Last Modified: 7/1/08

This area is dedicated to terms that you may or may not have heard or that you may think means one thing when it really means another! When looking at books and sites you see most of these terms and probably not know what they are talking about. I also have collected a few medical terms that have cropped up when I speak with other breeders or have problems with my own puppies. I put these into easy explanations that will hopefully make your searching easier. Words in blue are links to their definition. If you have heard a term that is not here please tell me and I will add it. I also ask that you be patient with the amount of times a single word may crop up; this is for the benefit of readers linking from another page.

ACA:
The American Canine Association. This registry is pretty much for commercial breeders and is usually offered as registration from pet stores.

AKC:
The American Kennel Club. One of the existing organizations that register dogs for breeding, show, and ownership.

APR:
American Purebred Registry. This one is not well named as they will register any dog that has applied regardless of pedigree.

APRI:
America's Pet Registry. A registry founded by commercial breeders.

ARU:
Animal Registry Unlimited. They register and encourage cross breed dogs and litters.

Alter:
To spay or neuter and animal.

Aspirate:
Aspiration happens when a puppy/dog coughs or chokes on food, liquid or anything they are in the act of consuming. When they draw breath to cough they can breathe part of the item or saliva into their lungs which causes an infection. Unless helped immediately with oxygen, antibiotics and steroids they will not survive.

Bitch:
I have to admit that this term causes conflict with some but is nonetheless used among breeders and veterinarians. It is a female dog used for breeding purposes.

Bite:
The way the jaw sits when the teeth rest together.

Black:
Describes the color of a dog's coat.

Blue:
Describing the pigmented color of a dog's skin. The dog's skin would have a blue color and would not have any black markings or mask.

Breech:
A puppy that is born feet first. These puppies are not always difficult to deliver.

Breed:
Mating a sire and bitch to have puppies.

Brindle:
Describes the color of a dog's coat. Brindle is a mix of several shades of brown and may include some red highlights or black surrounded by white. In some documents or ads you will see the term shortened to "Brdl" or close to it.

CKC:
Two registries use this abbreviation. One is the Canadian Kennel Club and the other is the Continental Kennel Club.
*The Canadian Club is a Canadian comparison of the AKC. They are not the same but their goals are comparable.
*The Continental Club is a US club but it allows the registration of mixed breeds as well as purebreds. They are one of the other main registries offered among US breeders as there is no fee for registration and they are less strict than the AKC.

CRCS:
Canine Registration and Certification Services. Another registry also favored by commercial breeders.

Coat:
A dog's hair. It's as simple as that.

Colostrum:
The thicker fluid that appears before the milk in a lactating dog. This early milk is high in antibodies.

Croup:
The dog's bottom or rump.

Dam:
Do not confuse this with bitch. A dam is the mother of a particular litter or puppy.

Dew claws:
If you take a close look at a dog's front feet you will find four claws close together and one more an inch higher up on the leg. This separated claw is the dew claw. Many breeders will have these claws removed before selling the puppy. It is possible for a puppy to have a dew claw on one or both of the back feet but it is rare and undecided as to whether it is a sign of bad breeding or just nature.

Dominant:
The dominant dog is the dog that leads the pack, eats first at meals, etc. This is usually a female.

DRA:
Dog Registry of America. Will register any dog applied.

Double Coat:
This terms means that there are actually two coats, one layer on top of the other. The thinner layer is the under coat and is generally the first to mat. It is finer, softer, and sometimes shorter. The nonexistence of this layer is considered undesirable. The top layer covers the under layer and can be different textures.

Estrus:
The technical term for a bitch's cycle or heat.

FIC:
Federation of International Canines. Gives discount registration for commercial breeders.

Gait:
The body movement of a dog as it runs or walks.

Gold:
Describes the color of a dog's coat. Otherwise known as tan in other breeds.

Heat:
A bitch's period. Just like humans, dogs have bleeding cycles. The vulva will swell and turn deep red to purple and they lightly bleed. As the heat progresses they bleed more heavily. As the heat comes to a close the bleeding with lighten again. Beware that some do not bleed at all during this time.

Hernia:
It is a bump that can be seen on either the belly or back leg near the groin or unseen inside the puppy. Most common are Umbilical hernias, usually on the belly, resulting from an organ protruding into an abnormal opening. Most originate from stress on the umbilical cord during birth. Inguinal hernias protrude from a back leg near the groin and are caused by intestines pushing through the inguinal canal by way of a weak spot. Diaphragmatic hernias are hernias inside the body formed from a tear in the diaphram that is formed before birth. Femoral hernias display like the inguinal hernias near the groin and are a weakening in the abdominal wall allowing intestines to protrude.

