Due to the lack of unified naming standards for breed names among kennel clubs, it will be difficult for users to find the corresponding information for a given breed. During data integration, iDog proposed a basic naming standard to formalize breed names, which will alleviate this problem.
iDog provides a new breed name accordingly, and the source name will also be displayed on our website. The rules are described as follows.
Each breed will be assigned a unique number, such as CB1 or CB2, where 'CB' represents 'Canine Breed'.
1) The formatted breed name should consist of characters. Multiple words should be separated by whitespace. Each word should start with an uppercase letter, unless it is a German word starting with 'de' or 'du'.
2) The formatted breed name should not contain the character "&" and needs to be transformed to "and".
3) For breed names that are not in English, the translated English name will be added to the formatted name in brackets. For example, Slovensky Kopov (Slovakian Hound).
4) The formatted breed name should include both a common name and alternative names. Alternative names can be the breed name used in different languages.
5) The formatted breed name can include country or region names, such as American or Chinese. To avoid confusion, iDog will attempt to add the country or region of origin to the name.
6) The formatted breed name can contain body characteristics or breed categories, such as wire haired, flat haired, or sheepdog. Standards for several body characteristic words are listed below.
| Standard Body Hair Characteristics | Need be Standardized |
|---|---|
| Wire-Haired | Wire, Wire-haired, Wirehaired, Coarse-Haired, Coarse Haired, Rough-Haired, Rough Haired, Rough |
| Smooth-Haired | Smooth Coat, Smooth, Smooth-haired |
| Long-Haired | Long-haired, Longhaired |
| Short-Haired | Shorthaired, Short-haired |
| Curly-Coated | Curly-coated, curly coat |
| Flat-Coated | Flat-coated, Flat coat |
| Soft-Coated | Soft Coat, Soft coat, Soft |
| Long-Coated | Long Coat, Long coat |
| Short-Coated | Short Coat, Short coat |
| Shepherd Dog | Shepherd, Sheepdog |
7) The order of the formatted breed name should be: body size (e.g., standard, miniature, great), country/region name, body color (e.g., black and tan), body characteristics or body hair characteristics, and breed category (e.g., 'Austrian Black and Tan Hound,' 'Standard Long-Haired Dachshund').