You probably love to admire your dog as he twitches his ear when you talk. You might like how she stares at you when busy preparing his food, and how he wags his tail in appreciation of your affection. But has your curiosity ever driven you to check his foot and see if your dog’s feet are webbed? Whatever the case, you would have discovered some thin membrane connecting or linking the paws. This connecting membrane is what is referred to as the web. Then, What dogs have webbed feet? Let’s find out.
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All Dogs Have Webs
Virtually, all dogs have some thin membrane connecting the toes together. Webbing occurs in almost all dogs, but some dog breeds have a more pronounced stretch of a web on their feet. You will visibly notice the webbing as something that looks like that of the duck, the toad, or the geese.
The little stretch of a web connecting the toes naturally present in many dogs offers them stability while walking. However, pronounced membrane connection (webbing) between the toes of web-footed dogs are for different purposes. Dogs that have pronounced webbed-feet are known to be ‘’water-dogs,’’ and they are great swimmers.
What Are The Effectual Purposes Of ‘Feet-Webbing’ In Dogs?
Naturally, all parts of a dog’s paws have their purposes and use as relates to ease of adaptation to their environment. For instance, they use their toenails for digging and traction.
Dog breeds that are web-footed are known to be great ’retrievers and rescuers.’ So, to effectively carry out these vital roles, such breeds must have these unique features to propel them in water. This explains why active swimming and swimming at high speed are the first reasons why some dogs have webbed feet.
There are documented accounts of how these breeds of dogs have helped to rescue distressed people from water in emergency cases. They have also assisted in rescuing distressed herds of animals crossing rivers.
The second reason as to why some dogs have webbed feet is to give them stability when walking on any surface. Also, whenever they need to step on muddy surfaces, their webbed-feet allow them to roam freely without sinking.
Dogs That Have Webbed-Feet
Many dog breeds have webbed-feet, and most are rescue dogs or retriever dogs.
Here are some of them:
1. Portuguese Water Dog
This dog breed is known to have thick and wooly coats and prominent webbed-feet. Such features give them great transverse passages of water with ease and at high speed too. They can also work in the water and help fishermen at sea. Such dogs are not able to carry heavy loads because of their small sizes.
However, they are excellent for driving or herding fish toward the fishing nets of their human parents. They perform well in delivering messages across one side of the river to the other side, or from boat to boat. Remarkably, Portuguese Water dogs are reputable for their unwavering loyalty.
2. Newfoundland
This has been classified as the most popular web-footed dog breed. They are specially marked out for their unique traits, making them substantially active in the water. One such uniqueness is their long toes that enable them to paddle effectively in water. Their thick and waterproof coats give them good leverage while swimming. It mainly gives them an added advantage to stay in the water for a longer time without any danger of sinking.
They also have a remarkable ability and capacity to haul fish because of their size. The Newfoundland can also carry heavy loads, especially when it comes to rescuing fishermen at risk in water. Newfoundland breeds swim differently from other webbed-footed dogs because they don’t just paddle, but swim with their paws going in and out of the water like professional swimmers.
3. Otterhound
This breed was classically used to hunt down the Outer that were depleting the fish population in the local streams or waters.
They profile thick and deep pads with arched toes. They are a web-footed with expandable membranes that connect the toes to expand when swimming.
4. American Water Spaniel
The American Water Spaniel is claimed to have its roots in the United States. They are a mixed-breed of the web-footed dogs used in hunting to help retrieve animals or birds that strayed away after shooting.
The American Water Spaniel has a remarkable ability to waddle through wet and muddy terraces. This is due to their small paws which are different from other web-footed breeds.
5. German Wirehaired Pointer
This dog breed is quite similar to the American Water Terrier. The German Wirehaired Pointer dog breed also offers to help hands to hunters as retriever dogs. They became web-footed and developed thick coats as well as a powerful sense of smell which was perfect for their retrieving activities.
The breed functions well in any type of terrain; be it mountainous, swampy, or muddy ground. They are excellent game retrievers and exhibit good speed both in water and on dry land.
6. Redbone Coonhounds
Redbone Coonhounds were acclaimed for their courage and perseverance. They were transited from Europe to America and uniquely adapted to the swampy terrain.
The dogs have been documented as being able to go after dangerous animals in any swamp unaided, and successfully drive them away. They could also get raccoons that are trapped in trees and guide them until the hunter arrives. Redbone Coonhounds freely navigate the swampy and muddy terrain with ease because of their web-feet.
7. Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
This is another renowned dog breed with web-feet. With their thick coats, they could quickly adapt to the horrible cold weather of Nova Scotia.
Their paws are well-webbed as compared to other breeds. With this feature, they could quickly dash into the water to retrieve game for hunters. The breed is also known as ‘Toller’ because of their ability to drive waterfowl toward the hunter.
8. Dachshund
This is an unbelievable breed of dogs in the list of web-footed dogs. Dachshund dogs are low-slung cuties that were bred for hunting.
They are very athletic and capable. Chasing, digging, and diving into holes are their best demeanors. With the structure of their paddle paws, they can quickly dig holes and hold the game.
Conclusion
The list of web-footed dog breeds is long, but many of them have relatively similar characteristics. It is worthwhile to note that most web-footed dog breeds can hunt, swim, navigate swamps, retrieve, and rescue. These traits are either rarely present, or completely lacking in many dog breeds that are not web-footed.
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