Day One – Toy and Utility Groups
The Kennel Club classifies the 209 breeds it recognises into seven groups. These groups are based on the original purpose for which dogs were bred.
Toy Dogs are traditionally companion dogs, therefore smaller in size and usually requiring less exercise than their counterparts in the other groups. However, the largest dogs in the Toy Group are the King Charles and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels which did originally work as gundogs but became more popular as companions to their aristocratic owners. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is the most popular dog in the Toy Group. There are a total of 374 entered for exhibition at Crufts today. One of the more recent additions to the Toy Group is the Bolognese, which as the name suggests, originates from Italy. It was first exhibited at Crufts in 2002. Only 38 will be on show today.
The Utility Group is made up of a wide variety of breeds, most of which are now kept as companion dogs but were originally developed for guarding or working activities. The Bulldog is the only British native breed in the group, originally bred as the name suggests for bullbaiting, which thankfully is now extinct. The Dalmatian was the stylish and elegant ‘carriage dog’ popular in the Regency period, which ran under or beside all types of carriages, including the horse-drawn fire engines of London, hence the nickname ‘Firehouse dog’. There are a number of ‘Spitz’ type breeds in the Utility group, from China, Japan and Holland. One of these is the Schipperke, whose job it was to guard barges on Dutch and Belgian waterways. Poodles, with their distinctive ‘lion clip’ coats are judged according to size – Standard, Miniature and Toy, but all are classified in the Utility Group. The Poodle’s original function was as a water retriever and the coat trimming was intended to give buoyancy and protect joints from the cold.
- Author:
- Caroline Hallett
- Publisher:
- The Kennel Club
- Date:
- 06-Mar-08
- Last updated on:
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