Hindquarters:
The back legs. Hey, another simple one!

Hobble brace
This kind of brace is used on swimmer puppies. Used to push the puppy into standing, a brace is made by tying gauze or taping medical tape around each back leg above the joint leaving a rope about an inch or two long between the legs.

Hocks:
The main joint of the hindquarters, serves the purpose of an ankle joint.

Hypoglycemia:
Low blood Sugar. All small breeds are prone to this problem which can be caused by many circumstances from pain to loneliness and cured with corn syrup, if caught early.

Imperforate Anus
This is not a term you will hear breeders use, but I have it here for anyone whose puppy has been diagnosed. This is when a puppy has been born without a true anal opening. There may be a pucker of skin or a spot that looks similar to an anus but there will be no opening. Surgery is possible if the colon is connected to the muscle, but it is not recommended as the puppy has a 90% chance of becoming Incognant.

Imperial
This term really does not exist except among those who breed them. An Imperial is considered a Shih Tzu that weighs less than 6 lbs in adulthood. The AKC does not recognize the name as any particular distinction in the breed. You will be able to read the stand of the American Shih Tzu Club here.

Inbreed:
Breeding two dogs that are related, Father to Daughter, Mother to Son, Brother to Sister. This includes breeding two dogs from the same parents, but separate litters or two dogs sharing one parent.

Incognant:
A puppies anal muscles are unable to hold back feces and will poop without being able to control themselves. Caused by surgery to the Anus, birth defect or prolonged, continuous straining to defecate. There is no cure.

Inoculate:
The act of giving an animal or person a vaccine or shot to encourage the immune system to develop and antibody, or defense, against a certain disease or group of diseases.

Impregnate:
To make a bitch pregnate.

Kennel:
A group of dogs owned by one person or group for breeding or showing.

Lactating:
This means "producing milk" and is another term for nursing.

Latch:
The term for a puppy pushing it's muzzle onto the dam's nipple and grabbing it in it's mouth in a strong sucking hold.

Litter:
The group of puppies born at each whelp.

Liver:
Describing the pigmented color of a dog's skin. The dog's skin would have a red or brown color and would not have any black markings or mask.

Markings:
The extra colorings or the arrangement of colors in a dog's coat. Markings may be tips, a mask, a saddle, or more than one if not all of the before listed.

Mask:
The coloring found around the muzzle which can include black, brown, white and red and is off set by another color. In this breed only a black mask is considered for distinction by the AKC.

Membrane:
The thick and strong mucus -like material of the placenta.

Mounting:
One dog climbing on the back of another dog. Reason *1: A show of dominance. The dog desiring the dominate role will mount other dogs to force them into submission. Reason *2: A male will mount a female in the process of mating to impregnate the female.

Muzzle:
The protruding mouth and nose.

Miscarry:
A litter fails to fully grow or the dam is incapable of carrying the litter to term. In this circumstance, the dam will not pass the pups, but will absorb the litter and the next heat may be significantly delayed.

Neuter:
A surgery that removes the ball sac from a male animal to stunt their ability to breed.

Nipple:
The small protrusions on a female's belly, in groups of two on each side of the belly, used for producing and delivering milk for nursing puppies. There may be as little as four or as many as twelve depending on the size of the female. They will remain as tiny bumps on their belly unless they are bred and will engorge as the female comes close to delivery.

NKC:
National Kennel Club. registers all dogs after inspection.

Nursing:
The act of a puppy latching onto one of the dam's nipples and sucking milk out of it for nourishment. Puppies under the age of four weeks should be getting their sole nourishment this way unless the dam is incapable of nursing them.

Passive Smoke:
Another term for second hand smoke.

Pasterns:
The leg below the hocks of the hindquarters.

Partis:
A mixed color coat that would be part white and part another color. This may include a mask or tips.

Pigment:
Natural coloring matter in the skin.

Pinched nostrils:
Nasal passages that are not as wide as is desirable. It causes labored breathing, light colored tongues from decreased oxygen intake, sneezing, snoring, sniffling, grunting, coughing, sometimes hacking, and frequent rest breaks during play. All flat faced animals are prone to this problem and 98% will grow out of it, without problem, by the time they are a year old. Surgeries are often suggested, but rarely necessary unless the puppy obviously can not breathe.

