: Is used as a generic term for dogs with a more or less intensive human connection.
Pastern: Region of the metatarsus that extends from the hock to the foot in the hind leg, and the metacarpal area of the foreleg.
Pedigree: The written record of a dog's family tree of three or more generations.
Plucking: Pulling out loose hair by hand.
Pounding: Front feet hitting the ground with a jarring reaction.
Premolars: Smaller teeth situated just to the rear of the fangs (canines).
Prick ear: Erect and pointed; also called pricked or erect.
Professional Handler: Person who shows dogs for a fee.
Puppy Mill: Place in which puppies are bred, often in unsuitable and sometimes inhumane conditions, for sale to dealers.
Pure-Bred: A dog who has parents of the same breed.
Q
Quik: The vein that runs into each claw on a dog's paw.
R
Racy: Long-legged with a slight build.
Rangy: Long-bodied with a shallow chest.
Reach: Length of forward stride.
Register: To record a dog's parentage with a dog club such as the AKC.
Rib spring: Arch formed by the ribcage; more spring refers to more arch.
S
Scissors bite: When upper incisors just overlap lower incisors, such that the rear surface of the upper incisors touches the outer surface of the lower incisors.
Semidrop ears: Ears that fall over the breaks at the tip.
Semiprick ear: A prick ear where the tip just begins to fold forward
Shelly: Narrow, shallow chest and body.
Short-coupled: Short loin area.
Sickle tail: When a dog's tail is carried out and up in a semicircle
Single tracking: As viewed from the front or rear, the legs converge toward the center line of balance as the dog trots.
Sire: Male parent.
Sound: Good moment viewed from the front and rear.
Soundness: Mental and physical well-being of the dog.
Splay foot: Toes that are not close together.
Square-proportioned: Height at withers equal to length from point of sternum to point of croup.
Stacking: Teaching a dog to stand in a show stance that exhibits its characteristics favorably.
Standard: The official blueprint for a breed.
Stifle: Knee joint; articulation between the tibia and fibula and the femur.
Stop: Te degree of angle change between the skull and the nasal bone near the dog's eyes
Substance: Fairly heavy bone and musculature.
Swayback: A sunken, concave topline
T
Throaty neck: Neck with loose skin.
Topline: Line formed by the withers, back, loin, and croup.
Trotting: Moving diagonal legs in unison.
Tuck-up: Area under the loin in a small waisted dog.
Typey: Having a superior body conformation; meeting the breeds standard.
U
Undershot bite: When lower incisors extend beyond upper incisors.
V
Variety: A breed division that is approved by a breed registry such as the AKC, such as the Chihuahua which has two varieties, long coat and short coat.
W
Weedy: Lacking sufficient bone and musculature.
Wicket: Device for measuring the height of a dog, consisting of two vertical bars joined by a horizontal bar that can be adjusted for height.
Withers: The withers is the highest point on the back of the Pom, on the ridge between its shoulder blades
X
Xiphoid Process: The smallest of part on the dog's sternum which is made of cartilage.
Z
Zoonosis: Infectious diseases that are found in both wild and domestic animals including dogs, which can be transmitted to humans. Some of the diseases known as a zoonosis are rabies and psittacosis.
A
Agility: A judged competitive timed events for dogs and their handlers in which dogs are trained to master different obstacles such as: tunnels, bridges, various types of high jumps, jumps through windows, board jumps, and jumps through tires. The course also includes inclined planes, elevated planks to walk, A-frames to climb, and more. Various agility titles are awarded to dogs that successfully complete the course in which they are entered.
Angulation: Angles created by bones of the dog, meeting at their joints.
Apple-headed: Refers to a dog's head that is round on top.
Armband: The number worn on the handler's left arm when in a dog show, that corresponds to the number listed in the official show catalog.
B
Bait: In a dog show, the food or object the handler uses to focus the dog's attention or to have it look alert in the ring.
Balance: Overall proportion and symmetry of conformation.
Barrel chest: Rounded ribcage.
Bat ear: Erect, broad next to the head and rounded at the tip, such as the ears on a Chihuahua.
Bear ears: Small erect ears on a dog.
Bench show: A dog show at which the dogs are kept on assigned benches when not being shown in competition, so they can be viewed and discussed by attendees, exhibitors, and breeders.
Best of Opposite Sex: In an AKC conformation dog show, the best dog that is of the opposite sex to the Best of Breed Winner.
Best of Winners: In an AKC conformation dog show, the dog judged as best between the Winners Dog and the Winners Bitch.
