Ten most popular Dog breeds in India
.. Few months back, I got a call from a first-time dog owner complaining that he is no longer in a position to control his growing Rottweiler. When I visited that dog, it was already 6 months old and extremely barking at whoever enter to his house. The owner said he was gifted with that dog. The problem was not with that dog but with the ignorance of the owner. It was a socialisation issue. Breeds like Doberman and Rottweiler are best kept by an owner having some previous experience of owning a dog. You will not face the same type of situation, because you are in the right place for firsthand information, so that you can select your breed. It is extremely important to know the nature, temperament, body make up etc before owning a dog. In this article, we will know all information about some most popular dog breeds in India with their inherent nature, breed specificity, adaptability and many more.
There are about 850 different breeds in the world. But 218 breeds are recognised by kennel club of India. Dog breeds are basically divided based on their utility and size.
Classification of Dogs according to use
- Sporting dog (Used for hunting and retrieving)
Example-Labrador retriever,cockerspaniel
- Hound Dogs (Used for locating and following, as in games)
Example-Afgan haund, dachshund
- Working dog (Have long history of usefulness as a herder, watchdog, guide dog )
Example- Doberman, boxer, Alsatian
- Terrier (Developed to enter ground dens of foxes and rabbits and drive them out to the hunters). Example: Fox terrier, Lhasa Apso
- Non-sporting dogs (These are all popular pets for their affectionate disposition)
Example Bull dog, Dalmatian
- Toy dogs (Small size. Both affectionate and intelligent)
Example
So here are some of the most popular dog breeds that are kept as pets. The numbering of the breed does not necessarily follow the degree of popularity.
1) German Shepherd/Alsatian-
A master dog. Possess a high degree of intelligence, alertness and watchfulness. Once it decides on the suspiciousness of strangers, it becomes fearless. It is gifted with a highly developed sense.
Origin-Recognised as a breed in Germany in 1900
Coat-Mostly double-coated. Under coat is thick, close and woolly. It protects animals against the cold. The outer coat has straight, hard hair lying flat.
Colour: Dark tan, grey, all black
Body– It is long, well-boned, with plenty of muscles, which gives it amazing speed and flexibility for sudden movement.
Height: 24 – 26 inches (male), 22 – 24 inches (female)
Weight: 55 – 75 pounds (25 – 35 kgs)
Usefulness– Considered an all-purpose worker in the dog’s kingdom It is most popular as a house dog for its friendliness, also as a watchdog and a member of a police squad.
Caution– German Shepherd would need a sufficient amount of physical activity daily. Hair fall problem sometimes creates an annoyance for the owner.
Lifespan -9-13 years
2) Labrador Retriever-.
Labradors are famously friendly, active and lovable dogs who bond with the whole family. Their social skills with neighbour dogs and humans are amazing. Most favoured pet dogs among middle-class Indian families
Origin-Recognised as a breed in Germany in 1900
Coat-Mostly double-coated. Under coat is thick, close and woolly. It protects animals against the cold. The outer coat has straight, hard hair lying flat.
Colour: Dark tan, grey, all black
Body– It is long, well-boned, with plenty of muscles, which gives it amazing speed and flexibility for sudden movement.
Height: 24 – 26 inches (male), 22 – 24 inches (female)
Weight: 55 – 75 pounds (25 – 35 kgs)
Usefulness– Considered an all-purpose worker in the dog’s kingdom It is most popular as a house dog for its friendliness, also as a watchdog and a member of a police squad.
Caution– German Shepherd would need a sufficient amount of physical activity daily. Hair fall problem sometimes creates an annoyance for the owner.
Lifespan -9-13 years
3) Doberman Pincher
This breed is a powerful combination of loyalty, obedience, intelligence and determination. They are fearless, energetic and always ready to defend their owners.
Origin-The breed was named after its founder, Leuis Doberman,a German who developed this breed by crossing Shepherd, Rottweiler and old English terrier in 1890
Coat-Smooth-haired. Has a soft. Short and shining hair coat.
Colour-Black, chocolate
Body- Slim, slender and tall body with docked tail at the base, flat cheeks, tight lips, droopy or erect(preferable)ears are some of the body characteristics of this breed.
Height: 26 – 28 inches (male), 24-26 inches (female)
Weight: 60 – 75 pounds (27 – 35 kgs)
Usefulness: A loyal, obedient, and useful guard dog. If you are looking for someone to protect your home, they are the best pick for you. They are invariably a member in police dog squad. They are used for tracking criminals, locating stocks of explosives and narcotics.