Placenta:
The temporary organ that feeds the unborn puppies. Sometimes delivered with the pup and sometimes after the pup has been cleaned and cared for. If your dog is very clean, she will have eaten the placenta before you see it.

Red:
Describes the color of a dog's coat. Is any medium to dark brown dog that does not fit in any other category.

Registry/registration:
Dog registries exist to keep records of dogs for purposes that range from showing and agility to breeding and ownership. Not all registries are considered worth using but that is the discretion of the owner doing the registering.

Root:
The base of the tail where it attaches to the body.

Sac:
The membrane material that surrounds each puppy when it is born. It is also known as a placenta. Each puppy is born in it's own separate sac. It is possible for there to be two puppies to share a sac (twins) but it is very rare and makes birthing dangerous.

Saddle:
Found only on partis, it is the coloring found between the whithers and the hindquarters along the back.

Silver:
Describes the color of a dog's coat.

Single Coat:
This is the opposite of a double coat. Single coats are missing the soft under layer.

Shakedown:
Used to clear a pups airways or to force movement in a still, newborn pup. Directions for this procedure are found in Whelping Help.

Sire:
The father of a litter or puppy.

Solid:
A coat consisting of only one color. A solid coat may also have a few tiny traces of another color or have a mask or tips.

Spay:
A surgery that removes the ovaries from a female animal to stunt their ability to breed.

Split Season:
When a females heat starts and then stops for one or more days and then starts again. The length of time between bleedings is different for every female. Studs may breed at both side of the split, making due dates less accurate.

STDs:
Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Yes, this occurs among animals as well as humans.

Stop:
The depression between the muzzle and top of the skull. What you may think is the forehead.

Stud:
A male dog used for breeding purposes.

Swimmer:
A puppy that cannot stand on all four legs when all the others are learning normally. The puppy's leg muscles are not strong enough to support him. Full swimmers are weak in all four legs but with the Shih Tzu it is more likely with just the back two. Instead of lying with back legs together out the back they will lay heavily off to the sides. In full swimmers their front legs will also stick out. These puppies tend to only use their front legs to move, will continue to wobble terribly when all other puppies are running, or in the worst cases of full swimmers, not walk at all.

Teat:
One of eight nipples on the belly of a female dog. Not all will fill with milk for every litter as only those needed to supply the puppies are necessary.

Term:
The full length of time it, normally, takes for a litter to fully develop. A full term pregnancy is, usually, 62 days.

Tie:
The stud and bitch connect during mating. The stud will mount on top of the bitch and may fail to completely connect. The way to tell if they have fully connected is to watch for when the two seem to be stuck together. It will look like they have literally been tied together with a rope and cannot separate. They may stay this way for up to 20 minutes.

Tips:
Many non black puppies will have black edges on their coat. It will usually be along the base of the saddle or on the tips of the ears or the tip of the tail. This marking is distinguished with the AKC.

Top Knot:
The hair on top of the head between the outer edges of the eyes and above the nose taken and tied on the top of the head in ribbon or a rubber band.

Topline:
The line of the back.

UABR:
United All Breed Registry. If you register a litter they will register the adult.

Undershot bite:
The lower jaw sticks out slightly from the upper jaw. It is the same thing as an overbite only it is the lower and not the upper jaw. This is considered a necessity in Shih Tzu, as they are bred to retain this trait. An excessive undershot keeps a dog from properly closing their mouth and is considered a flaw.

UKC:
United Kennel Club. This registry seems to care what they do and who they influence. They only register pure bred dogs and only litters whose parents are registered.

UKCI:
Universal Kennel Club International. Yet another registry that caters to commercial breeders and pet stores. They have no code of ethics and care not at all about pedigree.

USDA:
United States Department of Agriculture. You may be wondering why I added this but if new proposed legislation becomes law then the USDA will have more of a prominance with dog and cat breeding.

Vulva:
The protruding organ located on a female's backside between the legs and under the tail. This organ is used to relieve the bladder, mate and whelp puppies.

Whelp:
The birthing or delivery of a litter.

Wipe Gold:
During a heat a bitch will bleed for approximately two weeks. As the bleeding subsides the vulva is wiped with a cloth and when the cloth catches gold mucus the bitch is ready for breeding.

Whithers:
The shoulder area between the base of the neck and the back of the front legs.

WKC:
World Kennel Club. This is another funny one as it says it only registers purebreds but will register a dog without known parentage.

WWKC:
World Wide Kennel Club. Will register any dog already registered with another registry.