Bitch: Female dog.
Bite: Relationship of the upper and lower jaws of a dog when the mouth is closed.
Blunt ears: Ears on a dog that are too short and rounded at the tips.
Bred-by-Exhibitor Class: AKC term, a regular class for dogs that are owned or co-owned by one of the breeders and shown by one of the breeders or a member of the breeder's immediate family.
Breeder: A breeder of a particular dog is the person who owned the dam (mother) at the time she was bred to produce that dog.
Breeder-Owner-Handler: Someone who exhibits, owns, and handles the dog they bred.
Brisket: Chest or sternum area of a dog.
Bull-neck: Thick, muscular, often short neck.
Butterfly Nose: A dog's nose that has two colors
Button ear: A small ear where the tip folds forward nearly to the dog's skull, forming a V, an example is the Jack Russell Terrier dog.
C
Canine tooth: The first premolar; long grasping tooth or a dog's fang.
Cat foot: Short, round foot on a dog.
Catalog: An AKC term, the official listing of all dogs entered in the show, categorized by breed. Each breed is divided first by sex for class judging of non-champions. Next, champions are listed in the Best of Breed class. The catalog assigns each dog a number and follows with the dog's name, AKC registration number, date of birth, parentage, and ownership.
Catalog Order: See above…ordering of the dogs in the ring for preliminary class judging in the order they appear listed in the catalog.
Champion: An AKC title conferred upon a dog that has earned 15 points in competition as a result of defeating a specified number of dogs at a series of AKC dog shows.
Close behind: Moving with hocks close together.
Cobby: Compact. Often to describe the Pomeranian’s body, as in a “cobby bodied Pomeranian”.
Conformation: The form, structure, shape, and arrangement of the parts of a dog, as they relate and conform to the written standard of the breed.
Conformation Dog Show: An event held under AKC rules where championship points are awarded. The purpose is to allow dog breeders to evaluate the success of their breeding program, with the goal of achieving structure and temperament necessary for the breed's function and to evaluate dogs for use as future breeding stock.
Crest: Arched area near the top of the dog's neck.
Cropped: When a dog's ears are surgically cut to be smaller, usually also to prompt them to stand erect
Crossing-over: When viewed from the front (or rarely, the rear), the legs converge beyond the midline.
D
Dam: Female parent.
Dealer: One who buys and sells dogs bred by others.
Dentition: Canine tooth development and eruption. There are 12 deciduous incisors that erupt at four to five weeks of age, three on each side, six in the upper jaw and six in the lower. Behind them are four deciduous canine teeth, one on either side, in the upper and lower jaws that erupt at about the same time as the incisors. The 12 deciduous premolars erupt about a week later, and are positioned behind the canines, three on each side, in the upper and lower jaws. They complete the set of 28 deciduous or milk teeth. At about 3 months of age, the central incisors are replaced by permanent teeth. The four permanent canine teeth are often the last to appear, and typically are not visible until about 6 months of age. Permanent premolars begin to erupt when a puppy is about four months of age. There are four on each side, on both the upper and lower jaws, and the rearmost is usually visible by six months of age. Those 16 permanent teeth take the place of the 12 deciduous premolars. The 2 upper molars on each side and three lower molars on each side also begin to appear at about four months, with the last of the ten erupting at about six months. Those 42 teeth make up the permanent set of adult canine teeth.
Dew claws: Extra toes on the insides of the front, and sometimes, rear legs of a dog.
Dish-faced: Nose tipped up.
Docked: When a dog's tail is shortened by surgery or oanther method, usually two or three days after birth.
Dominance: Assertive characteristics of a dog and its influence over other dogs.
Dominant: Alpha dog of a pack that displays a behavior superiority or dominance over other dogs of the pack, and exerts a rule influence.
Double-coated: When a dog breed has a thick,short undercoat that is usually dense enough to resist penetration by water and a stronger, rougher weather-resistant outer coat (topcoat), also referred to as guard hairs.
Down in pastern: Weak, overly sloping pastern.
Drive: Strong thrust from the hindquarters.
Drop Ear: An ear that folds and droops close to the head
Dudley nose: Liver-or flesh-colored nose.
Dysplasia: Abnormality of development, especially of the hip or kneecap, but it may refer to an organ of the body.
Dystropy: Abnormal behavior; behavior problems.
E
Ear Canker: External ear ulceration and infection.
Ear Carriage: 1. Describing the way the ears are held, indicating the dog's mood. 2. Position of the ear's attachment to the head.
