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and Britain around the end of the 1800s, and its beauty and aristocratic bearing made it a popular show dog. It is not always amenable to discipline, and can sometimes appear aloof, but it can be a great clown at play time. Its basic instinct is to chase, and it needs plenty of exercise.
BASENJI
    The short-haired Basenji, with its distinctive ring tail and wrinkling between the ears, is a small African dog that was used as a hunter, tracker and watchdog. It trots like a horse, and yodels instead of barking. Its name comes from the Bantu word meaning ‘native of the bush’ and the breed was discovered in central Africa by Western explorers in the late 1800s. Its strong pack instinct often leads to scrapping and bickering over the pecking order. The breed is semi-domesticated and although it is often cheeky and mischievous, its unpredictability of mood has prevented it becoming popular as a pet.
BASSET AND BEAGLE
    The Basset and the Beagle both date back to the 16th century. The Basset, which is highly dominant, is thought to have originated in France. Queen Elizabeth I used to hunt with Beagles, and Shakespeare wrote about them. Like the larger Harrier, which was first used in packs in 18th-century England, the Beagle’s primary role was to hunt hare. Both the Beagle and Foxhound are colony dogs, preferring to live in a group of other dogs. Beagles have not completed the transition to using humans as surrogate dogs, and while they will stay with humans, they prefer dogs and will often wander from home to look for other canine company.
BLOODHOUND
    The Bloodhound is descended from an old breed introduced into England from Normandy by William the Conqueror in the 11th century. It was subsequently used to hunt red deer, and as a medieval patrol dog, employed to enforce the curfew. More recently it was used by police as a tracking dog because of its legendary powers of smell.
DACHSHUND
    The Dachshund has many terrier characteristics even though it is classified as a hound. It has been given the disparaging nickname of ‘sausage dog’, because of its long body and short legs. Its name means ‘badger dog’ in German, and it was originally used to trail badgers, foxes, hares and rabbits into their burrows. The dogs hunt by scent, and still love a rabbit chase, but they have become popular as pets, being intelligent, self-willed, devoted to their owners and diffident with strangers. The breed suffers from a spinal weakness which can lead to hind-leg paralysis. This fact has reduced its popularity in recent years. There are standard and miniature Dachshunds, with three different coat types: smooth, wire-haired or longhaired.
GREYHOUND AND WHIPPET
    The Greyhound had been used for the sport of coursing or chasing rabbits in Greek and Roman times. The Whippet is a smaller version of the Greyhound, mixed with some blood from the Manchester and English white terriers. Both breeds are well-known for racing, and the Whippet has been highly successful as a domestic pet, being affectionate, intelligent and rarely aggressive.
RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK
    The Rhodesian Ridgeback is also known as the Rhodesian lion dog, as it was originally created to track lions. It is believed to have resulted from crossing the Bloodhound with the Hottentot hunting dog, the latter breed giving the ridge of hair running down its back. By instinct these dogs are aggressive hunters and for this reason they are not ideal pets.
Working dogs
    The working dogs include the Australian Cattle Dog, Collies, Corgis, the German Shepherd, the Kelpie, and the Old English Sheepdog. They were bred to assist humans to deal with stock, and to work over long hours and distances. They’re built with a frame strong enough for them to start working the paddocks at dawn and keep going straight through to dusk. They like to be occupied all the time, therefore directing the movement of stock is ideal work for them. It becomes rather like a game that they play continuously — they have to