Look it up.

October 16 - and it's National Dictionary Day.  When my human saw that, she thought about something that she had been meaning to look up in the dictionary - something from the Canadian Standard of the Berger Picard.  For those who are reading this and are not into dog terminology - every purebred dog has a "standard" - a picture of what the "perfect" example of the breed should look like.  In a perfect world.  The standard includes a description about the breed - everything from height to eyes to coat to the way the dog should carry his tail. 

My human had read the standard for the Picard, and when she did, she came across two terms that she didn't know.  Here are quotes from the standard using the two terms: 

Shoulders long and slanted imparting much ease to the movements, muscular without being heavy, the legs are upright, timber is dry...

Hind cannons strong and dry, perpendicular to the ground when standing, all limbs solidly upright when seen from all sides. 

My human had never seen the terms timber and cannons in a dog standard before.  Not that she knows every dog standard.  Some quick googling gave an obvious definition for cannons - and people in the horse world would be familiar with it.  Cannons are leg bones more frequently referred to as the pasterns or metacarpus. That was easy.

But what the heck are dry timbers?  Google THAT and trust me you won't find anything to do with dogs!  So where to find the answer?  In our Canine Lexicon book, of course.  Doesn't every dog crazy human have one?  Anyway sure enough - there was timber.  It actually had three meanings - 1. a wooden fence or rail found on a foxhunting course; 2. a hurdle in dog racing and 3. the leg bone of the dog.   So now we know it's the leg, but I'm STILL not sure what a dry timber is.  Must mean nobody was licking it.

So in honor of Dictionary Day, here's a little quiz - with some more vocabulary taken from our Canine Lexicon book.  Good luck!

1. What is a cast?

a) Something you wear when you break a bone

b) The search a bird dog makes in any one direction without making a turn

c) The hard part of a dog’s paw

d) The characters in a dog show

2. What is cobby?

a) A compact, thick-set body type like seen in a pug

b) A type of dog food containing significant amounts of corn

c) A British term for dog collar

d) The entrance area to a cat boarding facility (short for cat lobby)

3. What is an Elizabethan collar?

a) A fancy dog collar made of jewels

b) The profuse hair around a dog's neck

c) A collar made of lace and starched fabric

d) A protective device worn round the neck to prevent a dog from scratching his head or chewing his body.  Also known as the Cone of Shame

4. What is gee?

a) The term indicating a right turn to sled or draft dogs

b) What humans say when their dog loses in a show

c) The term for pointy ears

d) A type of supplement 

5. What is steep?

a) The climb to Best in Show

b) The hills found in a draft dog test

c) A term used to describe undesirable body part angles like steep shoulders

d)     Brewing tea while waiting for your group to be judged

6. What is ruff?

a) The sound a dog makes when he barks

b) The texture of the skin in the Mexican Hairless Dog

c) The description of how a day has gone when your dog loses at a show

d) Long abundant hair around the entire neck of a dog

7. What is utility?

a) A purposeful grooming tool

b) An obedience class often described by humans as “futility”

c) A vehicle to carry all of a human’s dog equipment

d) A service dog 

8. What does the term “stop” mean?

a) What humans shout at dogs as they go to chase a bunny

b) What judges say to novice handlers as they fuss with their dogs

c) The sloping area of the skull between the eyes

d) What dogs are silently saying when being groomed

9. What is fringe?

a) The 70’s stylish tassels hanging off the clothing of professional handlers

b) Long hair that drapes over the ears, covers the tail or supplements the hair on the chest or belly

c) The leftover prizes at a dog show

d) The benefits of owning a dog

10. What does blowing coat mean?

a) Drying the coat with a blow dryer

b) A coat that appears windswept

c) A seasonal shedding of coat – usually before a big dog show

d) Using dog hair to knit a coat for humans

And here are your answers: 1.b; 2.a; 3.d; 4.a; 5.c; 6.d; 7.b; 8.c; 9.b; 10.c   How did you do?  I must confess, I DID add my own comments for just a few.  Ready to compete in Canine Jeopardy? And if you didn't do well - just think what you learned today!  And you didn't even have to crack open the Dictionary.

Have a good one!