Dog breeds known for unusual habits

Every dog has its little quirks, but some breeds carry habits so distinctive they've become part of their identity. A Basenji that never quite barks. A Border Collie that can freeze a flock of sheep with a stare. A Dachshund determined to burrow into your sofa cushions. None of this is random. Almost every "weird" habit you'll see in a pedigree dog is a working trait, bred in on purpose over centuries, that has simply outlived the job it was designed for.

Understanding where a habit comes from makes it much easier to live with. A behaviour that looks stubborn or strange in the lounge often makes perfect sense once you know the breed spent generations herding cattle, hunting badgers underground, or hauling sledges across the Arctic. This guide walks through some of the best-known examples, what's really going on, and how to work with the instinct rather than against it.

If you're choosing a breed and want to know how well its instincts might suit your lifestyle before you commit, our Pet Ownership Quiz is a useful starting point.

Basenji: the dog that doesn't bark

The Basenji is often called Africa's "barkless dog," and it's one of the oldest breeds still around today, with imagery resembling the type appearing in ancient Egyptian tomb art. The modern breed was established in England in 1936 from dogs imported out of the Congo region, where they had worked as an all-purpose hunter, tracking game by sight and scent for local hunters.

Basenjis aren't actually silent. Their larynx is a different shape to most dogs', so instead of a conventional bark they produce a yodel-like sound, sometimes called a "baroo," alongside growls, whines, and other vocalisations. The Kennel Club describes the breed as elegant and "catlike in his cleanliness," and owners often say they behave more like cats than dogs in other ways too: they groom themselves fastidiously, climb, and can be independent to the point of aloofness. That combination of intelligence, independence, and a strong prey drive from their hunting background means Basenjis need patient, consistent training and plenty of enrichment, or that cleverness turns into escapology and chewed skirting boards.

Border Collie: the hypnotic "herding eye"

Anyone who has met a Border Collie will know the stare. The dog crouches low, locks its eyes on you (or the cat, or a tennis ball), and goes almost completely still before creeping forward. This is called "the eye," and it's a genuine, hardwired herding behaviour rather than anything trained in.

The Border Collie was developed in the border country between England and Scotland specifically to work sheep, and the Kennel Club notes the breed has an "innate herding instinct" alongside the speed and stamina to match. In the field, that stare is used to intimidate and control a flock without a single bite: the dog stalks, the sheep move, and the shepherd directs the whole sequence from a distance. The behaviour is taken seriously enough that Border Collies competing for full Kennel Club show championship status must also pass a dedicated herding test before they can be crowned champions.

At home, with no sheep to herd, that same drive gets redirected onto whatever is nearby, other pets, cars, joggers, even household objects. Border Collies also need serious amounts of exercise and mental work to stay content; the Kennel Club recommends more than two hours of activity a day for the breed, so if you're weighing up whether your routine could support one, our Dog Walking Calculator is worth a look before you commit.

Dachshund: built to dig and burrow

The Dachshund's name literally means "badger dog" in German, and every unusual thing about its shape exists for a reason. The breed was developed in Germany from around the 17th and 18th centuries to hunt badgers underground: short, slightly curved legs to fit down a burrow, compact paddle-like paws for shifting soil backwards, a long ribcage for stamina in a tight tunnel, and a strong jaw for a fight that could happen metres below ground.

That heritage explains the digging. PDSA notes that Dachshunds "love to curl up in warm places, which often means making a little nest for themselves anywhere they can burrow down," and most owners will recognise the sight of a Dachshund tunnelling under a blanket until only its nose shows. The same background explains the stubborn streak: a dog working alone underground, with no room to turn around and a badger at the other end, had to make its own decisions rather than wait for instructions. That independence is exactly what makes Dachshunds so characterful, and occasionally so deaf to a recall command.