Caution– Dobermans require a good amount of exercise daily. It likes a long wall. Poorly managed dogs often become vicious.
Lifespan -9-13 years
4) Rottweiler
A deadly combination of tremendous strength and incredible loyalty. Its popularity among Indian families is growing as it has established itself as both an affectionate and a fierce protector.
Origin: Its origin goes back to Roman times. It has descended from cattle-driving dogs left by the Romans in Rottweil, Germany, during the second century. It has a lineage of Roman legion mastiffs.
Coat-Short double-coated. Outer coat medium in length, shorter in the head, ears and legs. Undercoat mostly on the neck and thigh.
Colour-Black with markings appearing over eyes, cheeks and muzzle.
Body- Highly muscular body.
Height: 22– 27 inches
Weight: 85 – 130 pounds (41 – 55 kgs)
Usefulness– This breed is a perfect choice as the Rottweiler is a breed renowned for its tremendous strength. Such dogs are incredibly loyal to their loved ones, making them good companions in the household.
Caution: This breed needs to be socialised at an early puppyhood stage to make it well behaved. They lose a large amount of hair, so daily grooming is necessary. Being a strong breed, they thrive well on a protein-rich diet. Some amount of fat may preferably be added to meet the high energy demand
Lifespan -8-10 years.
5) Dalmatian
Basically, a medium-sized hunting dog. It is graceful with a sleek, muscular body. They are intelligent, playful, loyal and well adapted to Indian families.
Origin-Named after the former Austrian province of Dalmatia. Thought to be a descendant of the Italian pointer.
Coat-Short dense, hard and fine. It appears glossy
Colour-Colour and markings are extremely subjective from a judging point of view. The spots appear only 15 days after birth. The ground colour is pure white. The colour of the spot is dark black in black-spotted varieties and liver brown in liver-spotted varieties. Spots should be as round as possible and well distinct.
Body- Strong muscular body with long neck, strong and straight forelegs, moderately long tail with strong base and tapering tail are some characteristic features of the breed
Height: 19-23 inches
Weight: 45 – 60 pounds (20 – 27 kgs)
Usefulness– This breed is a perfect choice in families with children. They are loyal to the families. These dogs are intelligent, can be well-trained and make good watchdogs. If you are alone, this is perfect for you as it loves to spent times with humans.
Caution– Dalmatian sheds heavily. Regular grooming is a must. Dalmatians also need lots of exercise to dispel boundless energy. They are probably not suitable for apartment-dwellers unless the family is committed to long, daily walks or runs.
Lifespan -12-14 years
6) Great Dane
It is a very obedient guard dog. It is highly trainable because of its great intelligence. Great Dane, often called the ‘Apollo of Dogs’, is very friendly and loves children, people and other dogs.
Origin-It is of German origin. And a descendant of the old English mastiff. It was recognised as a breed in the 19th century in Germany and later in England and the USA.
Coat-Coat is never rough but glossy. Hair is short and dense.
Colour– Colour is yellow, brown, or too deep black. Eyes and nails are desirably dark. Colour may be light grey to deepest slate. Some dogs are black. In black dogs, white is permitted on the chest but not desirable.
Body-Great Dane is big in size, quite muscular, strong and elegantly built. Head and neck carried high. Ears set high, small and carried little erect with the tip falling forward. Tail thick at the root and tapers towards the end. It has a dashing and daring look.
Height: 30 – 32 inches (male), 28 – 30 inches (female)
Weight: 110 – 175 pounds (25 – 40 kgs)
Usefulness-A good watchdog for big premises like a factory and farmhouse.
Caution: Because of his size, he requires more space and more food. Hence, maintenance is expensive. It is most susceptible to bloat, twisting of the intestine and gastric dilatation. Usually, Great Danes’ short, smooth coat doesn’t shed much, but during the shedding season, hair loss would be profuse and daily combing would be necessary. The dog’s long nails require trimming regularly. For a breed as large and powerful as the Great Dane, obedience training is a must. Early socialisation and puppy training classes are recommended.
Lifespan -10-12 years
7) Boxer
He is the soul of honesty and loyalty. He is known for his great love and faithfulness to his master and household. It is a very alert, fearless and courageous dog, highly intelligent and tends to have a mind of their own and are excellent problem solver.
