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.

The German Shepherd was designed on purpose, by one man with a plan, at the end of the nineteenth century. Here is where it came from, what it was bred to do, and why that still matters in a British or American home.

The French Bulldog began as a small Bulldog in English lace towns and became a Parisian favourite. We trace how that working past shaped its look, its character and what it needs from us today.

A long, low hound built to follow badgers underground, the Smooth-Haired Dachshund is generally regarded as the oldest of its three coats. Here is where it came from, what its job made of it, and what that means for living with one today.

Despite the name, the Australian Shepherd was shaped on the ranches of the American West. We trace how a working stockdog became a rodeo star, a registered breed and a family dog on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Golden Retriever began as a Highland estate’s answer to a practical problem: a dog that would find shot birds on rough ground and bring them back unmarked. Here is the story as the records tell it, including the popular myth they do not support.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier came out of the working towns of the English Midlands, was shaped by a job that is now illegal, and was rescued by a group of enthusiasts in 1935. Here is how that history explains the dog on your sofa today.