Dog Knowledge
The 3rd pillar of the Dog Program
Index
 What is Dog knowledge?
 Topics
 Studying
 Sources
 Making study guides
 Quiz bowl
 Introduction
 Knowledge Tests
 Ticket to Big-E
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Topics
The curriculum for 4-H dog knowledge is very well rounded. By studying such a wide area of
topics, 4-Hers learn all aspects of the dog world including:
 Health
 Parasites, Nutrition, First-Aid, Vaccinations, Proper Care and Common Diseases
 Anatomy and Physiology
 Parts of the dog, body systems: skeletal, muscularly, skin and coat
 Conformation
 Terms and Illustrations of the bite, ears, feet, etc.
 Dog Breeds
 Appearance, temperament, conformation, history, competition area and common health problems.
 Dog Sports
 Agility, Obedience, Showmanship, etc.
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Study guides
 There is a vast amount of material in the
curriculum! Over 4 full-length books and the
AKC website contain a huge amount of
information
 It is very overwhelming, especially to new
members. Knowing what to study and how
to study is a challenge for everyone.
 Sources
 AKC Website and the Complete Dog Book
 Dog Resource Handbook
 American Red Cross Dog First Aid
 AKC Complete Dog Book for Kids
Everyone has study stress
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Study Guides
Make study guides. Personalize them to fit
individual learning styles. Some people use
flash cards, some highlight the text, some put
together binders of print outs.
Map out a study plan with achievable goals!
 Focus on one topic at a time
 Review study guides regularly
 Set a time to study 10 minutes every day
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Health
How to keep your dog
healthily
Learn proper care, including:
 Exercise
 Limitations of certain dogs
 Nutrition
 Types of food and ingredients
 Vaccines
 Preventable diseases and
schedule
 Dental care and Grooming
 Importance
 Common Diseases
 Symptoms and treatment
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Common Parasites
Study:
Size and appearance
Transmission
Symptoms
Prevention
Treatment
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First-Aid
 What items are in the 4-H First Aid-Kit?
 How to use them in an emergency
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Anatomy
How is the body
put together?
Learn how to:
 Label a diagram of the
skeleton
 Name the three skull types
 Identify bones of the feet
 Label type and know the
placement of the teeth and
understand their growth cycle
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 Integumentary System (skin and hair)
 growth cycle and coat types
Physiology
What are the bodily systems &
how do they work?
 Muscular System
 Three types of muscle and their functions
 Cardiovascular System
 circulatory system in dogs of different sizes
 Respiratory System
 Inspiration/expiration
 Nervous System
 CNS vs PNS
 Digestive System
 Food to nutrition
 Endocrine System
 Hormones and their effect on the body
 Urinary System
 Water and electrolyte balance
 Reproductive System
 Parts and development
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Parts of the Dog
Study Diagrams and learn glossary terms and definitions for each body part
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Breeds
Every year the 4-H dog program
chooses a different group to study,
there are seven Groups:
Sporting
Hound
Working
Terrier
Toy
Herding
Non-Sporting
Studying breeds helps 4-Hers learn
the breeds characteristics and
personality
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When making breed study guides:
Include:
Skip:
 Country of origin
 Anything not specific to the breed
 Original purpose
 Very detailed breed standards
 Other Names
 Extremely detailed histories
 Very Brief History
 Coat color/type
 Fun or interesting facts about breed
 Faults/Disqualifications
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Example of a flash card, possible formatting
Read the breed
standard and breed
page from the AKC
website and write the
flash card with important
information
And go online to look at
photos of the breed
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Dog Sports
There are three main categories:
 Performance – specific to the breed,
 Lure coursing, Herding, etc.
 Companion – open to any breed
 Obedience, Agility, Rally, etc.
 Conformation – open to any breed
 Judged on conformation to breed
standard
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Dog Sports:
Study the sport that
correlates to the group of
the year:
 Tracking - Hound Group
 Herding - Herding Group
Study the rules and
regulations of:
Obedience
Junior Showmanship
Conformation
Learn:
 Eligibility
 Titles that can be earned
 Levels
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Quiz Bowl!
Jeopardy for Dog Nerds
Every year at the Big-E select
members can compete on
the NH Quiz bowl team.
Questions are taken from all
the sources and range from
glossary terms, breed history
to health. Members then buzz
in to answer them, points are
gained/lost for each
correct/incorrect answer.
NH Quiz Bowl Team 2012
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Ticket to Big-E
NH members must qualify for the Big-E. To
quality members must earn a combined
score of 310 points:
 200 from Obedience
 100 from Showmanship
 100 from General Knowledge Test
Good test scores help members with difficult
obedience dogs or those in a more advance
level qualify each year.
Knowledge tests also determine the winners
of the:
Over-All High Scoring Champion
2013 NH Team
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In addition to the awards & rosettes,
4-Hers who study dog knowledge
Added Benefits
know how to:
 Respond in a medical emergency
 Chose the best dog breed or mix for their family
 Raise a healthy, happy pet
 Train for and compete in AKC dog sports
 Be responsible dog owners and members of their
communities
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Sources
 This presentation was created for strictly educational purposes. The majority of photos
used where obtained from a google image search, no copy right infringement was
intended.
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