One of the things that differentiate breeds is the different types of dog hair coats. In this article, we’re going to describe those dog coats and what to expect from each.

Single and Double Coats

All dogs will have either a single coat or double coat. With a double coat, dogs have long, course hair (aka ‘guard coat’) that covers softer, downier hair. If a dog comes from a colder geographical area, the soft undercoat will be thicker. Single coated dogs bear only a guard coat. Both single and double coats can vary in length and texture.  read more »

When people ask, “how old is my dog in human years?” the answer often refers to the old 7 year rule, where one year of a dog’s life is equal to seven years of a human’s life. This has been the general thought for a very long time, but… it’s wrong. The correct translation of dog years to human years a little more complicated now.  read more »

Dog senses are extremely important since they help a canine interpret and communicate with the world around it. Through listening, seeing, and smelling, dogs can quickly determine the intentions or status of another dog nearby. They can for example, determine if an approaching dog is submissive, dominant, aggressive, curious, friendly, or even possibly, a potential mating partner. Here’s a look at those dog senses and why they work the way they do.  read more »

Many people incorrectly attribute the Poodle with France, especially when the Poodle sports an English saddle or continental clip. There’s something about those clips that triggers the word, “France” in the minds of some folks, and they thus label every Poodle with a fancy cut as a French Poodle. The truth of the matter is that no one is absolutely sure about the origins of the Poodle, and a lot of evidence supports that the Poodle originated in lands far away from France before the country was even formed!  read more »

Think you know everything about Poodles? Here are some fun bits of Poodle information that might surprise you!  read more »

It might be hard to believe just from looking at them, but in the past, poodles were excellent hunters and retrievers! What’s even more surprising is the clip of hunting poodles. English saddle clips and continental clips may indicate a sophisticated dog today, but they were really designed to help hunting poodles swim. The unshaven portions of the design (joints and chest) kept the dogs warm while swimming in icy waters. Fascinated? Then read on. You just might be surprised at how history helped shaped the versatility in poodles.  read more »

A Poodle's Size = A Poodle's Life Span

The life span of a poodle may well depend on its size, but not in the way that you might think. The toy poodle -- measuring under ten inches at the withers and weighing only five to ten pounds -- surprisingly outlives 23 - 28 inch high standard poodles that weigh between 40 and 55 pounds -- and 10 - 15 inch high miniature poodles that weigh between 12 - 15 pounds!  read more »

1. All Yorkie Terriers (a.k.a. Yorkshire Terriers) are sold from breeders who do __not__ need to pass a qualifying exam or earn a certification to sell animals as pets. In addition, the environments from which Yorkies are raised and sold are not inspected. And Yorkie terrier caretakers do __not__ need a license to breed. These little tidbits alone should stress the importance of researching where and who you get your Yorkie Terrier from. Quite often, the health and temperance of a Yorkie depends upon the environment from where it came.  read more »