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Most Popular Short-faced Dog Breeds

Most Popular Short-faced Dog Breeds

pug smiling short-faced dog breeds

(Photo credit: Purple Collar Pet Photography / Getty Images)

Sh0rt-faced dog breeds have become increasingly popular in recent years. Despite health concerns associated with short faces, their cute qualities win many hearts. Recently, the snub-nosed French Bulldog stole the Labrador Retriever's status as America's most common dog. It's hard to deny the cuteness of many short-faced breeds, like the easygoing Pug or mischievous Boston Terrier. Some of the most popular short-faced dog breeds are also some of the most popular dog breeds overall due to their wide appeal.

What are brachycephalic dogs?

Brachycephaly is a syndrome commonly suffered by short-nosed breeds. Brachycephalic airway syndrome is a series of abnormal upper airway conditions that affect short-nosed dog breeds. For some dogs, these symptoms are mild; they may snore loudly or cough in excess. But it can also impact dogs' ability to exercise; some dogs will breathe so heavily that they can't play or run like an average dog. It can even cause difficulties during the most basic tasks, like eating and drinking.

What health issues do short-faced dog breeds have?

Breeding short-faced breeds altogether has become the subject of debate by dog lovers. Brachycephalic dogs face sometimes life-threatening medical conditions. Many people buy them (at exorbitant prices) thinking they're cute, without understanding these risks. The breeders get paid, so they keep breeding, and the dogs end up at shelters when buyers can't afford the medical costs.

Brachycephalic dogs often suffer from an elongated palate, which extends into the larynx. They also often have malformed nostrils that further prevent dogs from taking in enough air. Additionally, a brachycephalic dog can have a narrow trachea, collapsed larynx, or paralyzed cartilage in the larynx. All of these things are part of brachycephalic airway syndrome.

Pug

With so much personality packed into a small body, it's no wonder that the Pug has remained a favorite of many families for decades. The Pug has always been bred with the intention of being a lap dog. Their clownish personalities make them entertaining companions to have around the house. In the past several decades, the Pug's snout has gotten noticeably shorter. Pugs in the '80s and '90s had fewer health problems than the Pugs of today. Some breeders are trying to restore the breed's former glory by outcrossing with other breeds to create dogs known as "Retromops" or "Retro Pugs."

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French Bulldog

Becoming America's most popular dog breed in 2o23, you've likely seen Frenchies, as the breed is affectionately known by fans, just about everywhere. This short-nosed dog breed also has a huge personality. They were created in England as a miniature version of the English Bulldog. This breed has also seen many changes, with a notably shorter face than their ancestors. Besides being a lapdog, this breed also had historical use as a ratter. They're often affable and good with just about everyone, but you should probably still keep them away from pets like hamsters due to this ongoing prey drive. However, they're manageable for most pet parents and they make good apartment-dwelling dogs.

English Bulldog

Ancestor to the aforementioned Frenchie, the English Bulldog has also been winning hearts for centuries. Originally bred to drive cattle to market, today this breed is much more well known as a couch potato. They're easygoing and often get along well with kids. This breed doesn't require much exercise, and they can be perfect for working professionals. This short-faced dog breed is overall affable and willing to go with the flow.

Boston Terrier

The Boston Terrier may be small, but they're capable of hanging with the big dogs. This feisty pup is high-energy despite their size, and they will do best with an owner that likes to engage in hands-on playtime. With that being said, their needs are fairly easy to meet, and they can still do well in an apartment environment. This breed is most commonly found in their signature black-and-white tuxedo coloration, but they can come in variants such as brindle, too.

Shih Tzu

By far the oldest dog breed on this list, the Shih Tzu was as popular during the Ming Dynasty as they are today. This short-faced dog breed originated solely to be a companion lapdog, and they've excelled at this purpose. This small breed requires some heavy-duty grooming, but outside of that, they need very little other than affection. A short walk and some playtime will keep this breed occupied. They're happiest when spending time with their family members, so if you're looking for a dog to eagerly wait for you so you can curl up on the couch together after a long day, the Shih Tzu might be a great fit.

Boxer

The only large breed on this list, the Boxer is one of America's most beloved breeds. This breed originated with the intention of creating a dedicated guard dog. While some still keep the Boxer for this purpose, they're more common as a family pet. Boxers aren't known to be particularly aggressive; they're more likely to be goofy and playful. Despite their short noses, Boxers can excel in agility and similar dog sports. They're not likely to be a good fit as an apartment dog due to their high energy and large size.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel may not be the easiest breed to train, but they're endlessly loyal and kind. They retain the sporty nature of most spaniel breeds and can be a good dog to take to the agility course. While their prey drive makes them a bad fit for owners who keep small pets, they're good pets in just about any other situation. With daily exercise and stimulation, they can easily thrive in an apartment. And they're patient with kids, making them a popular family dog.

Do you have a short-faced dog at home? Then check out our guide to keeping brachycephalic dogs safe in the summer!

The post Most Popular Short-faced Dog Breeds appeared first on DogTime.

English School District Accepts Findings In Deaf Education Discrimination Case

Carter Churchill's family won a human rights case against the Newfoundland and Labrador English School Distrcit in March. (Submitted by Kimberly Churchill - image credit)

Submitted by Kimberly Churchill

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District says it accepts the findings of a human rights tribunal report that ordered it to provide Carter Churchill — a profoundly deaf child from Portugal Cove-St. Phillip's — with education and evaluation in American Sign Language and pay his family nearly $150,000 for discrimination.

Carter's parents, Todd and Kimberly Churchill, won the human rights case against the district in early March after a years-long fight to get their son the education he needed. Along with being deaf, Carter, who is 12 and uses ASL to communicate, has cerebral palsy and is non-verbal.

