1. THE STRONG CLAN.
Think of bully breeds, and all the big square headed or square jawed dogs.
These dog should be strong looking, calm and well behaved. They should be confident, relaxed, and friendly.
They should have a good bond with their handler, and not focus on the other dogs, but on their person.
The look desired is athletic masculine, more of a football player, basketball player, or boxer look than a tennis player or racing look.
The dogs should move with relaxed strength and co-ordination, like a powerful ball player out for his morning jog.
The head should be bullish or butch looking. Somewhat square jawed, but not with too short of an upper jaw, or an undershot mouth.
The teeth should meet normally in a sissor or level bite. The dogs lips should met normally so he doesn’t drool. He should breathe normally, even after jogging.
The dog should never look girlish, prissy, pansy, or even nerdish. Even the female dogs should look tomboy or butch.
The coat must look healthy but not pretty or beautiful. The dog does not have a soft look, no soft fluffy fur, no soft long strings of hair.
The dog should not be mean, just strong.
2. THE NIMBLE CLAN.
Think of greyhounds, Lassie, and some fast long legged dash terriers.
The look is stylish, like a model. Graceful, nimble, and refined while still looking fast and racy.
The look should not stray over into cute or strong.
The ears should be smallish, not too big. The muzzle is long but strong, the head wide enough for normal even eye set and a good size brain pan.
Refined but not over refined. Racy not starving. Lean but not emaciated.
Like a gazelle or a deer. Light on their feet and able to bound away,
not toothpick like, but not heavy like a bull.
They can be lanky and nimble like a coyote or true racers like greyhounds.
They should be happy, alert dogs with good vision who pay attention to their surroundings but who are not spooky.
Their tail should never be docked, as they are said to use it as a rudder, and that wagging it strengthens muscles.
The tail should not be tucked between their legs, nor be carried over the back because this would communicate the wrong signals to other dogs.
A steep croup and low tail set is usual and acceptable, because of their ancestry as sprinters.
The muscles should bring to mind a tennis player, runner, or bicycle racer, not a football player.
The look of the coat should speak of refinement not blantant attention getting.
The look is the whisper that people strain to hear, not the belly laugh.
The dogs should be somewhat indepenent, not clingy, maybe even catlike, but not shy.
The look and actions are understated beauty in grace.
An aloofness with strangers is fine, but not conciet.
This dog doesn’t broadcast confidence – only grace and refinement.
The dog should not broadcast fear.
The dog can be affectionate, but in public, the dog doesn’t display a desire to interact much with strangers, nor does the dog seem to display a desire to warn off or impress strangers, instead the dog is somewhat introverted, thinking his own thoughts.
They can be active for periods of time, but should not be hyper.
They can be athletic like a runner or racer but their “on” button shouldn’t get pushed by every little noise or novelty.
Remember: refinement and style.
Although long muzzled, the muzzle should not be so extreme as to be a caracture.
The skull should be normal, and a little longish, refined but not thin.
They are long muzzle dogs with a longish head, not a thin head with a huge muzzle.
3. THE FRIENDLY CLAN.
Think of bird dogs and hound dogs.
Think of flop earred dogs with non-extreme muzzles.
Their look isn’t squares, lines, or angles, but gentle curves.
These are the friendly dogs.
Extroverted, they love to meet people, maybe even being a bit goofy.
They are often attractive dogs with warm eyes and large, soft, pretty ears.
They wag their tail easily.
They are good team players, and don’t usually strive to be the best player and get the glory.
The only thing they want to be best at, is best liked, and they work at getting people to like them in a direct, confident, and friendly way.
They don’t try to impress with strength or machismo, they don’t inspire respect, they cultivate friendship and comradery.
Their goal is to be part of a family and have many friendships.
They don’t try to be boss, or ladies and gentlemen, but pals, friends, family members.
If these dogs picked a song to describe them, it might be Elvis Presley singing “i just want to be your teddy bear”.
These dogs should be relaxed but not to the point of drooling or slobbering, although that would be better than uptight and snappy.
Their ears should flop, the skin relax and be loose and elastic but not in folds, but a few folds is better than tight tense skin.
The tail should hang down loosly never rising above the horzontal, and not being tucked except in extreme situations.
The dogs mood should not shift easily, the dog should stay happy, calm friendly most of the time, showing fear or anger only in extreme situations.
The dog should be patient, tolerant, at ease.
The dog shouldn’t try to be top dog or better than other dogs; he plays, if he wins thats good, if not, the point was to have fun with his family and friends, if he did that then he has won more than any ribbon is worth.
He wants his coat to be soft so that people will want to pet him, or very short so that his coat can be kept clean easily and he will be welcomed into the house.
It might be nice if his coat kept out rain, but he should be a house dog, and if you aren’t walking in the rain, he should be either.
4. THE ACTIVE CLAN.
Think of all the dogs you’ve known who had to be doing something all of the time.
These dogs provide plenty of entertainment for the person who has the free time to play with them or train them.
They are popular pick me up dogs for retirees, people with a big yard,
and people who don’t have much work to do after they get home.
These aren’t lap dogs, they want to fetch, jog, go places; they want to do something.
They need to be fit, but it is something more that defines them,
a bounce in their step, a twinkle in their eye: they are playful.
5. THE LOYAL YES CLAN
These dogs are loyal to their person. They follow their person around.
They look at their person. They look for ways to please their person.
They are usually intelligent and trainable, but their true hallmark
is their desire to please their person.
They are reasonably calm – but alert & aware of their environment.
They are responsive. They look for ways to please.
They are not clingy dogs that want reassurance, they want to work for their praise, they want the feeling of acomplishment. They want praise for a job well done, not hollow flattery.
They are moderate dogs, not hyper, not lazy.
Not independant, not clingy.
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Each of these 5 clans, come in 6 sizes, making 30 gene pools – all the separateness needed for pet dogs, show dogs, and obedience dogs.
The first 3 Clans are based on image – because that is what some buyers want, and that is what many dog breeders breed for.
The three images that we super-impose on these dogs are:
1. Big dude, or lady jock. Physical strenght.
2. Sophisticated, model, urban, or cultured. Social position.
3. Family guy, family oriented wife or mother, or child. It may seem odd that the same dog group that is seen by some people as a child, is seen by other people as a father or mother – but these dogs are good at making a place for themselves in our hearts, and then we see them in accordance with our own inner experiences. Family is the focus.
Clans 4 & 5 are based on two popular types of interaction. The first 3 clans have attitutes written in, and these will translate into interactions too, but image is key.
4. Active dogs who want to play, to go places, to do something, are for PEOPLE who are practical. They are for people who are not into fantasy, or dreaming. They are for people who want to do things “in the real world”, not watching TV, surfing on the computer, or listening to music.
5. The Peopel who want dogs from clan 5, are people who want a real and pleasant relationship. Most people who want a dog, don’t want to be in a constant bond with the dog – they want more personal space, less interaction; they are happier with image and friendship, not constant bonding. and interaction.
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The basic idea is grouping Housedogs in a way that makes sense to the buyer, and is useful in a modern urban environment.
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