Waggles

The Breed Standard
Breed Standard: A description of the ideal dog of each recognized breed, to serve as an ideal against which dogs are judged at shows, originally laid down by a parent breed club and accepted officially by national or international bodies.

Dogs
A member of the family Canidae — along with wolves, foxes, coyotes and jackals — dogs have been human companions for at least 14,000 years (and possibly much longer than that). Much about how dogs and humans became inseparable remains a mystery, but research finds that the bond is very real. As many pet owners may already attest, there is evidence that dogs understand human distress and want to help their owners when they're sad.

How dogs read our minds, spot when we’re lying, and fall in love with their owners
Capable of feeling jealousy and grief, as well as the love and adoration we’ve basked in for centuries, the dog is a creature like no other for John Lewis-Stempel.

Dog breeding
Dog breeding is the practice of mating selected dogs with the intention of maintaining or producing specific qualities and characteristics. When dogs reproduce without such human intervention, their offspring's characteristics are determined by natural selection, while "dog breeding" refers specifically to the artificial selection of dogs, in which dogs are intentionally bred by their owners.[1] Breeding relies on the science of genetics, hence a breeder who is knowledgeable on canine genetics, health, and the intended purpose of the dogs attempts to breed suitable dogs.[2]

Dog Breed Is Not an Accurate Way To Predict Behavior
A new study that combined genome sequences from over 2,000 dogs with survey data from a further 18,000 pooches has come to a conclusion that upends over a century of established thinking on dog behavior, finding that a dog’s breed contributes little to its behavioral tendencies.

Maltipoo
This cross-breed pup is the result of breeding a miniature poodle with a Maltese. They’re known to be lively, energetic and just plain adorable.

Dog Breed Doesn’t Affect Behavior, According to New Genetic Research
“It’s a major advance in how we think about dog behavior,” Elaine Ostrander, an expert in canine genetics at the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute who was not involved with the study, tells Science’s David Grimm. “No breed owns any particular trait.”

Dogs
Dogs can have many positive effects on the lives of their owners. They influence social, emotional, and cognitive development in children, promote an active lifestyle, provide companionship, and have even been able to detect oncoming epileptic seizures or the presence of certain cancers. Dogs can also help to relieve stress and anxiety in people. Around 38% of US households are estimated to have one or more dogs.

Leonberger

These massive hounds are an interesting mix of a Newfoundland, St. Bernard, and a Pyrenean Mountain Dog. They were rumored to have been bred to resemble lions, hence the name. Only 8 of them remain in existence today.

Shih Tzu

Shih Tzus are so charming that they'll warm your heart. They're gentle and loyal, yet proud with an aristocratic temperament. They can be stubborn at times.

Lagotto Romagnolo

Curly-haired, Italian dog breeds are so darn cute and cuddly, and the Lagotto Romagnolo is no exception. “Their name means ‘water dog’ in Italian, but they are commonly called ‘truffle dogs’ because they are used to hunt for truffles,” explains Catherine Lenox, DVM, a regulatory veterinary manager at Royal Canin. In fact, the Lagotta Romagnolo is the only purebred in the world recognized as a specialized truffle searcher. Truffle hunters or not, they are warm and friendly companions.

Norwegian Lundehund

Dating back to the Ice Age, the Norwegian Lundehund is recognised as one of the rarest dog breeds on the planet due to its unique characteristics, which aren’t shared by any other breed. Originating from the islands off the Norwegian coast, this crimson-coated canine was developed to hunt Puffin birds along the coastal cliffs. Due to its unusual hunting environment, the agile Norwegian Lundehund evolved to develop the perfect traits for scaling rocky cliffs: six toes on each front paw, adjustable ears and a neck so flexible that it can crane backwards to touch the spine.

This endangered Spitz species neared extinction during World War II, but was miraculously recovered by Norwegian breeders and thankfully remains in small numbers today. Known for its fun-loving nature and affectionate personality, the Norwegian Lundehund would be a perfect pet for active families.

Other, more common, Spitz breeds include the Husky, the Chow Chow and the equally fox-like Shiba Inu.