"The district does accept and fully accept and take responsibility for the systemic issues identified and the missed opportunities early in Carter's education and we fully understand that's what lead to the ruling of discrimination," the District's interim superintendent Terry Hall said Wednesday late afternoon.

"Those missed opportunities resulted in him being socially isolated and impeded his development of social and language skills, furthering a tremendous communications divide during his early years," Hall wrote in a statement.

Hall doesn't blame any individual for the district's failure, but says the system "did not have a wholly informed perspective of his needs," and have apologized to the Churchill family.

The Churchills first filed a complaint against the district when Carter was in Kindergarten at Beachy Cove Elementary. The family said Carter needed help to communicate and develop language skills and engage in the school curriculum, but wasn't getting the proper supports.

At that time the district said it had not discriminated against Carter, and asserted Carter was properly accommodated.

Gary Locke/CBC

The human rights commission ruled that the district failed to provide reasonable accommodation for Carter between 2016 and 2020 when he was in Kindergarten until Grade 3 at Beachy Cove Elementary.

During these years, the report found that Carter experienced social isolation and had teachers who didn't know ASL or with training in teaching deaf children.

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When Carter was in Grade 4 the school district created a classroom for deaf children at East Point Elementary for eight children learning American Sign Language.

The Churchills say despite this development, Carter's ASL is not at the level it should be.

"It hurts, there's no doubt when … you're told that you failed a student even for a year or two or three, but again we're taking away that we improved upon that. We now have a service that is felt that's adequate," Hall said.

The district had until March 31 to appeal the tribunal's decision, but will not do so.

"We will continue to improve ASL skills both in our students and in our staff," Hall said.

Bruce Tilley/CBC

The Churchills have called the tribunal ruling a landmark decision, which will help protect other deaf children from discrimination.

Meanwhile Hall says the NLESD will review programs to make sure they have appropriate services for students like Carter who have exceptionalities.

"We'll take learnings from this to see if we can improve in other areas," said Hall.

"We want the correct educational environment and resources for all our students and we want to make sure that they all have an opportunity to learn and learn appropriately and with the right resources," he said.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

'My Naughty Labradors Ripped Up My £500 Sofa - I'd Only Been Gone An Hour'

A mum who'd only nipped out of the house for an hour returned to find her two cheeky labradors had ripped apart her £500 sofa, leaving piles of duck feathers everywhere

She couldn't believe her eyes when she came across the chaotic scene (

Image: Kennedy News and Media)

A baffled dog owner couldn't believe her eyes when she returned home from a family dinner to find her two naughty labradors had ripped her £500 sofa to shreds. Julie Saunders had left the mischievous duo Rocco and Poppy in her home office room so she could attend a family dinner and says she was only gone for about an hour.

When the 38-year-old returned, she was greeted by the sight of Rocco and Poppy caught in the act, lying about quite contentedly in the pile of duck feathers that had been torn from the sofa. A photo shows seven-year-old Rocco sprawled across the remains of furniture, the stuffing acting as a sort of "camouflage".

Another pic shows four-year-old Poppy looking a little more sheepish, squinting guiltily into the camera and appearing to offer up her little duck toy as a sort of peace offering.

She'd only nipped out for an hour

Julie, who lives in Huddersfield, believes the silly pair had been playing with a ball that ended up getting stuck on the sofa. While trying to retrieve it with their paws, she reckons they began to smell the duck feathers inside, causing their wild instincts to kick in.

Although the scenes of mayhem left her positively speechless, the mum-of-two just couldn't be angry with the pooches, "because they're too cute".

Teacher Julie recalled: "When I walked in I just thought 'oh my god'. There were duck feathers everywhere. Poppy came to the door with a toy in her mouth but Rocco was just lying on the sofa and didn't move.

"It was so funny. We took pictures of it straight away but we couldn't shout at them because they're too cute to be angry at. We just had to laugh."

Julie couldn't stay angry at her 'cute' pooches for long (

Image:

Kennedy News and Media)

She continued: "I think one of them was playing with the tennis ball and it got stuck on the sofa so they tried to scratch it off. Then maybe they scratched it too much and a couple of feathers came out.

"Perhaps they've smelled the duck feathers and played with them. They're gun dogs so it could be their instincts, at least we'll be able to fix it."

According to Julie, she'd recently removed the blue cover usually placed on the sofa to give it a wash, meaning it would have been much easier for the dogs to destroy the furniture.

She reckons the dogs could smell the feathers, setting off their animal instincts (

Image:

Kennedy News and Media) The dogs are said to be usually well-behaved (

Image:

Kennedy News and Media)

Having now learned her lesson the hard way, Julie now intends to lock Rocco and Poppy in the kitchen going forward, rather than her comfy home office.

Fortunately, this is apparently the first time Julie's dogs have been destructive, although she has specified that Rocco is "the naughty one" out of the two.

Julie has since stuffed as many feathers as she could back into her ruined sofa and now plans on sewing it up. She's also posted about her hilarious ordeal on Facebook, sharing pics of the guilty pair with the caption, "I only nipped out for an hour! Who's the culprit?"

One tickled Facebook user wrote: "This is hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. I expect you will find feathers for months. Thanks for sharing."

Another chuckled: "Good grief that is so funny!!!! I didn't even see the lab camouflaged under the feathers at first I was just laughing at the guilty looking one with the duck in his mouth! Best pics I've seen of labrador destruction for ages. Sorry for laughing!"

Do you have a story of pet-related chaos story to share? Email us at julia.Banim@reachplc.Com

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