Siberian Husky: howling and escape artistry

Huskies were bred by the Chukchi people of northeast Siberia to pull sledges and work alongside a semi-nomadic community across brutal terrain, and much of what looks quirky in a pet Husky is really sled-dog behaviour with nowhere to go. Rather than a typical bark, Huskies are known for elaborate howling and a range of chattering, "talking" vocalisations. They are also notorious escape artists, capable of digging under fences, squeezing through gaps, or clearing them outright, an echo of a breed built for covering huge distances at pace.

Huskies are working dogs at heart, and without a job or serious daily exercise that energy tends to come out sideways, in the form of howling, escaping, or wrecking the garden. Secure, dig-proof fencing and a genuinely tiring exercise routine both matter more for this breed than almost any other.

Newfoundland: the instinctive water rescuer

Newfoundlands were developed as working dogs for fishermen off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, and everything about their build points to the water. They have partially webbed feet, a thick double coat that resists cold water, and a swimming stroke unlike most dogs': rather than paddling, they sweep their large paws out to the side for maximum pull, closer to a breaststroke than a doggy-paddle.

The breed's rescue instinct is well documented and, unusually for a "quirky habit," genuinely lifesaving: Newfoundlands have a long history of pulling people from the water, and the breed remains in active water-rescue service in several countries today. Even pet Newfoundlands that will never see open water often show a strong, unprompted pull towards ponds, puddles, and paddling pools, and a habit of trying to "help" swimmers by nudging or even gently gripping them, an instinct worth knowing about before a family day at the beach.

Poodle: why that clip isn't just for show

The elaborate Poodle clip looks like pure fashion, but it started as working kit. Poodles were developed in Germany as water retrievers, sent into cold lakes and rivers to fetch waterfowl for hunters, and their name comes from the German "pudel," meaning to splash in water. A full coat of curls becomes waterlogged and exhausting to swim in, so hunters began clipping the coat short over the hindquarters and legs to cut drag, while leaving hair over the chest and joints to protect them from the cold.

Centuries later, showring fashion turned that practical clip into the elaborate pompons and rosettes seen at dog shows, but the logic underneath is entirely functional. It's also a useful reminder that a Poodle's tight, low-shedding curls aren't a low-maintenance novelty: that same coat needs regular clipping and grooming precisely because it was bred to grow thick and insulating.

Dalmatian: bred to run alongside horses

Dalmatians became firehouse dogs almost by accident. The breed emerged as a coach dog in 16th-century England, prized for its speed, stamina, and unusual affinity with horses; Dalmatians would run beside, beneath, or ahead of a horse-drawn carriage, clearing a path and keeping the horses calm both on the move and in the stable.

When horse-drawn fire engines became common, that same skill set carried straight across: Dalmatians ran ahead of the horses to help clear pedestrians and traffic, and stayed in the firehouse to guard and settle the horses between call-outs. The tradition stuck even once engines went from horses to motors, which is why Dalmatians are still associated with fire stations today, even though they have no working reason left to run alongside a truck. It's a good example of a habit (in this case, an instinctive comfort around large animals and a very high energy drive) that a breed keeps long after its original job disappeared, and it's why Dalmatians still need serious daily exercise even as a family pet.

Chow Chow: the blue-black tongue

Few breed traits are stranger at first glance than the Chow Chow's tongue, which is a solid blue-black rather than the usual pink. Chow Chow puppies are actually born with pink tongues, like any other dog; the blue-black pigment develops gradually as their eyes open and should be fully in place by around six months old.

Nobody has a confirmed scientific explanation for why the trait exists. It was already present in Chow Chows exhibited in London in the 1820s, and once organised breeding began, it was adopted as a marker of a genuine, purebred Chow Chow rather than a cross. Today it's written into the official breed standard, with anything less than a solid blue-black tongue marked down in the show ring. Only one other breed, the Chinese Shar-Pei, shares the same unusual pigmentation, which has led some to wonder whether the two ancient Chinese breeds share common ancestry, though this remains unconfirmed.

