TEDDY BEAR VS. FOX TYPE??
I hear this question from people all the time, "Do you breed the teddy bear type or the fox type?" My answer to this question is simply that I breed according to the breed standard, and I have yet to find the words "teddy bear" or "fox" in the breed standard. The term "teddy bear" was started by a breeder who wanted a phrase to describe a certain type that she strived to produce. It is not based on any phrase in the breed standard, and the breed standard is the "bible" of dog breeding, the written description of the "perfect dog". Later someone else used the term "fox type" to describe a dog with a longer, slimmer muzzle. Since "teddy bear" was used to designate those dogs with a shorter broader muzzle, these two terms became opposite terms. When referring to the muzzle, the AKC breed standard says: "The muzzle is broad, with length not exceeding the length of the skull, although it may be slightly shorter." This describes a short, broad muzzle, so this is what I breed to produce. But it is not referred to as "teddy bear type" in the breed standard. Also, remember that a female may not have as broad of a muzzle as a male, this is simply one of the differences between males and females. The other most noticeable difference is their coat. The male has a more pronounced ruff around their neck than a female.