Ear Hematoma: Pocket of blood that occurs between the layers of the ear pinna cartilage and skin. It is often caused by shaking head and whipping the ears due to ear mites or foreign bodies in the dog's external ear canals.
Ear Leather: Pinna or flap of the dog's ear.
Ear Mange: Redness and crustiness of the ear that is usually caused by ear mites
Earmark: Tattoo that is permanently inked into the ear leather of the dog, as a means of permanent identification.
Ear Ossicles: Three bones of the middle ear: malleus, incus, and stapes. They transmit sound waves from the eardrum to the otic nerve.
Ear Set: Describing where on the head the ears are attached.
Ears Set High: Placement of ears high on the crown of the head.
Ears Set Low: Placement of the ears set low on the head.
Ears Set Wide: Placement of the ears on the head at the maximum distance apart.
East-west front: When feet turn out to the sides, pointing away from each other.
Erect: Perk ear; pinna of the ear that stands erect, either normally or assisted by ear cropping.
Eruption: Normal activity of the teeth as they break through the gums.
Ewe neck: Neck that is arched so that the top line of the neck is concave and the bottom is convex.
Exhibitor: Someone whose dog is entered and shown at a dog show.
Expression: The general appearance of all features of the head
F
F1: The result of 2 purebred dogs mated together. The puppies would be F1 puppies
F2: Any next step in the breeding program after F1. Often the F1 offspring bred back to a purebred dog.
F3: Third cross after F2 and so on
Fancy: The group of people who are especially interested in purebred dogs or in a specific breed. Fanciers usually are active in the sport of purebred dogs.
Feathering: Longer fringe hair on ears, tail, or body.
Feral Dog: A dog living in a fully wild state.
Fiddle front: East-west front combined with a bowed front, so that the assembly looks like a fiddle.
Full dentition: No missing teeth.
G
Gait: Way of moving, the type of walk that a dog has.
Groups: All AKC-recognized breeds are a member of one of seven groups: Sporting (dogs developed for the hunting of feathered game); Hound (dogs commonly used for hunting by sight or scent); Working (dogs used to pull carts, guard property, and for search and rescue work); Terrier (dogs originally used to hunt vermin); Toy (dogs characterized by very small size- The Pomeranian is in this group); Non-Sporting (diverse group of multi-functional dogs not generally regarded to be game hunters); and Herding (group of dogs whose main duty is to drive livestock from one place to another).
Goose neck: Overly long, thin neck lacking strength and shape.
H
Hackney: High-stepping front movement.
Hand Stripping: The process of pulling the dead hair out of the coat of a non-shedding dog or wiry haired dog, either by using a stripping knife or the fingers. A hard, wiry coat has a cycle where it starts growing and then sheds as it reaches maximum length. Hand-stripping makes room for a new coat to grow and for the loose hairs to not tangle in with the dog's coat.
Handler: A person or agent who takes a dog into the show ring or who works the dog at a field trial or other performance.
Hare foot: Long, narrow paw.
Heel: A command to a dog to keep close beside its handler, usually to the left side of the handler
High in rear: A dog that is higher over its rear quarters than over its front quarters.
High-stationed: Tall and long-legged.
Hip dysplasia: A common and debilitating genetic disease of the hips, where the junction of the femur head (large bone in the leg) and the hip socket do not fit as they should. Often, surgery is necessary to correct the problem.
Hock: Joint on the dog's hind limb between lower thigh and pastern. Since the hock is a joint it cannot itself be long or short; terms such as long or short in hock refer to the distance between the hock joint and the ground.
I
In and In: Inbreeding of dogs without regards to results.
Inbred: Descriptive of offspring of mated dogs that are closely related to each other, for example father to daughter.
Inbreeding: Practice of mating siblings to each other: father to daughter, mother to son, or other animals closely related to each other.
Incisors: Any one of the "biting off" or "cutting" teeth directly in the front of the dog's mouth. There are six incisors in the upper jaw, six in the lower. They are named central, intermediate, and corner.
J
Junior Handler: Person between the ages of 10 and 18 who competes in an AKC-sponsored class called Junior Showmanship. Junior handlers are judged on their ability to show and handle their dog, not on the quality of the dog.
K
Kennel: 1. Backyard doghouse where family pets or breeding stock are kept. 2. Commercial establishment used to maintain a group of dogs, such as a boarding kennel.
Kennel Type: Bloodline or strain of dogs that has been developed by an individual breeder in a specific kennel.
