137 Fun Facts About Dogs

How long was the Labrador Retriever's No. 1 AKC popularity reign, which ended in 2022?

The Labrador Retriever held the AKC's No. 1 spot for 31 years, from the 1991 through the 2021 rankings, the longest reign in the history of the list.

How many teeth does an adult dog have?

An adult dog has 42 permanent teeth, 20 in the upper jaw and 22 in the lower, replacing 28 puppy teeth; the carnassials do the meat-shearing work.

Which dog is famous for waiting at a Tokyo train station for nearly 10 years after its owner's death?

Hachiko met the evening train at Shibuya Station for more than nine years after his owner, Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, died in 1925; a bronze statue outside the station honours him.

What breed was Lassie, the famous TV and movie dog?

Lassie is a Rough Collie: Eric Knight's 1938 story made the character famous, and Pal, the Rough Collie who played her in the 1943 film, founded the line used on screen for decades.

Dogs have around 1,700 taste buds; roughly how many do humans have?

Humans have roughly 9,000 taste buds, about five times a dog's 1,700, which is one reason dogs judge food far more by smell than by taste.

Which dog breed is known as the "firehouse dog" due to its historical association with fire departments?

Dalmatians became firehouse dogs because they were used to run alongside horse-drawn fire carriages, clearing the way and calming the horses. Even after fire trucks replaced horses, the tradition stuck.

Zeus, the tallest dog ever recorded at 44 inches (111.8 cm) at the shoulder, belonged to which breed?

Zeus died in September 2014; the tallest living dog title has usually gone to this same breed, even though a different breed has the tallest average height.

The first dog to orbit Earth was a stray picked up from the streets of which city?

Laika was a stray found on the streets of Moscow; Sputnik 2 was readied in about four weeks and launched on 3 November 1957 with no plan to bring her back.

Which hunting breed's silver-gray coat earned it the nickname 'Gray Ghost'?

The Weimaraner's sleek silver-gray coat earned it the nickname 'Gray Ghost'; the breed was developed in the early 1800s at the court of Weimar for hunting big game.

What is the smallest dog breed in the world by height?

The Chihuahua is the smallest recognized dog breed, typically standing 5 to 8 inches tall at the shoulder and weighing under 6 pounds. The breed is named after the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

What breed of dog was Rin Tin Tin, the famous early Hollywood star?

Rin Tin Tin was a German Shepherd rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier. He went on to star in 27 Hollywood films and is credited with saving Warner Bros. from bankruptcy.

In a racing sighthound's double suspension rotary gallop, how many times per stride are all four feet off the ground?

Twice: the double suspension rotary gallop has two airborne phases per stride, one with the body contracted and one fully extended, which is how a racing sighthound covers ground so fast.

What is a group of puppies called?

A group of puppies born together is a litter; a typical litter runs from one pup in toy breeds to a dozen or more in giant breeds.

Which German breed was developed to follow badgers into their burrows?

Dachshund translates to "badger dog" in German (Dachs = badger, Hund = dog). Their long, low body was specifically bred to follow badgers into their burrows.

Which sled dog led the final leg of the 1925 diphtheria serum run across Alaska?

Balto led Gunnar Kaasen's team on the final 53-mile leg of the relay, arriving on 2 February 1925; his bronze statue was unveiled in New York's Central Park that December.

Which New York show, first held in 1877, ranks among America's longest-running sporting events?

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has been held every year since 1877, through the Depression, both world wars and the pandemic, making it one of the oldest continuously held sporting events in the United States.

When a dog wags its tail more to one side of its body, which side signals it feels comfortable and safe?

Right: a 2007 University of Trieste study found dogs wag more to the right when they see their owner and more to the left when facing an unfamiliar, dominant dog.

Which dog breed is known as the "King of Terriers" due to being the largest terrier breed?

The Airedale Terrier is the largest of all terrier breeds, standing about 23 inches tall at the shoulder. It originated in the Aire Valley of Yorkshire, England, and was used for hunting and as a war dog.

How do dogs primarily sweat to regulate their body temperature?

Dogs sweat through their paw pads, where their merocrine sweat glands sit; it is a minor cooling route, since a dog sheds most excess heat through its tongue and airways.

What is the CGC test, which a dog-and-handler team can sit in under half an hour?

CGC is the AKC's Canine Good Citizen programme, an AKC basic-manners test in ten steps covering things like sitting politely for petting and walking on a loose lead; it has been an official AKC title since 2013.

