Where the Dalmatian really came from, what it was asked to do for a living, and why a dog built to run beside horses is a demanding companion today. We have kept to what the breed clubs and kennel clubs can support and named the myths as myths.

The Pug has spent centuries as a companion to emperors, princes and painters. We trace where it came from, what it was bred for, and what that past means for owners in the UK and the US.

The Dobermann began with one German tax collector who wanted a dog to keep him safe on his rounds. Here is how a working guard became a breed, and what that history means for living with one today.

The Rottweiler began as a drover’s and butcher’s dog in a German market town, nearly disappeared when the work did, and was rebuilt as a police and companion breed. Here is how that working past explains the dog on your sofa today.

The Bulldog was bred for a brutal job that Parliament ended in 1835, and it survived by becoming a companion. Here is where the breed came from, what shaped its look, and what that means for living with one now.

From Highland sheep dogs to Balmoral, the show ring and a certain film star, this is how the Rough Collie became the dog we know. We have also set out what living with one means today, in the UK and the US.

From woodcock flushing in British cover to the show rings of Crufts and the American split, this is how the English Cocker Spaniel became the dog it is. We also look at what that working past means for living with one today.

The Shih Tzu was bred to keep an emperor’s household company, and it nearly vanished when that household did. Here is where the breed came from, how its job shaped its face and its character, and what that means for living with one now.

The English Springer Spaniel was shaped by one job: springing game from cover for the gun. Here is what the record supports about where it came from, how it was recognised and what that means for living with one now.

From the Chukchi people of north-eastern Siberia to the Nome serum run and the show ring, this is how a sled dog built for endurance became the Siberian Husky we know. It also covers what that past means for living with one today.