Welsh Corgi: born heel-nippers

Corgis are small, but they were bred to move cattle many times their size, working as what's known in herding circles as a "heeler." Historically used by Welsh drovers moving livestock over long, unfenced distances, a Corgi's job was to nip at the soft part of a cow's heel to keep it moving, then duck low and fast enough to dodge the kick that inevitably followed. Their short legs and low centre of gravity, which look almost comical today, were exactly what let them work safely underneath a much larger animal.

That heeling instinct hasn't gone anywhere. Modern pet Corgis, with no cattle in sight, will often nip at ankles, ankles of children who run past, or the backs of other dogs' legs during play, not out of aggression but because moving things at ground level trigger a herding response bred in centuries ago. It responds well to the same redirection techniques used for other herding breeds: giving the dog an appropriate outlet, such as trick training, flirt-pole play, or a herding-style activity class, rather than trying to suppress the instinct altogether.

Common mistakes: working against instinct instead of with it

The single biggest mistake owners make with an instinct-driven habit is treating it purely as a discipline problem. Punishing a Border Collie for staring, a Husky for howling, or a Corgi for nipping rarely removes the underlying drive; it just teaches the dog that the behaviour makes you unpredictable, which can create anxiety without solving anything. A few things generally work better:

• Give the instinct a legitimate outlet. Flirt poles and structured chase games for herding breeds, digging pits or sandboxes for terriers and Dachshunds, and scent work for hound-type breeds all let a dog "use" the trait somewhere appropriate.
• Match exercise to the breed, not just the dog's size. A small Corgi or Dachshund can need as much mental stimulation as a far larger dog, because the instinct driving the behaviour was built for a full working day.
• Manage the environment rather than relying on willpower alone. Secure fencing for escape-prone breeds, supervised time near water for strong swimmers, and early recall training around livestock all reduce risk without a fight.
• Start socialisation and redirection early. Puppies from working and herding lines often need earlier, more consistent handling of these instincts than breeds developed purely as companions.

None of this means a habit is a flaw to be trained out entirely. A Basenji that doesn't bark, a Newfoundland that wants to paddle, or a Poodle that swims like it means it, are simply doing what centuries of careful breeding built them to do. The goal is channelling it, not eliminating it.

When to see your vet or a behaviourist

Most of the habits above are normal breed traits rather than medical or behavioural problems. But it's worth getting professional advice if a behaviour changes suddenly, becomes obsessive or distressing for the dog, starts to involve real aggression rather than play-nipping, or if a normally social dog becomes withdrawn. Sudden, dramatic escalation in digging, herding, or vocalising can sometimes point to anxiety, pain, or a change in the home environment rather than simple instinct, and a vet is best placed to rule out anything physical before a behaviourist is brought in to help with the rest.

*This is general guidance, not a substitute for advice from your vet, who can assess your individual pet.*

Sources

• American Kennel Club — Basenji breed profile, "Africa's Barkless Dog" (akc.org).
• The Kennel Club (UK) — Basenji breed page, including origin and "no bark, replaced by a yodelling sound" (royalkennelclub.com).
• The Kennel Club (UK) — Border Collie breed page, herding instinct, exercise needs, and herding test requirement (royalkennelclub.com).
• American Kennel Club — Dachshund history, badger-hunting origins and physical adaptations (akc.org).
• PDSA — Dachshund breed advice, including burrowing behaviour and exercise/temperament notes (pdsa.org.uk).
• American Kennel Club — Siberian Husky history, Chukchi origins and breed temperament (akc.org).
• American Kennel Club — Newfoundland breed history, webbed feet and water-rescue heritage (akc.org).
• American Kennel Club — "Why Do Chow Chows Have Blue Tongues?" (akc.org).
• American Kennel Club — Dalmatian history, coach dog origins and firehouse tradition (akc.org).
• Welsh Corgi League — breed history, droving and heeling behaviour (welshcorgileague.org).