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The Best Outdoor Dogs

The best dogs for outdoors are hunting and working dogs. These dogs were bred to herd cattle or sheep or retrieve or track game. These are dogs that, if they're not allowed to do these activities, need a lot of space and exercise to be happy. The instinct of some hounds to be outside hunting is so strong that some of them aren't really suited for urban or indoor life.

Shepherds
- The border collie is still used to herd sheep. It's an intelligent dog, standing from 18 to 21 inches at the shoulder and weighing 30 to 44 pounds with a familiar and distinctive black and white coloration on a long coat. It was developed to herd sheep on the border region between Scotland and England. The bearded collie is also a shepherd, 20 to 22 inches high, 40 to 60 pounds, with a long shaggy coat. Its body is lighter and more slender than the Old English sheepdog, which it resembles. A tough dog, the bearded collie even likes to sleep outdoors.
Retrievers
- The Irish setter was bred to retrieve game.
  
  The Irish setter, with its elegant head and feathered legs and tail, is 20 to 27 inches high at the shoulder and weighs between 60 and 70 pounds. It was bred to retrieve game and has a highly developed sense of smell to assist it. The slightly larger German wire-haired pointer was also bred to retrieve game. Its wiry coat keeps twigs and brush from tangling in its fur while it's working.
Water Dogs
- The Irish water spaniel stands 20 to 23 inches high at the shoulder and weighs from 45 to 65 pounds. It has a thick, curly coat in a puce-liver color. The coat is not only curly but oily and naturally waterproof, for the dog was bred to retrieve waterfowl. The Irish water spaniel is a good swimmer and strong enough to haul in a goose from the water. The Barbet is 15 to 22 inches high and weighs 33 to 55 pounds and is a similar dog to the Irish water spaniel. Its coat, however, can come in many more colors. The coat, like the other dog's, is very thick and protects the dog from freezing water where it's often sent to retrieve waterfowl. The dog would also retrieve the arrows of hunters who'd missed their quarry.
Hounds
- A beagle makes a good pet but needs plenty of space and exercise.
  
  The blue tick coonhound stands 20 to 25 inches high and weighs from 45 to 80 pounds. The coat isn't blue but gives the impression of blueness because it has black ticking in the white parts. The dog is used, as its name implies, to hunt raccoons and has what hunters call a "cold nose." This means it can follow an old trail left by prey. The Beagle stands 13 to 16 inches high at the shoulder and weighs 18 to 30 pounds. It was bred to hunt rabbits and hares. It works in packs and pursues the rabbit by scent and has great endurance while on the trail. The beagle makes a good pet but needs to be active.

Animals & Science