Which dog breed was originally bred by monks in the Swiss Alps to rescue travelers lost in snow?

Saint Bernards were bred by the monks of the Great St. Bernard Hospice on the Alpine pass between Switzerland and Italy, where they found travellers lost in snow and led them to safety.

A large UK survey found the mean age at death for dogs of all breeds and all causes was closest to what?

11 years, and 12 years 8 months for dogs dying of natural causes; only 8 percent lived beyond 15.

Newborn puppies' ears stay sealed for roughly how long after birth?

A puppy's ear canals open at about 13 to 17 days, a few days after its eyes; by two to four weeks the pups are growling, biting and wagging.

The African 'barkless dog' is also called mbwa shenzi in Swahili, meaning what?

Mbwa shenzi means 'savage dog' or 'wild dog' in Swahili; another local name, m'bwa m'kube, describes how the dogs leap straight up to spot prey over tall grass.

The Welsh breed name Corgi is a compound of two words meaning 'dog' and what?

Corgi joins the Welsh cor, 'dwarf', with ci, 'dog'; the low-slung Pembroke was bred to herd cattle, nipping at heels below the reach of a kick.

What is the popular term for a deliberate cross of two purebreds, such as the Labradoodle?

Designer dog is the term for a deliberate cross of two purebreds; the Labradoodle, first bred in Australia in 1989 as a guide-dog experiment, is the classic example, and such crosses are not recognised breeds.

Which of the seven AKC breed groups is the newest, created in 1983?

The Herding Group was split off from the Working Group in 1983; its members range from Border Collies and Corgis to the German Shepherd Dog.

Which basic obedience command teaches a dog to lower its rear to the ground and hold that position?

Sit is usually the first command owners teach, since a dog with its rear on the ground cannot at the same time jump up or bolt through a door.

Who first domesticated dogs from wolves?

Prehistoric hunter-gatherers domesticated dogs from wolves long before farming began; the Bonn-Oberkassel dog, buried beside two humans about 14,000 years ago, is the earliest remains conclusively identified as a domestic dog.

What is the term for the period during which a female dog is fertile and can become pregnant?

Americans say a bitch is 'in heat' while Britons say 'on heat'; the phase is driven by maturing ovarian follicles and peak oestrogen.

Which dog breed is considered the most intelligent according to Stanley Coren research?

In his 1994 book The Intelligence of Dogs, Stanley Coren ranked the Border Collie first; his top-tier breeds learned a new command in fewer than five repetitions and obeyed it at least 95 percent of the time.

Which compound is the leading suspect behind a common dried fruit's kidney toxicity in dogs?

Tartaric acid is the leading suspect: ASPCA toxicologists reported in 2021 that dogs show the same kidney signs after eating cream of tartar and tamarind, both rich in tartaric acid, as after the fruit itself.

Which shepherd-dog variety serves the US Secret Service and the IDF's Oketz Unit?

The Belgian Malinois, lighter and more agile than the German Shepherd, patrols the White House grounds for the Secret Service and is the main breed of Israel's Oketz Unit and Kruger National Park's anti-poaching team.

Which breed did a Thuringian tax collector create around 1890 as a guard dog for his rounds?

Its creator, Louis Dobermann, also ran the local dog pound, which gave him plenty of stock to breed from.

What is a dog signalling when it drops its front end to the ground while keeping its rear and tail up?

It is a play bow, the dog inviting a game; the posture also signals that whatever follows, such as a mock charge or growl, is not meant as aggression.

The merle coat pattern is a distinguishing marking of which Louisiana-associated breed?

The Catahoula Leopard Dog, Louisiana's official state dog since 1979, is known for its merle 'leopard' coat; the pattern also appears in Australian Shepherds, Shelties, collies and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi.

What is the name of the dog in Pixar's Up whose collar translates his thoughts?

Dug is a Golden Retriever in Pixar Up (2009) who wears a collar that translates his thoughts into English. His famous line is I have just met you, and I love you.

What is hip dysplasia, the inherited condition especially common in large breeds like German Shepherds and Labradors?

A malformed hip joint whose ball and socket fit poorly, the single most common cause of hip arthritis in dogs.

Which naturalist assigned the genus name Canis to the dog, wolf and golden jackal in 1758?

Carl Linnaeus set up the genus Canis in the 1758 tenth edition of Systema Naturae, the work that founded binomial zoological naming, placing the dog, the grey wolf and the golden jackal in it.

Which Poodle size variety is the largest?

