Working Dogs: Giant Schnauzer

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The Giant Schnauzer is the largest of the three Schnauzer breeds. Cattlemen in Southern Bavaria produced the Giant Schnauzer by breeding medium-size Schnauzers with smooth-coated sheep and cattle dogs, with later crossbreeds to rough-haired sheepdogs and black Great Danes. A a time it was known as the Munchener and was prized as a superb cattle and driving dog. It closely resembles the Standard Schnauzer but a bigger and more powerful variant.


WEIGHT: 65-85 pounds

HEIGHT: Males 251/2-271/2 inches; females 23 1/2-25 1/2 inches

COLOR: solid black; pepper and salt.

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Working Dogs: Standard Schnauzer

The Standard Schnauzer is a medium-sized dog, the oldest breed of the three Schnauzer types. Possibly a result of the crossbreeding of the black German Poodle and Gray Wolf Spitz with Wirehaired Pinscher ancestry, the Standard Schnauzer served as a guard and watchdog in Germany since the 16th century. It is also skilful as a rat catcher in the stable area. Its head is long, rectangular, and robust with a blunt whiskered muzzle.  Its body heavyset and squarely built. Its oval eyes dark and shadowed by bristling eyebrows. The V-shaped ears are small and carried upright when cropped, and the coat is hard and wiry.

WEIGHT: 30-40 pounds

HEIGHT: males 18 ½ -19 ½ inches; females 17 ½ – 18 ½ inches

COLOR: pepper and salt or pure black.

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Working Dogs: Samoyed

The Samoyed's name originated from the ancient Samoyed people of northeastern Siberia, where it served as hunter, draft dog, and reindeer herder. In more recent times, it served as a sled-dog racer, a pack carrier, and companion in polar expeditions. Basically an Arctic type, agile and strong, having deep chest and well-sprung ribs, powerful neck, straight front, and particularly strong loins, it carries the appearance of being capable of great endurance but without coarseness. Its edge-shaped head carries a broad skull, muzzle tapering off, eyes dark and wide apart, lips black and somewhat curved up at the corners of the mouth like a smile. Its furry ears stand upright. Its heavy coat is beautiful with thick and soft  undercoat, its outer layer longer, harsh, standing off from the body and shining with a silver sheen.

WEIGHT: 40-70 pounds

HEIGHT: males 21-23 inches; females 19-21 inches

COLOR: white, white and biscuit, cream, or all biscuit. 

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Working Dogs: Mastiff (English Mastiff)

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Perhaps Asiatic in origin, the Mastiff comes down from ancient fighting dogs. In 55 B.C. it fought beside its masters in Britain against Caesar's Roman legions, and later at the Circus in Rome, when dogs were pitted against bulls, lions, bears, and tigers. So useful it was as a guard against wild animals that Anglo-Saxon law demanded it on large estates. It is a massive and strongly built dog, slightly arched over the loin, his forelegs straight and hind legs beefy. His head is broad and slightly rounded between the ears, the muzzle stark, forehead a bit wrinkled, dark eyes set apart, and V-shaped ears falling near the cheeks. His long, tapering tail drops straight in repose and produces a slight curve when the Mastiff is in action. The coat is coarse, short, and close-lying.

WEIGHT: 135-185 pounds
HEIGHT males at least 30 inches; females at least 27 1/2 inches,
COLOR: apricot, silver fawn, or dark fawn-brindle, with dark muzzle, ears, and nose

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Working Dogs: Doberman Pinscher

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The Doberman Pinscher takes his name from Louis Doberman, a German tax collector who produced the breed about 1890 by crossing shorthaired Shepherd, old English Black-and-Tan Terrier, Rottweiler, and German Pinscher stock. Popular as an outstanding watchdog, guard dog,  police and war dog, its very elegant-looking and clean of line all over. His head is long and wedge-shaped, and his ears are typically cropped and carried upright. His eyes are almond-shaped instead of round, and his lips are tight. The back is short, and the tail docked, while the smooth, hard coat fits close to the skin.

WEIGHT: 55-75 pounds

HEIGHT: males 26-28 inches; females 24-26 inches

COLOR: black, red, blue, and fawn (Isabella) with rust markings.

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Working Dogs: Bullmastiff

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A mixture of 60% Mastiff and 40% Bulldog, the Bullmastiff was bred in England about 1860 to guard large estates and game preserves free from poachers. Fearless and obedient, they kept company gamekeepers on their late-night rounds. Since they were less visible, the darker brindles were favored to the more common fawn colors. Here is a powerful-looking, short-backed, compact dog having a large, broad head, dark eyes, and a fair quantity of wrinkle on the black-masked face. Ears are V-shaped and carried near the cheeks. The tail, powerful at the root and tapering to the end, might be short or curved. The coat is short and compact, affording good weather protection.

WEIGHT: males 110-130 pounds; females 100-120 pounds

HEIGHT: males 25-27 inches; females 24-26 inches

COLOR: red, fawn, or brindle.

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Bernese Mountain Dog

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The ancestors of this breed were brought in to Switzerland more than 2,000 years ago by invading Roman soldiers. The dogs acted as watchdogs on farms in the canton of Berne who worked as drovers, drawing wagons for basket weavers. A good-looking, strong-boned dog, the Bernese has a long, silky jet-black coat having rust markings on the cheeks and spots over each eye, on all four legs, on each side of the chest, and under the tail. A white blaze graces the muzzle and forehead, white chest markings form an inverted cross, and there is white on the tip of the tail and the feet.

