These 3 inch Christmas dog ornaments are black with dark brown eyes. They are sitting with their pink tongues hanging out in exhaustion from play. The white feathered angel wings are sprinkled with iridescent glitter snow. The gold wire halo floats gracefully over the Christmas dog puppy head. The Christmas dog first ornament hangs by a gold lame cord or it can also stand on a flat surface on display. Select this link to view our dog ornaments.
History of the Labrador Retriever: The Labrador Retriever continues to be the most popular breed according to Kennel club organizations. Originally know as ‘St. John’s Dogs,’ they are from Newfoundland, Canada. Labs were trained to jump overboard into the icy waters to drag fisherman’s nets to land. They are excellent swimmers because of their webbed paws. In the 1800s, fishermen from Labrador, Canada brought the breed to England to hone their retrieving skills. Select this link to view our animal ornaments Christmas.
The Dogs Coat: Dogs have three basic types of hair in their coat. Guard hairs, fine hairs and tactile hairs. Guard hairs are long, coarse hairs that make up the outer coat. They repel water and help protect the dog from rain and snow. Fine hairs make up the undercoat which helps keep the animal warm. Although dogs normally shed some hairs continuously, most dogs shed their undercoat in the spring and regrow it in the fall. Tactile hairs, also called whiskers, are highly sensitive touch organs on the muzzle, cheeks and over the eyes. These tactile hairs help dogs find their way in dim light.
The texture and length of the coat differ greatly among breeds. Boxers and miniature pinschers have a short, fine coat. The maltese, borzoi and afghan hounds have long, silky fur. Poodles, Bedlington terriers and Kerry blue terriers have coarse, curly coats. Some breeds like the Samoyed provide fur from which yarn is made.
A dog’s coat may be made up of several colors and members of the same breed may have differently colored coats. For example the Labrador retriever may be light yellow, dark yellow, chocolate brown, solid black, or black with tan markings. Select this link to view our animal hand blown glass ornaments.
Hounds The AKC registers various breeds of hounds. Hound hunt either by smell or sight. Scent hounds, like Beagles and Foxhounds, run with their noses to the ground to follow an animal’s scent. While they are trailing game, coonhounds and some other scent hounds bay or give out long, deep barks. Tall slender gazehounds or sight hounds, were bred to hunt game by sight. Today gazehounds like the greyhound and whippets are used in dog racing. The Hound group includes the American foxhound, Irish wolfhound, Norwegian elkhound, Rhodesian ridgeback, Greyhound, Dachshund, and Borzoi. Select this link to view our unique Christmas ornaments.
Sporting Dogs: Sporting dogs registered by the AKC consist of breeds of pointers, setters, retrievers and spaniels. Pointers and setters use their sharp eyesight and keen sense of smell to find birds. They then point their bodies toward the game to guide the hunter. Retrievers pick up birds that have been shot and bring them back to the hunter. Retrievers can work on land, but they mainly retrieve birds from the water. Most spaniels help hunters by going into bushes or brush to spring or scare birds into the air. Unlike other spaniels, the Irish water spaniel retrieves ducks and other birds from water. The Sporting Dog group includes the Chesapeake Bay retriever, English setter, Golden retriever, Pointer, Labrador retriever, Brittany, Cocker spaniel, German shorthaired pointer, Gordon setter, English springer spaniel and the Vizsla.
Working Dogs: The breeds of working dogs registered by the AKC serve people in various ways. For example, Doberman pinschers make excellent guard and police dogs. Alaskan malamutes, Samoyeds and Siberian huskies pull sleds and St. Bernards and Newfoundlands were bred for rescue work. The working dog group includes the Newfoundland, Alaskan malamute, Great Dane, Samoyed, Boxer, Great Pyrenees, St. Bernard and the Mastiff. Select this link to view our hunting Christmas ornaments.