Standard is the largest variety: the FCI recognises four sizes (Standard, Medium, Miniature, Toy) while the AKC recognises three, with Standards measuring over 15 inches at the shoulder.

The spotted firehouse-dog breed is named for a region in which modern country?

The breed is named for Dalmatia, the Adriatic coastal region of modern Croatia, and the FCI lists Croatia as its country of origin.

What is the world record for the largest litter of pups ever born to a domestic dog?

The record is 24 puppies, delivered by caesarean to a Neapolitan Mastiff named Tia in Manea, Cambridgeshire, on 29 November 2004.

The Kangal, a livestock guardian named after a town in Sivas Province, is a breed of which country?

The Kangal comes from the town of Kangal in Turkey's Sivas Province, where shepherds have kept it with their flocks against wolves; the FCI renamed its Anatolian Shepherd standard the Kangal Shepherd Dog in 2018.

A dog's front dewclaws sit on the inside of the leg, in the position of which human digit?

The front dewclaw sits where a human thumb does, as the first digit; unlike the weight-bearing toes it is attached higher up the inside of the leg.

Which president's Scottish Terrier, Fala, was defended in a famous 1944 campaign speech?

Fala was Franklin D. Roosevelt's Scottish Terrier; in his 1944 'Fala speech' Roosevelt mocked Republican claims that he had sent a destroyer to fetch the dog, and Fala is buried beside him at Hyde Park.

What is the Iditarod, and how far do the dog sled teams travel?

The historic trail itself, first surveyed in 1908, runs 938 miles from Seward to Nome; the modern race from Anchorage is usually rounded to 1,000 miles.

Max von Stephanitz's working breed is known in Britain by what alternative name?

Alsatian, after the Alsace-Lorraine border region, was the name the UK Kennel Club used from 1919, when anything German was a hard sell, until it restored 'German Shepherd Dog' in 1977.

A study found dogs' visual acuity to be up to how many times less effective than a human's?

Eight: dogs' visual acuity has been measured at up to eight times worse than a human's, while their brightness discrimination is only about twice as poor; what they lack in eyesight they recover in nose and ears.

The Pug dog breed, known for its distinctive wrinkled face and curled tail, originated in which country?

Pugs were bred in China as companions for the imperial court; Dutch traders carried them to Europe in the sixteenth century, the House of Orange adopted them, and Queen Victoria later kept many.

The miniature version of the German 'badger dog' was bred to hunt which small animal?

Rabbits: the miniature variety was bred down in size in the late nineteenth century to follow rabbits into their warrens, while the standard size was built to go after badgers underground.

Evidence suggests the domestication of dogs began approximately how many years ago?

While the exact timing and location are debated, strong evidence indicates that dogs were first domesticated from wolves during the Late Pleistocene era, roughly 15,000 to 30,000 years ago.

What is the typical coat characteristic of a Poodle?

Poodles are famous for their unique, dense, and curly coat, which can also be corded. This coat type is often associated with being low-shedding.

The first of Mexico's tiny namesake breed registered by the AKC, in 1904, was owned by H. Raynor of which state?

Texas: the AKC's first registered Chihuahua, in 1904, was a dog named Midget owned by H. Raynor of Texas, the state that borders the breed's namesake Mexican state.

What does the abbreviation AKC stand for in the context of dog breeding and events?

AKC stands for the American Kennel Club, a prominent organization founded in 1884 that maintains a registry of purebred dog pedigrees and sanctions various dog events in the United States.

What is the scientific name for the domestic dog?

The scientific name for the domestic dog is Canis familiaris. It is also often classified as a subspecies of the gray wolf, Canis lupus familiaris.

What is the typical average lifespan of a domestic dog?

The average lifespan of a domestic dog varies by breed, size, and other factors, but is generally considered to be between 10 and 13 years.

The African 'barkless dog' shares its yodel-like vocalisation with which other primitive dog?

The New Guinea singing dog, a primitive dog from the island's highlands, shares the yodel; both owe the sound to an unusually shaped larynx rather than to any lack of things to say.

The Jack Russell Terrier is named after a parson who bred terriers in which English county?

The Reverend John 'Jack' Russell, vicar of Swimbridge in Devon, bred white-bodied fox-working terriers from the 1820s, and the breed that carries his name descends from his dogs.

Which sled-dog breed did Alaska adopt as its official state dog in 2010?

Alaska named the Alaskan Malamute its official state dog in 2010 after a campaign by schoolchildren; the heavy freighting breed is named for the Mahlemut Inupiat people of the Kotzebue Sound area.

