Shih Tzu and other dogs - Canine Terminology

Action - Movement
Anal Glands - Sacs located on each side of the rectum
Apron - Longer hair on the chest below the neck
Back - Arched over the loins - a level back which then arches over the loins
Level back - height at the withers is the same as height at the loins
Long back - Distance from withers to rump is much longer than height of dog to the withers (e.g. Dachshund)
Roach back - slight arch over the loin
Sloping back - height at withers is greater than height at the loins (e.g. German Shepherd Dog)
Straight back - no dip between withers and loins (e.g. English Toy Terrier)
Wheel back - continuous arch from withers to tail (e.g. Bedlington)
Bay - Cry of a hunting dog, in particular the hound.
Beard - Long hair under jaw and on muzzle
Belton - Coloured hair mingled with white
Bitch - female dog
Blenheim - Particular chestnut and white colour of King Charles and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
Bi-coloured - Two colours in coat
Blaze - White strip running down the centre of the face
Bowed front - forelegs curving out from elbows then in to wrist (e.g. Pekingese)
Brindle - Fine strips of black hair evenly dispersed on lighter colour on coat
Canines - long, stabbing teeth placed either side of the incisors
Castration - neutering of male dog (removal of testicles)
Cat feet - round, compact feet with well arched and tightly bunched toes. Deeply cushioned, thick skinned pads.
Cobby - a dog which is strong but compact (e.g. Pug)
Couple - two hounds
Crooked front - forelegs inclining inwards and slightly curved (e.g. Basset hound)
Cross breeding - Breeding bitch of one breed with male dog of another breed
Dam - mother dog
Dew Claws - Fifth digits, found on the inside of the leg - often removed from puppies
Dewlap - Loose skin under throat
Dock - amputation of whole or part of the tail
Domino - a reverse facial mask.
Double coat - Weather-resistant outer coat with softer, insulating undercoat.
Ears Bat ears - fully erect, wide, forward facing and broad at base (e.g. Cardigan Corgi)
Blunt tipped ears - Round tipped as opposed to pointed ears (e.g. Chow Chow)
Button ears - Semi erect, folded ears
Candle flame ears - large, wide, erect and pointed ears specific to the English Toy Terrier
Cocked ears - Semi erect, similar to button ears but with just the tip folded
Cropped ears - surgical removal of part of the ear, practiced in the USA but, thankfully, forbidden in the UK
Drop ears - ears which hand down from the junction with the head
Filbert shaped ears - particularly used to describe the unusual shape of the Bedlington Terrier's ears
Flying ears - ears which stick out from the side of the head
Folded ears - pendant ears which hang in downward folds rather than lying flat (i.e Bloodhound)
Heart shaped ears - (e.g. Pekingese)
High set ears - ears set high to the top of the skull
Hooded ears - small ears with both edges curving forward (e.g. basenji)
Lobe shaped ears - (e.g. cocker spaniel)
Low set ears - ears set low on the skull (e.g. bloodhound)
Prick ears - Stiff, erect ears either with rounded or pointed tips
Rolled ears - long, pendant and folding ears with lower tip and edge curling in
Rose ears - Small, drop ears which fold over and back exposing inside of ear canal
Triangular ears - ears which form an equilateral triangle, pricked or dropped (e.g. Siberian Husky)
Tulip ears - Rose or semi-drop ears which are erect.
V shaped ears - long, triangular ears, usually dropped (e.g. Hungarian Vizla)
Eyes Almond eyes - oval and bluntly pointed at both corners (e.g. Borzoi)
Deep set eyes - (e.g. Chow Chow)
Globular eyes - round and prominant but not bulging in profile
Haw eyes - eyes where the inner of the lower eyelid is visible (e.g. bloodhound)
Obliquely placed eyes - where the outer corners are situated higher than the inner corners (e.g. Bull Terrier)
Oval eyes - (e.g. Dachshund)
Round eyes - circular in shape (e.g. French Bulldog)
Triangular eyes - more angular than oval (e.g. Afghan Hound)
Wall eye - incomplete flecked or spotted melanin markings on a blue iris (often found in merle coated dogs)
Feathering - Long hair on ears and/or body, legs and tail.
Femur - Thigh bone
Flecking - coat ticked with another colour
Floating ribs - unattached thirteenth and last rib
Gait - movement at various speed
Game - Wild animals and birds hunted by dogs
Gestation - period between conception and birth - average 63 days.
Giving tongue - baying of a hound pack
Guard hairs - Longer, thicker hairs which grow through the undercoat.
Gun barrel front - forelegs and pasterns straight, parallel and vertical to the ground
Hare foot - elongated foot
Harlequin - Black on white or blue on white patched or pied coat.
