To paraphrase Heidi Klum of Project Runway, in the world of dog breeds, one day you’re in, the next day you’re out. Or vice versa. In the sixth edition of the World Atlas of Dog Breeds, a three-years-in-the-making revision of the original 1989 volume, some canines are added to the mix. Some are still waiting for a spot, like the winsome labradoodle, pictured above. And others, sadly, get an arf wiedersehen.

Heather Russell-Revesz, a senior editor at TFH Publications and one of the book's three primary authors, gave us the rundown on four changes.

New Breeds

Name: Biewer Terrier

Characteristics: Long, flowing, and silky coat with a mix of white, blue, black, gold, and tan. Height: Up to 8.5 inches. Weight: 4 to 8 pounds.

Origins: In 1984, a Yorkshire Terrier was born in Germany with a lot of white hair—unusual for the traditionally steel blue and tan breed. The dog’s owners realized the breeding line must have a recessive piebald gene that produces a mix of colors. “They started a new breeding program [with their terriers] and put a lot of money into it,” says Russell-Revesz.

It’s a fact: The dog’s official German name is “Biewer Yorkshire Terrier a la Pom Pon,” the latter part of which means “a colorful ball of yarn.”

Name: Ciobanesc Romanesc Carpatin

Characteristics: Has two coats of hair: a harsh, straight outercoat and a dense, soft undercoat. Its “wolf gray” tone is black and tan, with some white markings. Height: 23 to 29 inches. Weight: 70 to 100 lbs.

Origins: Although the Ciobanesc has been herding sheep in Romania for centuries, it took until 2005 for it to be officially recognized as a breed by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the world’s largest canine organization. The reason? People who owned them probably had no desire to register them. “When you’re a shepherd, you’re interested in using dogs to do your job, not in breeding them and selling them,” Russell-Revesz says.

It’s a fact: The intensely loyal Ciobanesc will give its life to defend the flock—or its human family.

Extinct Breeds

Name: Aryan Molossus (no photo available)

Characteristics: Dark, sable-colored coat. Muscular build. Height: 17 to 30 inches. Weight: Up to 200 lbs.

What happened? War. According to Russell-Revesz, the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s led Afghans to take many Aryan Molossus dogs into the mountains to serve as attack dogs. Most of these dogs were never seen again. The dogs who stayed at home, meanwhile, didn’t fare much better. “A lot of the time, the need for dogs in war-torn countries is pretty low on the priority list,” Russell-Revesz says. A lack of breeding programs meant the Aryan Molossus most likely died out—though she holds out hope that some of them may have survived.

It’s a fact: In tribal culture, if two men had a dispute, they’d each send their Aryan Molossus into the ring to settle it.

Name: Hawaiian Poi Dog

Characteristics: Height: 13 to 16 inches. Weight: Around 25 lbs. Had short legs, and was heavy for its size—which may account for its waddle.

What happened? Centuries ago, the Poi Dog served one major purpose for Hawaiians: It was a source of food. “[The dogs] were given poi to fatten them up, then they were eaten at celebrations,” Russell-Revesz says. Poi Dogs have been extinct for over a hundred years, but that hasn’t kept Hawaiians from trying to revive the breed as recently as the 1990s. Because of those efforts, previous editions of the Atlas kept the dog in. But no Pois have been produced, so the dog was cut from the new volume.

It’s a fact: Poi Dogs were also pets—“given to babies as a sort of protection charm,” says Russell-Revesz. But if the baby died, the dog would be killed and buried with the child.

—Matthew Hill

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