Dog Breeds

The Chihuahua is the smallest breed of dog and is named after the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. There is a wide variety of Chihuahua size, color, coat length and head shape throughout the world. Their height usually varies between 15-23cm and their weight varies between 1-3kg.

The Boxer is a medium size breed dog with a lifespan of approximately 9-11 years. Males normally weigh between 29-34kg's and females between 23-27kg's. The most common coat colour is Fawn or Brindle, with or without white markings. However, there are ‘all white’ Boxers also around.

The New Zealand Kennel Club states there are currently 204 breeds of dog recognised by their club and these breeds have been categorised within breed groups which include Toy, Terrier, Gundogs, Hound, Working, Utility and Non Sporting.

The Labrador Retriever (most commonly referred to as 'Labrador' or 'Lab') is one of the most popular breeds in New Zealand and the United States. This large size breed dog has a lifespan of 10-13 years and comes in one of three colours, being Chocolate (Brown), Golden (Yellow - Red) or Black.

The German Shepherd Dog (also known as Alsatian, GSD or Deutscher Schaferhund) is a large breed dog with a lifespan of approximately 10-12 years. Males normally weigh between 30-40kg's and females between 22-32kg's.

There are two types of Fox Terrier breed, being the Smooth coat and the Wire-haired Fox Terrier. The Fox Terrier (also referred to as 'foxy') is a small/medium sized dog with a lifespan of around 10-13 years.

The Golden Retriever is considered a large size breed dog with a generous lifespan of approximately 10-13 years. The most common coat colour is any shade of gold or cream, however there are some dogs that have a red or mahogany coloured coat, which is not recognised by the NZKC.