Origin: Developed in Germany in the 1800s.It is a descendent from old Tibetan Mastiff and the bulldog. The term boxer is coined from his habit of starting to play or fight by striking out with his forepaws like a man boxing.
Coat-Smooth-haired, short shinny coat requires little grooming.
Colour– Approved colour is fawn with various shades from light yellow to deep red.
Body-it is a medium-sized, short square figure with strong limbs. Distinct head, well-developed cheeks not protruding from the head, broad nostrils, and strongly muscled limbs.
Height: 12– 24 inches (male), 21 – 23 inches (female)
Weight: 62– 66 pounds (28 – 29 kgs)
Usefulness: Easy to train. Its gentle, friendly, protective nature makes it suitable for blind persons. Its inherent patience, friendliness, and protective natures makes it very popular in family having small children.
Caution-Require a high-quality diet, may be commercial or homemade, to perform better. Its nails should be trimmed regularly. Early socialisation is extremely important for this breed to make it a well-behaved dog.
Lifespan -7-10 years
8) Pug
A very gentle, kind and charming breed highly popular among city dwellers and small households. They are fun-loving, extremely playful and comfortable with children.
Origin-Originally belonged to China. Later migrated to Holland, England and America.
Coat-Smooth, soft, fine and glossy.
Colour: Comes with black, silver or apricot fawn. Markings are clearly defined, and most are black.
Body wrinkles in the face are a characteristic feature of this breed. Short body, wide chest, well-sprung ribs, strong, moderately long limbs, tightly curled tail over the hip(double curling is of a high degree of excellence) are some typical features of this breed.
Height: 11–13 inches
Weight: 15–18 pounds (11–16 kg)
Usefulness– Pugs are highly adaptable dogs who equally cherish staying at home as well as enjoy the outdoors. They do well with both homemade and manufactured foods as long as they are fed healthy calories. Hair fall is quite low .so easy to maintain. They seldom require a bath unless very dirty. Not require trimming of nails unless uncomfortable.
Caution– As pugs are a little vulnerable to obesity, their diet should not contain too much fat. They tend to spend more of their time napping.
Life Span: 12 – 15 years
9) Indian Spitz
This is a small to medium-sized breed. This breed is not recognised as a breed by the American or British Kennel Club, but is recognised by the Indian Kennel Club. They are well adapted to both small and large families and in all-weather condition.It is an intelligent dog breed.
Origin: The origin of the Indian spitz is from the German spitz. Britishers came to India with this German spitz and by continuous breeding, they were adapted to the Indian climate and now recognised as the Indian Spitz. There are two types of Indian spitz, smaller and the greater Indian spitz.
Coat-Double-coated. Soft woolly undercoat and a long, harsh top coat. Abundant in chest and neck with feathering at the legs and a plumed tail.
Colour-Comes with white, red, black, brown and white and chocolate combination.
Body: Broad skull, sharp pointed muzzle. Ears are sharp, pointed, erect and extremely mobile.
Height- 10-18 inches
Weight 20-45 pounds (9 to 20 kg)
Usefulness-Best suited for the Indian climate, they are less prone to disease as compared with other dogs.
Due to their small size, they can be easily maintained with less space, and can be maintained on home-based food without providing any commercial food. So the maintenance cost is very low compared with other breeds.
Caution: Early socialisation is a must for this breed. Hair fall may sometimes be annoying, so regular grooming is a must.
Life span-12-14 years
10) Pomeranian
It is a small sized spitz breed dog. It is an intelligent, playful, friendly and active dog breed.
Origin-Developed as a breed in Pomerania, Poland and bred down in size from the white spitz of Iceland.
Coat-Double-coated. A soft and fluffy undercoat and a long, straight rough outercoat which cover whole body. Thick, particularly in the neck, shoulder and chest. Hindquarters are completely covered with long hair from top to the point of hock.
Colour-Whole colour like white, black, brown, may be light, dark or creamy
Body-Head and nose are wedge-shaped. Small, perfectly erect ear. Short back, compact body and well-rounded barrel. Tail turned over the back and carried flat and straight.
Height About 7 inches
Weight 3 to 7 pounds (1.5 to 3 kg)
Usefulness-Best suited for the Indian climate. Require less space and can be maintained on home-based food.
Caution– They are the kind of territorial in nature, so they may bark if they hear some unusual sounds. Pomeranian dogs are thick-coated. So, proper and regular grooming is required to maintain the quality of its coat.
Life span-10-14 years
