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.

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.

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 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.

From Welsh cattle drovers to a royal household, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi has a working past that explains almost everything about the dog on your sofa. Here is where the breed came from, what it was bred to do, and what that means for living with one now.

The Old English Sheepdog began as a working dog of the English West Country, and almost everything about it still comes from that job. Here is what we can stand behind, what we have left out, and what it means for life with one today.

The Miniature Schnauzer began as a working farm dog in nineteenth century Germany, was shaped by a job rather than a fashion, and crossed the Atlantic in the 1920s. Here is what the record supports, and what it means for living with one now.

The Labrador comes from Newfoundland, not Labrador, and its character was shaped by cold water, fishing lines and the shooting field. Here is how a working fisherman’s dog became one of the best known breeds in Britain and America.

The Jack Russell began as a working dog for a Devon parson’s foxhunting, and that job still explains its looks, its nerve and its energy. Here is how the breed came about, how it was named and registered, and what the history means for living with one now.

The Irish Setter began as a working bird dog in Ireland, and almost everything about its look and character still follows from that job. Here is where it came from, how the solid red coat won out, and what that history means for living with one now.