The stuff we never think about.
Wikipedia, that all-knowing and often amended website, describes trivia as bits of information that are often of little importance. What follows certainly qualifies.
Our attention was grabbed by someone’s observation that the German Shepherd Dog is one of the few breeds in the world whose official name includes the word, “dog.” That got us to wondering what the other ones were.
In fact, only 19 AKC fully recognized breeds have “dog” as part of their name (20, if one includes the Dogue de Bordeax). Can you name them? The answer comes further down.
Thirty-six breeds fully recognized by the AKC have “terrier” in their name, but two of them aren’t really terriers. Can you name them?
Only three AKC recognized breeds have “mountain” in their names: The Bernese Mountain Dog, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, and Entlebucher Mountain Dog
Four include “water:” The Spanish Water Dog, Irish Water Spaniel, Portuguese Water Dog, and the American Water Spaniel.
Say, can you name the breeds whose names include the name of a different animal? Those answer are below, as are the answers to this question: Which seven breeds are named after a person?
Answers:
• The breeds that include “dog” as part of their official name are:
German Shepherd Dog
Anatolian Shepherd Dog
Shetland Sheepdog
Australian Cattle Dog
American Eskimo Dog
Polish Lowland Sheepdog
Portuguese Water Dog
Belgian Sheepdog
Spanish Water Dog
Belgian Tervuren
Bergamasco Sheepdog
Bernese Mountain Dog
Canaan Dog
Bulldog
Entlebucher Mountain Dog
French Bulldog
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Icelandic Sheepdog
Old English Sheepdog
• The two “terriers” that aren’t really terriers are the Tibetan Terrier and the Black Russian Terrier.
• The breeds whose names include the name of a different animal are the Otterhound, American Foxhound and English Foxhound, Australian Cattle Dog, the Old English Sheepdog, Belgian Sheepdog, Bergamasco Sheepdog, all of the “coon”hounds, the Bullmastiff, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the Wire Fox Terrier and Smooth Fox Terrier, Scottish Deerhound, Rat Terrier, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Norwegian Elkhound, French Bulldog, and Irish Wolfhound.
• The six breeds named after people are: The Parson Russell Terrier, Doberman Pinscher, Boykin Spaniel, the Plott, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and the Gordon Setter.
Some more trivia: Only one breed is named after a fictional character, and that’s the Dandie Dinmont Terrier whose name came from Sir Walter Scott’s Guy Mannering, published in 1814.
Four AKC fully recognized breeds include reference to Germany: The German Pinscher, German Shepherd Dog, German Shorthaired Pointer, and the German Wirehaired Pointer. Two more will eventually be added, the German Longhaired Pointer and the German Spitz, both now listed with the Foundation Stock Service.
Tibet’s name is found with the Tibetan Mastiff, Tibetan Spaniel, and Tibetan Terrier, while the Japanese Chin, Icelandic Sheepdog, and Swedish Vallhund are the only breeds to include their homeland’s name (though there are other breeds developed in Japan). Norway gets three nods: the Norwegian Buhund, the Norwegian Elkhound, and the Norwegian Lundehund. Ireland fares well with five mentions: The Irish Red and White Setter, Irish Setter, Irish Terrier, Irish Water Spaniel, and Irish Wolfhound. Many breeds are of UK origin, but only the English Cocker Spaniel, English Foxhound, English Setter, English Springer Spaniel, and the English Toy Spaniel mention the homeland in their names. The Spanish Water Dog will have to hold Spain’s flag until the Spanish Mastiff, now part of the FSS, gets full recognition. Same with France: The French Bulldog is recognized, of course, but the French Spaniel always waits on the FSS list.
It’s hard to know where to stop, but for now, stop we must! It’s possible (probable) that we’ve missed a few – and we count on you to help us fix the omissions!
Image: Icelandic Sheepdog In Action by Miguel Betancourt is available as wall art, home decor, and personal accessories here