Back in June, three new dog breeds were officially recognized by the American Kennel Club. This means these breeds can now compete in dog shows such as the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in February 2011 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. To become a recognized breed there must be an official organization for the breed as well as standards for temperament, color, and size.
Currently, there are 167 recognized dog breeds in the AKC registry and the newest ones have been around for centuries.
The Icelandic Sheepdog is a breed that originates in Iceland when the Vikings settled there over 1,000 years ago. It is part of the spitz family which includes the American Eskimo. The Icelandic Sheepdog is often described as a large dog in a small dog’s body. They are tough and energetic, agile, alert, and were used for herding. The breed’s skeletal build resembles those of dogs found in graves that date back to 8000 B.C. Icelandic Sheepdogs have a good disposition and are friendly to new people and can make great family pets.
This dog is named after the town of Leonberger, Germany where it originates from and dates back to the 1800s. It is thought the breed was created from a Newfoundland and St. Bernard and later a Pyrenean Mountain Dog was added. The result is a large dog with long white fur and a knack for being a great farm dog. Modern day Leonbergers have dark fur and black masks on their faces. They were nearly wiped out during the two World Wars due to breeders fleeing for their lives or being killed in battled. It is recordered that only five Leonbergers survived World War One and were being bred again till World War Two came around which again caused many dogs to be lost. Leonbergers that we see today can be traced back to eight dogs that survived World War Two.
This is a rare breed that was brought back into existence in the 1980s and is a member of the mastiff family. The dog is from Italy and was used to hunt boar and fought alongside soldiers in ancient battles. They are a descendant of the Roman War Dogs and were guardians. The name is derived from “Cane Da Corso” which is an old term for dogs that worked as hunters. Modern day Cane Corsos are still huge, muscular, and intimidating looking but they are intelligent, easy to train, and make great family pets. Cane Corsos are known to be strong, bonded to their families, and protective at the same time they are gentle and delicate and are extremely tolerant of children playing and tugging them.