AKC – Non-Sporting Group
The Non-sporting Group is the next AKC group in this blog series. This is a very diverse group of 21 dog breeds from the small, hairless Xoloitzcuintli to the large, fluffy Chow Chow. If you are interested in any dog in the Non-sporting Group be prepared to take either a lot of time and/or money in coat/ skin care. The hairless Xoloitzcuintli requires special care because they can easily get sunburnt outside and are more prone to acne. Dogs like the Bulldog and Shar-pei require extra care with all their skin folds. Many of the others in this group like the Poodle, Keeshond and Lhasa Apsos require weekly grooming. Not only do the dog breeds in this group vary in size, there are a few like the American Eskimo Dog and Xoloitzcuintli that actually have three separate group standards: toy, miniature and standard. It may seem like it to some people that due to the variety of backgrounds these dogs have that dogs on this list haven’t quiet fit into any other AKC group. For instance, the Bichon Frise was solely developed to be a pampered companion to French nobles but the Chow Chow (who is one of the oldest dog breeds) was not only used as a companion but as a guard dog/ hauler / hunter and even for meat! Even the Finnish Spitz stands out in this group due to their particular way of how they were developed to do their job. They are actually bird dogs as well but they flush and tree birds, then have a slow-wag tail that hypnotizes the bird and then the Finnish Spitz has a rapid-fire bark to keep the birds still and alert the hunter. I read they can actually bark 160 times a minute. That is an astounding amount of bark and one that I couldn’t personally handle. Below is the list of Non-sporting breeds.
| Breed | Weight (pounds) | Height (inches) | Life Expectancy (years) | Bred for | |
|
American Eskimo Dog
|
Toy: | 6 – 10 | 9 – 12 |
13 – 15
|
All purpose farm dog then show business acts
|
| miniature: | 10 – 20 | 12 – 15 | |||
| Standard: | 25 – 35 | 15 – 19 | |||
|
Bichon Frise
|
Male: | 12 – 18 | 9.5 – 11.5 |
14 – 15
|
Companion
|
| Female: | 12 – 18 | 9.5 – 11.5 | |||
|
Boston Terrier
|
Male: | 12 – 25 | 15 – 17 |
111 – 13
|
Companion
|
| Female: | 12 – 25 | 15 – 17 | |||
|
Bulldog
|
Male: | 50 | 14 – 15 |
8 – 10
|
Bull baiting to companion
|
| Female: | 40 | 14 – 15 | |||
|
Chinese Shar-Pei
|
Male: | 45 – 60 | 18 – 20 |
8 – 12
|
All purpose farm dog
|
| Female: | 45 – 60 | 18 – 20 | |||
|
Chow Chow
|
Male: | 45 – 70 | 17 – 20 |
8 – 12
|
All purpose dog
|
| Female: | 45 – 70 | 17 – 20 | |||
|
Coton de Tulear
|
Male: | 9 – 15 | 10 – 11 |
15 – 19
|
Companion
|
| Female: | 8 – 13 | 9 – 10 | |||
|
Dalmatian
|
Male: | 45 – 70 | 19 – 24 |
11 – 13
|
Coach Dog
|
| Female: | 45 – 70 | 19 – 24 | |||
|
Finnish Spitz
|
Male: | 25 – 33 | 17.5 – 20 |
13 – 15
|
Hunting
|
| Female: | 20 – 28 | 15.5 – 18 | |||
|
French Bulldog
|
Male: | Under 28 | 11 – 13 |
10 – 12
|
Companion
|
| Female: | Under 28 | 11 – 13 | |||
|
Keeshond
|
Male: | 35 – 45 | 18 |
12 – 15
|
Barge Dog
|
| Female: | 35 – 45 | 17 | |||
|
Lhasa Apso
|
Male: | 12 – 18 | 10 – 11 |
12 – 15
|
Sentinel dog at palaces and monasteries
|
| Female: | 12 – 18 | Slightly less | |||
|
Lowchen
|
Male: | 11 – 18 | 13 – 14 |
12 – 14
|
Companion
|
| Female: | 8 – 13 | 12 – 13 | |||
|
Norwegian Lundehund
|
Male: | 20 – 30 | 13 – 15 |
12 – 15
|
Puffin Hunting
|
| Female: | 20 – 30 | 12 – 14 | |||
|
Poodle (miniature)
|
Male: | 10 – 15 | 10 – 15 |
10 – 18
|
Companion
|
| Female: | 10 – 15 | 10 – 15 | |||
|
Poodle (standard)
|
Male: | 60 – 70 | Over 15 |
10 – 18
|
Duck Dog
|
| Female: | 40 – 50 | Over 15 | |||
|
Schipperkes
|
Male: | 10 – 16 | 11 – 13 |
12 – 14
|
Barge Dog
|
| Female: | 10 – 16 | 10 – 12 | |||
|
Shiba Inu
|
Male: | 23 | 14.5 – 16.5 |
13 – 16
|
Hunter
|
| Female: | 17 | 13.5 – 15.5 | |||
|
Tibetan Spaniel
|
Male: | 9 – 15 | 10 |
12 – 15
|
Sentinel dog at monasteries
|
| Female: | 9 – 15 | 10 | |||
|
Tibetan Terrier
|
Male: | 18 – 30 | 14 – 17 |
15 – 16
|
Sentinel dog at monasteries
|
| Female: | Slightly less | 14 – 17 | |||
|
Xoloitzcuintli
|
Toy: | 10 – 15 | 10 – 14 |
13 – 18
|
Companion
|
| miniature: | 15 – 30 | 14 – 18 | |||
| Standard: | 30 – 55 | 18 – 23 |