Head - Apple head - skull is rounded and domed (e.g. Chihuahua)
Arched skull - a skull which arches from side to side or sometimes lengthways
Balanced head - the skull and foreface are equal in length (e.g. Gordon Setter)
Brick shaped head - the skull and muzzle are equal in width (e.g. Wire Haired Fox Terrier)
Broad skull - wide between the ears in relation to the length (e.g. Golden Retriever)
Clean head - free from wrinkles and bony or muscled lumps
Cone shaped head - triangular in outline (e.g. dachshund)
Egg shaped head - the head tapers towards the nose (e.g. Bull Terrier)
Flat skull - flat from ear to ear and stop to occiput (e.g. Pointer)
Fox like head - Triangular and elongated head with fine foreface (e.g. Spitz)
Otter head - (e.g. Border Terrier)
Oval skull - gentle, curved contours from ear to ear
Pear shaped head - (e.g. Bedlington Terrier)
Long Head - a long, narrow head which tapers (e.g. Borzoi)
Ram's head - convex profile (e.g. Bull Terrier and Bedlington Terrier)
Round Head - broad, square or round, short skull
Squared off head - a square muzzle or lip shape (e.g. Pointer)
Wedge shaped head - triangular profile
Heat - Seasonal fertility of bitch
Horseshoe front - straight forelegs wider apart at the chest (e.g. Bedlington Terrier)
Humerus - largest bone in front legs
Incisors - Usually six, top and bottom, front teeth
Lachrymal glands - tear producing glands in inner corner of eye
Landseer - Black & white colouring relating to Newfoundlands
Lion clip - Traditional show clip of poodle and some other breeds.
Mask - Dark shading on face
Merle - Blue-grey colouring often flecked with black.
Molars - Back teeth (two each side in the top jaw and three each side in the bottom jaw)
Mottled - Bi-coloured coat consisting of dark patches on lighter background
Moult - shedding of coat
Muzzle - foreface in front of eyes
Nose - Butterfly nose - broken pigmentation to nose colour
Flared nostrils - wide, open nostrils (Bouvier des Flandres)
Flesh coloured nose - an even but light coloured nose (e.g. Pharaoh Hound)
Liver nose - brown pigment to nose
Pinched nostrils - narrow, closed nostrils (a fault in any breed)
Ram's Nose - straight and aquiline in profile (e.g. Deerhound)
Roman nose - convex in profile (e.g. Bull Terrier)
Self coloured nose - pigment colour the same as the coat
Winter nose - a normally black nose which in winter takes on a pinkish hue
Occiput - top point or peak of skull
Oval feet - similar to cat feet but with the two centre toes slightly longer.
Pack - number of hounds which run together
Pads - Thick skin on underside of feet
Pedigree - Proven history of dog's breeding
Pigment - colour of skin
Pips - Spots above the eyes (often referred to as eyebrows) usually found in black & tan breeds.
Plume - long hair hanging from underside of tail
Premolars - teeth between molars and canines
Pure breed - a dog with parentage of same breeds
Ridge - Strip of hair which grows in the opposite direction to the main coat
Roan - Fine mix of white hairs alternating with coloured ones
Runt - Weakest, smallest puppy of litter (often the last born)
Sable - Black-tipped hairs over different colour main coat
Saddle - Coat of different texture or colour over the back
Self coloured - coat of one basic colour
Smooth haired - short, close-lying coat
Socks/stockings - white hair covering feet (socks) or leg (stockings)
Soft mouth - a gentle grip without "teething"
Spayed - neutering of a bitch (uterus & ovaries removed)
Spectacles - lighter, circular colouring around eyes of some breeds
Sternum - Central chest bone
Stop - depression between the eyes
Racy - a dog which is streamlined and elegant in appearance (e.g. Greyhound)
Tail - Bee sting tail - a strong, straight tail which tapers to a point
Bob tail - a dog born without a tail or one which has been docked close to the connection to the body.
Brush tail - long, thick erect hair on tail (e.g. Siberian Husky)
Carrot shaped tail - (e.g. Scottish terrier)
Cocked up tail - raised at right angles (e.g. Cocker spaniel)
Crank tail - the tail is arched out from the root then hangs down and angles out at the end
Curled tail - can be a single or double curl
Docked tail - surgical removal of end of tail (now illegal if not done by a vet)
Flagpole tail - long and carried erect (e.g. Beagle)
Gay tail - carried higher than horizontal
Hook tail - hangs down with an upward curl at the tip
Horizontal tail - (e.g. Bull Terrier)
Kinked tail - a tail with a sharp bend somewhere along it's length
Low set tail - a tail which begins lower than the topline or from a sloping croup
Otter tail - strong, thick and tapering at tip
Plumed tail - long haired tail carried over the back (e.g. Pomeranian)
Pot hook tail - held over the back in an arc (e.g. Shih Tzu)
Rat tail - sparse or hairless tail (e.g. Irish Water Spaniel)
Ring tail - a long tail, all or part forming a ring
Sabre tail - carried upwards or downwards, it has a gentle curve
Scimitar tail - as the sabre tail but with a more pronounced curve
Screw tail - a short tail with a twist or spiral
Sickle tail - loosely carried over the back
Snap tail - carried over the back with the tip making contact
Squirrel tail - long and sharply angled forward but without making contact with the back
Stumpy tail - short
Sword tail - hanging straight down
Tapering tail - long, shorthaired and tapering at tip
Tufted tail - long or short with a plume or tuft at the end
Whip tail - pointed and carried out stiffly in line with back
Third eyelid - protective membrane at the inner corner of the eye which acts like a windscreen-wiper. Can be seen in sleeping dogs.
Top knot - Long hair on top of head
Tri coloured - Three coat colours together (black, tan & white)
Undercoat - Soft, thick shorter hair concealed by top coat.
Webbed feet - strong webbing between toes often found in breeds which retrieve from water
Wheaten - Fawn to pale yellow colour
Whelps - pups which are unweaned.
Wide front - wider than normal distance of chest between front legs
Wire haired - Crisp, harsh and wiry textured coat.