The term 'brachycephalic' refers to dog breeds characterized by what physical feature?

Brachycephalic means a short, broad skull and flat face, as in Pugs and Bulldogs; the breathing problems that come with it led the Netherlands in 2019 to bar breeding dogs with very short muzzles.

Scent-tracking breeds such as the Beagle are famous for which deep, prolonged vocalisation?

Baying is the hound's deep, drawn-out cry; a pack in full cry is said to be 'giving tongue', and hounds are far more vocal running in a pack than hunting alone on a lead.

Which of these breeds can be born with a natural bobtail?

The Australian Shepherd carries a natural-bobtail gene, so some pups are born with short tails; the Boston Terrier is another breed born with a naturally short tail.

A 2024 UK study put the life expectancy of the long-eared tracking hound at roughly how many years?

9.3 years: the 2024 study of 584,000 UK dogs ranked this hound among the shortest-lived breeds, alongside the Saint Bernard and Neapolitan Mastiff, while the longest-lived breed, the Lancashire Heeler, reached 15.4.

The 2011 film Red Dog follows a wandering Kelpie-cross through which Australian mining region?

Red Dog roamed the Pilbara mining towns of Western Australia in the 1970s, hitching rides between Dampier and Karratha; a statue of him was unveiled at Dampier in 1980, and the 2011 film starred Koko as the dog.

Lean, long-legged breeds like the Borzoi and Whippet belong to which hunting group?

Sighthounds, also called gazehounds, hunt by sight and speed rather than scent; the Borzoi, Whippet and Saluki all carry an unusually large heart inside a deep chest to fuel the sprint.

At the top of the range for dogs, some breeds have roughly how many smell-sensitive receptors?

Nearly 300 million: scent hounds sit at the top of a range that starts around 125 million in less nose-driven breeds, spread across nasal turbinates with far more surface area than a human nose.

Which hairless Mexican breed carries about 3% pre-colonial indigenous dog ancestry?

A 2020 genome study found the Xoloitzcuintli, Mexico's ancient hairless breed, retains about 3 percent ancestry from dogs that lived in the Americas before European contact; most modern breeds are almost entirely European.

Which kennel-club group contains the breeds bred to hunt by nose or by sight, from Beagles to Whippets?

Hounds split into scent hounds that track by nose and sighthounds that run prey down by speed.

In 1960, which pair of Soviet dogs became the first animals to return safely from orbit?

Belka and Strelka flew on Korabl-Sputnik 2 on 19 August 1960 and came back alive after a day in orbit, a rehearsal for the Vostok craft that carried Yuri Gagarin the following year.

Where a human brain is dominated by a large visual region, a dog's brain is dominated by which region?

The olfactory cortex: the share of a dog's brain devoted to analysing smell is far larger than a human's, matching a nose lined with well over a hundred million scent receptors.

How many toes do dogs typically have on each of their front paws, including the dewclaw?

Dogs generally have five toes on their front paws: four main toes and one dewclaw, which is located higher up on the inside of the leg.

Which breed has served as the official mascot of the US Marine Corps since the 1920s?

The Bulldog has been the US Marine Corps mascot since Private Jiggs was enlisted at Quantico in 1922; the Corps' First World War nickname 'Devil Dogs' inspired the choice.

A 2010 US-led expedition collected fresh 'barkless dog' breeding stock from which country?

Democratic Republic of Congo: the 2010 expedition to the Congo basin, where the breed originated, brought back dogs whose descendants were admitted when the AKC reopened the breed's stud book between 2009 and 2013.

In the Peanuts comic strip, what is the name of Charlie Brown's beagle?

Snoopy, Charlie Brown's beagle, first appeared in Charles Schulz's Peanuts on 4 October 1950, two days after the strip began.

Roughly how long after birth do puppies first open their eyes?

Puppies' eyes open at around 9 to 11 days, though their vision stays blurry for another week or two; newborns find their mother's teats mostly by smell and touch.

Which wrinkled Chinese breed did Guinness name the world's rarest dog in 1978, with about 60 left?

A Hong Kong businessman's 1973 appeal to the AKC is credited with saving it; the breed shares its blue-black tongue with a spitz-type cousin from northern China.

The Alpine hospice that gave the St. Bernard breed its name acquired its first dogs in which decade?

The monks of the Great St Bernard Hospice, on the pass between Italy and Switzerland, acquired their first dogs in the 1660s, between 1660 and 1670; the earliest written record of dogs at the hospice dates from 1707.

