Show Dog Terms: Type

Type: You will hear references to the “type” of a dog. This is a rather difficult expression to explain to a novice because first the novice must know that there are different types within a breed. It is only after you know your breed thoroughly that you begin to realize that these different types exist. Also, to different people the word has different meanings. With some people, type means size or shape of body. They will say, "I do not like his type, he is too small and racy." Here they are referring to size, and when they say "racy" they mean shape of body.

Usually a racy dog is one who is slight for the breed in question and also, in addition to being slight, the dog may have a top line which slopes rather more than usual for that breed. Then, again, you will hear, "I do not like his type, he is too houndy in head." This will mean that the person is referring to type as expressed by the head. However, there is still another "type" referred to. You will hear someone say, "I like a terrier-type Beagle." Here he will be referring more to the bone structure in the shoulders and fore-section. You will also hear a judge say, "I really liked that dog I placed Winners today, he is so typey." The judge will mean that the dog, in his opinion, was typical of the breed.