L
Lay back: Angle at which the shoulders are set on the dog's body.
Level bite: When upper and lower incisors meet evenly
Line: 1. Family of related dogs, usually bred by a single kennel.
Linebreeding: Mating two dogs that have the same bloodline but are not closely related; a technique used to concentrate and fix genetic features in dog.
Lineage: Genealogical decent from a common ancestor; dog's pedigree or family tree.
Loin: Region between the ribcage and croup.
Loose movement: Erratic movement suggestive of poor muscle development.
Lower thigh: Area from stifle to hock, also called second thigh.
Lumbering: Heavy, ungainly movement.
M
Match show: A usually informal dog show at which no championship points are awarded. This does not show on your dog’s record.
Metacarpus: Referring to bones leading from the carpus (wrist) to the toes; anatomical region of the forepastern.
N
Neck Well Set-On: When a dog's neck forms a smooth transition into the topline and merges gradually into the withers.
O
OFA: Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
OFA Certified: A dog’s hips have been x-rayed for hip dysplasia, a very common and debilitating genetic disease.
Over bite: When upper incisors overlap lower incisors, leaving a gap between the teeth.
P
Pacing: Moving both legs on the same side of the body in unison, as though hobbled together.
Paper foot: Flat foot.
Pariah Dog: Is used as a generic term for dogs with a more or less intensive human connection.
Pastern: Region of the metatarsus that extends from the hock to the foot in the hind leg, and the metacarpal area of the foreleg.
Pedigree: The written record of a dog's family tree of three or more generations.
Plucking: Pulling out loose hair by hand.
Pounding: Front feet hitting the ground with a jarring reaction.
Premolars: Smaller teeth situated just to the rear of the fangs (canines).
Prick ear: Erect and pointed; also called pricked or erect.
Professional Handler: Person who shows dogs for a fee.
Puppy Mill: Place in which puppies are bred, often in unsuitable and sometimes inhumane conditions, for sale to dealers.
Pure-Bred: A dog who has parents of the same breed.
Q
Quik: The vein that runs into each claw on a dog's paw.
R
Racy: Long-legged with a slight build.
Rangy: Long-bodied with a shallow chest.
Reach: Length of forward stride.
Register: To record a dog's parentage with a dog club such as the AKC.
Rib spring: Arch formed by the ribcage; more spring refers to more arch.
S
Scissors bite: When upper incisors just overlap lower incisors, such that the rear surface of the upper incisors touches the outer surface of the lower incisors.
Semidrop ears: Ears that fall over the breaks at the tip.
Semiprick ear: A prick ear where the tip just begins to fold forward
Shelly: Narrow, shallow chest and body.
Short-coupled: Short loin area.
Sickle tail: When a dog's tail is carried out and up in a semicircle
Single tracking: As viewed from the front or rear, the legs converge toward the center line of balance as the dog trots.
Sire: Male parent.
Sound: Good moment viewed from the front and rear.
Soundness: Mental and physical well-being of the dog.
Splay foot: Toes that are not close together.
Square-proportioned: Height at withers equal to length from point of sternum to point of croup.
Stacking: Teaching a dog to stand in a show stance that exhibits its characteristics favorably.
Standard: The official blueprint for a breed.
Stifle: Knee joint; articulation between the tibia and fibula and the femur.
Stop: Te degree of angle change between the skull and the nasal bone near the dog's eyes
Substance: Fairly heavy bone and musculature.
Swayback: A sunken, concave topline
T
Throaty neck: Neck with loose skin.
Topline: Line formed by the withers, back, loin, and croup.
Trotting: Moving diagonal legs in unison.
Tuck-up: Area under the loin in a small waisted dog.
Typey: Having a superior body conformation; meeting the breeds standard.
U
Undershot bite: When lower incisors extend beyond upper incisors.
V
Variety: A breed division that is approved by a breed registry such as the AKC, such as the Chihuahua which has two varieties, long coat and short coat.
W
Weedy: Lacking sufficient bone and musculature.
Wicket: Device for measuring the height of a dog, consisting of two vertical bars joined by a horizontal bar that can be adjusted for height.
Withers: The withers is the highest point on the back of the Pom, on the ridge between its shoulder blades
X
Xiphoid Process: The smallest of part on the dog's sternum which is made of cartilage.
Z
Zoonosis: Infectious diseases that are found in both wild and domestic animals including dogs, which can be transmitted to humans. Some of the diseases known as a zoonosis are rabies and psittacosis.