WEIGHT. 80-110 pounds

HEIGHT: males 24 1/2-27 1/2 inches; females 22 1/2-25 1/2 inches

COLOR: black with rich rust and clear white markings. 

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Working Dogs: Rottweiler

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When Roman legions got across the Alps almost 2,000 years ago, they employed this breed's Mastiff-type ancestors as guards and cattle drovers. In time these dogs spread out across the Alps into the southern German village of Rottweil, where they were developed with local dogs to create the Rottweiler. For centuries thenceforth, this robust dog drove cattle to market and functioned as a guard and police dog. Its a stockily built, strong animal, calm and quiet. Its back is short, broad and level, his chest spacious, legs straight, with muscular thighs and quite heavy boned. The head is broad between the ears, with muzzle about as long as the depth of the skull. Its almond-shaped eyes bear a good-humored expression, while its small ears hang flat. The coat is short but really dense and hard.

WEIGHT: 85-110 pounds

HEIGHT: males 24-27 inches; females 22-25 inches

COLOR: black with rust to mahogany markings.

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Working Dogs: Newfoundland

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Some authorities lay claim he is descended from Great Pyrenees dogs brought by Basque fishermen to the coast of Newfoundland; others consider his ancestors are French Boarhounds. An exceptionally powerful swimmer, it has saved many shipwrecked individuals from drowning. Strength is his trademark, together with a funny rolling gait. The body is strongly built and well-boned, the forelegs straight, the hind legs brawny and well-muscled. The head is massive having a broad skull, the muzzle broad and deep, eyes dark and deep-set, and small ears set well back and lying near the head. The tail drops straight or with a slight curve, while the coat is quite heavy and weather-resistant.

WEIGHT: 100-150 pounds

HEIGHT: 26-28 inches

COLOR: black, brown, grey, or white and black (Landseer). 

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Working Dogs: Kuvasz

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The Kuvasz is an ancient breed whose ancestors came from Tibet, named after the Turkish Kwaz, meaning “the armed guard of nobility,” It was bred in his present form in Hungary and attained great  prominence throughout the reign of King Matthias I in the 15th century. There it served as a sheep herder and protected noblemen against assaults by the populace. He is characterized by a tough build. His body is deep-chested, broad in back, heavy-boned and muscular, and is embraced with luxurious white hair. His head, regarded to be the most beautiful part of the breed, is complemented by beautiful dark brown, moderately slanted eyes and V-shaped ears.

WEIGHT: males 100-115 pounds; females 70-90 pounds

HEIGHT: males 28-30 inches; females 26-28 inches

COLOR: white.

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Working Dogs: Great Pyrenees

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The Great Pyrenees or the Pyrenean Mountain Dog is an ancient breed that comes from the earliest-known Asian Mastiffs. It was named after the Pyrenees Mountains, where it worked as a shepherd dog and protected its flocks from wolves and bears. It was a darling of the French royal court in the 17th century. Immense size and a majestic air differentiate the Great Pyrenees. Its head is large and wedge-shaped, measuring about 10 to 12 inches from dome to nose; with sloping dark eyes and V-shaped ears. Its body is strong, his bushy tail long and low when relaxed, but curled high over the back and "making the wheel" while alert. Its coat is his crowning glory—heavy and fine underneath, having a top layer of thick, coarser hair, straight or a bit wavy.

WEIGHT: males 100-125 pounds; females 90-115 pounds

HEIGHT: males 27-32 inches; females 25-29 inches

COLOR: all white, or principally white with markings of badger, gray, or varying shades of tan. 

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Working Dogs: Great Dane

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The Great Dane sprang up in Germany, not in Denmark as one might conjecture, and has been recognized as a distinct type for over 400 years. The growing of the modern type began in Germany in the 19th century, where they were used as a boarhound, and continued in England and the U.S. Its a giant breed, dignified and regal, having a powerful, well-formed body. Its head is long, narrow, and delicately chiselled, his muzzle deep and square with full flews. The eyes are typically dark and quite bright; the ears must be well-pointed and set erect when cropped, otherwise they drop forward near the cheeks. The coat is short, thick, and glossy.

WEIGHT: 120-160 pounds

HEIGHT: males over 30 inches; females over 28 inches

COLOR: brindle, fawn, blue, black, harlequin (pure white with black patches).

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Working Dogs: Doberman Pinscher

The Doberman Pinscher takes his name from Louis Doberman, a German tax collector who produced the breed about 1890 by crossing shorthaired Shepherd, old English Black-and-Tan Terrier, Rottweiler, and German Pinscher stock. Popular as an outstanding watchdog, guard dog,  police and war dog, its very elegant-looking and clean of line all over. His head is long and wedge-shaped, and his ears are typically cropped and carried upright. His eyes are almond-shaped instead of round, and his lips are tight. The back is short, and the tail docked, while the smooth, hard coat fits close to the skin.

WEIGHT: 55-75 pounds

HEIGHT: males 26-28 inches; females 24-26 inches

COLOR: black, red, blue, and fawn (Isabella) with rust markings. 

By: Tip Writer