Alaskan Malamute

We just learned about the type of dog the Akita Inu.

Another type of dog is called the Alaskan Malamute.

This dog is very similar to the Siberian Husky, but is bigger and stronger.
Because of it's big muscles it can pull heavier loads for longer distances, but can't run as fast as the husky.

The Malamutes are great dogs for the cold, and were great at helping people pull sleds.

They helped the first American reach the South pole, they helped people who came to Alaska for the gold rush, and they were used in World War II to help rescue people in the cold lands of Greenland.

The Alaskan Malamute is also the official state dog of the state of Alaska.

(from: wikipedia - alaskan malamute)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Robin

Akita Inu

We just learned about the type of dog called the Basenji

Another type of dog is called the Akita Inu
Long ago the Akita was used to hunt bear, wild boar and deer. It would go into the woods to try and push the animal to where the hunter was, and just keep the animal busy until the hunter could attack it.

The Akita dogs are very loyal to their masters.

One very famous story is about an Akita dog named Hachikō.
Every day Hachikō's master would go ride the train, and every day Hachikō would walk with him to the train station, and then wait there for him to come home.
One day his master died before he could come home, but Hachikō still waited at the train station for him.
He went home to eat and sleep, but then came back to the train station to wait for his master, and waited for him for nine years until he finally died of old age.
There is now a statue of Hachikō at that train station to honor his loyalty.


(from: wikipedia - akita (dog))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Okapi

Basenji

We just learned about the type of dog called Chow Chow.

Another type of dog is called the Basenji.
Basenji's are from Africa, and they are a very old type of dog going all the way back to the ancient pharoahs. There are paintings of these dogs sitting at the feet of pharoahs from over a thousand years ago.

The basenji's bark is different, and sounds more like a yodel or is sometimes called a barroo.

(from: wikipedia - basenji)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dolphin

Chow Chow

We just learned about the Afghan Hound.

Another type of dog is the Chow Chow.

This type of dog has fluffy fur around it's face, almost like a lion's mane.
It is a kind of dog that has been around China for a very long time.

(from: wikipedia - chow chow)

The Chow Chow also has a blue/black tongue and mouth.

(from: wikipedia - chow chow)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Grasshoppers

Afghan Hound

We just learned about the Saluki.

Another type of dog is the Afghan Hound.

These dogs have long silky fur and a tail with a curl.

This dog got it's name because it was very common in the cold mountains of the country of Afghanistan.
Just like the Saluki, they have very good eyes and are known as sight hounds.

Because of their fancy fur, they are very popular dogs for pets and for dog shows that are like dog beauty pageants.

(from: wikipedia - afghan hound)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Grouse

Saluki

We just learned about the Shiba Inu.

Another type of dog is the Saluki.

The salukis have been known by lots of different names!
The Slougui, Arabian Greyhound, Arabischer Windhund, Sloughi Moghrebi, Arabian Sighthound, Levrier Marocain, Royal Dog of Egypt or Persian Greyhound.

They are a type of dog known as a sighthound, which means they hunt using their eyes, instead of like other dogs that use their noses more.

They are a very old type of dog, with cave paintings of them going back over 10,000 years!

(from: wikipedia - saluki)

Long ago they were used in the Middle East as hunting dogs for gazelles and hare.
Sometimes when they were hunting the gazelles, the dog owners would ride along on a camel holding the dog, and when they got close to their prey they would throw the dog out so they got a head start running to catch the prey!

They are one of the fastest dogs in the world, and are even faster than a greyhound over longer distances.

(from: wikipedia - saluki)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Peregrine Falcon

Shiba Inu

We just learned about the Shar Pei.

Another type of dog is the Shiba Inu.

The Shiba Inu is a type of dog that started out in Japan.
The word Inu means dog, and the word Shiba either means little or brushwood, which is a type of wood that whose leaves turn red like the dog's coat.
Sometimes the Shiba Inu is called the little brushwood dog.

The Shiba Inu are very clean dogs, and almost like a cat they will sometimes lick their fur clean!

They sometimes make a sound called the shiba scream, which is like a very high pitched scream.
They can make this sound if they are very happy, or if they don't like the way someone is petting them.

(from: wikipedia - shiba inu)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Emu

Shar Pei

We just learned about the Siberian Husky.

Another type of dog is the Shar Pei.
The Shar Pei has very loose skin all over it's body as a puppy. As it grows older, the skin stretches out a little, but it is still very loose especially on the their face.

These dogs were used as farming, hunting and fighting dogs, because if whatever animal they were fighting got a hold on their skin they could stretch their skin out to turn around and bite them back.

(from: wikipedia - shar pei)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nayala

Siberian Husky

We just learned about the Basset Hound.

Another type of dog is the Siberian Husky.
The husky was a dog used by the Inuit people who live in Alaska and Siberia, who were once called Eskimos.
Some people think the name husky came from esky which was a nickname for eskimos.

Huskies were used as sled dogs in Alaska when people were looking there for gold.
The dogs have lots of energy and can survive temperatures colder than -70 degrees!
Unlike most dogs, some huskies have blue eyes!

Huskies have two types of fur, they have a short coat of fur that stays close to their body, and a longer coat of fur that goes on top of the first one. This is like wearing two fur coats so it keeps them nice and warm.

(from: wikipedia - siberian husky)


Huskies have a curved tail, and when they lay down they can curl their nose right into their tail to keep warm. Some people call this the "Siberian Swirl".

(from: wikipedia - siberian husky)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Suni

Basset Hound

We just learned about the Australian Cattle Dog.

Another type of dog is the Basset Hound, sometimes also called a Hush Puppy.

Long ago people used Basset Hounds as rabbit hunters.
They have a great sense of smell and are one of the best smellers of any dog!

Bassets are long heavy dogs with very short legs.
They have long ears that hang down from their heads.
Their ears are so long that basset hound puppies sometimes trip over their ears, and when the dogs are eating sometimes their ears get into their food.
Because their ears hang down, they can help bring smells right to their nose so they can find things better.

Most bassets have a white tip on their tail, which hunters would use to help find their dogs while the dogs were out looking for rabbits.


(from: wikipedia - basset hound)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Springbok

Australian Cattle Dog

We just learned about Spider Sheet Webs.

We've learned a lot about spiders, now let's learn about dogs!

There are many different types of dogs in the world, and each one of them is a little different.
Each dog has a different type of job and is good at a different type of thing!
The Australian Cattle Dog is a very smart, very strong with lots of energy.

This dog's job was to help herd cattle over long distances and rough land.
When it herds cattle, it nips at their heels to get them to go the right way.

The dog's colors can be red or blue. The blue color comes from the black and brown hairs mixing with gray hairs.

They have what looks like a mask over their face, with dark coloring over their eyes.


(from: wikipedia - australian cattle dog)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bongo

Corgis

We just learned a little about .

A corgi is a type of dog, and there are two types of corgis:

Cardigan Welsh Corgi (bigger, huskier, has a tail)

(From: Wikipedia - cardigan welsh corgi)

Pembroke Welsh Corgi (smaller, no tail)

(From: Wikipedia - pembroke welsh corgi)

The pembroke corgi is the more popular dog, most likely because the Queen of England has had several pet corgis through the years.

Old legends say that fairies used to ride corgis like horses, and that's why they have that white mark around their necks from where the saddle was.


(From: The Fairy Tale of Two Corgis)


(From: Custom Fairy Steed Corgi Dog Costume)