It is not clear, however, whether this is at all related to the breed's somewhat unusual heart function.

This breed's short coat and its unusual eyes give it a regal appearance different from any other breed.

Drivers appreciated the breed's agility, stamina and quick-footed gait.

In American Saddlebred breed competition, pleasure classes for five-gaited horses are sometimes offered, and at shows for " gaited " breeds such as the Tennessee Walker and the Missouri Fox Trotter, English pleasure classes substitute the breed's particular ambling gait for the trot.

The breed's gait and disposition make it sought out by elderly and disabled riders.

Although this is uncertain, the breed's ancestors may have been short-haired cats brought to Norway by the Vikings around 1000 AD, and may also have included the long-haired Siberian and Turkish Angora.

Although AKC rankings are not a true gauge of a breed's popularity, the change in the AKC rankings may reflect a realignment in the sources of the dogs available to the general public.

As it changed, terrier and Pug stock may have been brought in to develop traits such as the breed's long straight ears, and the roundness of their eyes.

The breed's earliest ancestors may have been a mix of Italian Greyhounds and Dachshunds.

Due to the breed's large size, puppies may potentially be smothered or crushed by the mother during nursing.

The breed's shortened muzzle may cause respiratory issues in extreme heat but overall they tolerate both hot and cold weather well.

There are also issues with this breed's increased need to have Caesarean sections when calving, which means an increased cost, added work, and can become a welfare issue.

The popularity of the breed declined by the 1940s, but since the end of World War II, breeding programmes have intensified and the breed's popularity is high once again.

They have pert snub noses and slightly rounded chins which help emphasise the breed's powerful jaw and round head.

The breed's happy, lively temperament has endeared it to families. With the rise in popularity, some changes have been made to the breed.

The most likely explanation of the breed's name is that its coat color is very similar to that of Havana cigars, however, some have also argued that the breed's name is also derived from the Havana ( rabbit ) which also shares the color.

Several theories have been put forward as to why Icelandics are always called horses, among them the breed's spirited temperament and large personality, and the lack of a word in Icelandic for " pony ".

Since dogs have enormous variation in their appearance, what is or is not considered desirable or undesirable depends on the individual breed's appearance and historical background ( what kind of work it was bred to do ).

The breed's looks and purpose have not changed for decades, although in earlier days the breed was often mixed with another Friesian breed: the Wetterhoun, because only working capacities were counted.

Purebred Sorraia occasionally have white markings, although they are rare and undesired by the breed's studbook.

At one point in the breed's history it was prone to weak legs and low fertility, but these problems have since been corrected.

The breed's ancestors are thought to have been bred for 2, 000 years on the Ardennes plains, and it is one of the oldest documented European heavy draft breeds.

While in Kansas as early as 2006, residents have suggested the Cairn Terrier as the state dog due to the breed's appearance as Toto in the film The Wizard of Oz.

Although the Rhodesian Ridgeback's bird hunting prowess has been well known throughout the breed's history ( the original description from the South African parent club belabors this point in fact ), it is important to note that the " Gundog " classification made in 1920s Southern Rhodesia and South Africa was not specifically about bird hunting.

Recognition for the breed by kennel clubs has been opposed by the breed's parent societies – which resulted in the breeding and recognition of the Parson Russell terrier.

At various times during the breed's existence, it has been considered a white offshoot of both the Scottish Terrier and the Cairn Terrier breeds.

Since 1902, an Irish Wolfhound has been presented as a mascot to the regiment by the members of the Irish Wolfhound Club, who hoped the publicity would increase the breed's popularity with the public.

Due to the breed's happy disposition and continuously wagging tail, it has been given the cute nickname " merry cocker ".

Although the breed's status is listed as critical by the UK Rare Breeds Survival Trust and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, there has been a resurgence in interest, and population numbers are increasing.

The neck is muscular, having developed from the breed's use against larger game.

The Fédération Cynologique Internationale recognised the breed using the standard developed by the breed's country of origin as the standard to be used in international competition.

This developed the breed's great toughness and endurance.

This breed's standard temperament is best described as a " Gentleman by Nature ".

In an experiment directed by John C. Fyfea, Rebeccah L. Kurzhals, and others, it was concluded that a complex rearrangement in the breed's Glycogen branching enzyme ( GBE1 ) can cause both a perinatal hypoglycemic collapse and a late-juvenile-onset neuromuscular degeneration in glycogen storage disease type IV in the breed.

By 1940, Barnes had resigned from the Rhodesian Parent Club and prompted by the lobbying of a newer generation of leadership within the Rhodesian Parent Club, in the 1950s, the breed's group classification was changed from “ Gundog ” to " Hound ".

There is also a folk legend that says corgis were a gift from the woodland fairies, and that the breed's markings were left on its coat by fairy harnesses and saddles.

A DNA test is now available to identify cats affected by or carrying this recessive gene, and breeders are using the test to carefully eliminate the gene from the breed's gene pool.

In an effort to address the breathing difficulties caused by the breed's flat face, the Kennel Club ( UK ) significantly changed the breed standard in October 2008, removing the clause that the " profile be flat with nose well up between eyes " and adding instead that the " muzzle must be evident ".

Selective breeding was begun in the 1990s by breeders who wished to create a dog with the look of a Bulldog, but without that breed's inherent health problems.

One example of the breed's fantastic endurance was the ride made by the Swiss-born Argentine rider Professor Aimé Félix Tschiffely ( 1894 – 1954 ) between 1925-28.

Several of the breed's main attributes from the recently revised breed standard of the Olde English Bulldogge, written ( August 2007 ) by the Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club and Leavitt Bulldog Association are listed in the table at right and breed disqualifications below.

Greunig's study describes the breed's early development by Otto Goeller, whose hand allowed the Doberman to become the dog we recognize today.

Sources vary on the etymology of the breed's name, with one source stating that the Nokota derives its name from the Nakota people who inhabited North and South Dakota, while another says that the name was a combination of North Dakota created by the Kuntz brothers.

Especially in the early years of the breed's history, some inbreeding occurred, both by accident and design, which served to reinforce the dominant characteristics of the breed.