What is the technical term for a dog's whiskers, which are specialized tactile hairs?

A dog's whiskers are scientifically known as vibrissae, which are highly sensitive tactile hairs that aid in navigation and sensing the environment.

What is the life-threatening canine condition where the stomach twists, trapping gas?

Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV), commonly known as bloat, is a severe condition where the stomach fills with gas and twists, requiring immediate veterinary attention.

Which dog breed is famously known for often having a distinctive blue or black tongue?

The Chow Chow's tongue, lips and mouth carry a purple to blue-black pigment unusual among dogs; a wrinkled breed from the same country can share it.

What is the term for a female dog giving birth to her litter?

Whelping; a whelp is a puppy, kindling is rabbits, farrowing pigs and calving cows.

The racing sighthound's name is believed to derive from 'grighund' in which language?

Old English: the name comes from grīghund, a word whose 'grig' element has no known link to the colour grey, and the breed comes in a wide range of coat colours.

In which dog sport does a handler direct an off-leash dog through jumps, tunnels and weave poles?

Agility: dogs run the course off-leash with no food or toy lures, and the handler may touch neither the dog nor the obstacles.

What does it commonly signify when a dog holds its tail tucked tightly between its legs?

A tucked tail is a common sign of fear, anxiety, or submission in dogs, as they try to appear smaller and less threatening.

Which breed does the AKC describe as the tallest of all its recognised breeds?

The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest AKC breed on average: its standard sets a minimum of 32 inches at the shoulder for males, though the tallest individual dogs on record have come from a different breed.

Which breed is described as the largest living member of the dog family, outweighing a wolf by up to 50 kg?

The English Mastiff is recognized as the largest dog breed by weight, with some individuals weighing over 200 pounds.

Which cartoon dog owns a time machine and lives in a New York penthouse?

The genius dog lives in a New York City penthouse with his adopted human son, Sherman, and first appeared in 'Peabody's Improbable History'.

What breed of dog played Toto in the classic film 'The Wizard of Oz'?

Toto was played by Terry, a female Cairn Terrier who earned $125 a week, more than some of the human cast; a stand-in was needed after a Winkie guard stepped on her foot.

What is the primary function of a dog's dewclaw on its front legs?

The dewclaw on a dog's front legs can provide extra grip when running, turning, or climbing, and can help stabilize the wrist joint.

Which blue-eyed sled-dog breed was first developed by the Chukchi people?

The Siberian Husky is a medium-sized working dog breed that originated in Northeast Asia. They are known for their endurance, striking blue eyes, and use as sled dogs.

What is a primary method dogs use to regulate their body temperature and cool down?

Panting moves air rapidly over the moist tongue and airways so evaporation carries heat away; dogs also have elaborate nasal turbinates that exchange heat as air passes through.

Which of these is a general classification for dog breeds developed to manage livestock?

Collie is a general label for herding types from the Border Collie to the Rough Collie, all developed for the intelligence and instinct needed to work flocks.

Giant breeds such as the Great Dane are not fully grown until about what age?

2 years: giant breeds keep growing until about two years old, while most dogs are fully grown by 12 to 15 months; that long growth phase goes with the shortest lifespans, often under 10 years.

Which small-to-medium Hungarian breed, usually black, wears a long corded coat and works livestock?

The Puli, usually black, is the small corded Hungarian herder; its much larger white cousin wears the same mop-like cords and guards livestock rather than herding it.

In dog behavior, what does direct, prolonged eye contact usually mean?

A hard, prolonged stare is a threat or dominance display between dogs; turning the eyes away does the opposite, breaking off contact to signal submission and calm things down.

Which common fruit, even in small amounts, can cause acute kidney failure in dogs?

Grapes and raisins can trigger acute kidney failure in dogs within days, and the responsible compound was a mystery for years; chocolate and onions are the other famous canine poisons.

Which African hunting breed is called the 'barkless dog', yodelling instead because of its unusually shaped larynx?

The Basenji, an ancient central African hunting dog, also grooms itself like a cat and comes into season only once a year.

Which breed can hit peak speeds of roughly 43 mph (69 km/h) on a racing track?

Greyhounds were developed to hunt game by sight and speed, and racing dogs reach peaks of at least 69 km/h.

Which breed was the dog who met trains at Tokyo's Shibuya Station for nearly ten years?

The dog was an Akita; he went on meeting the evening train at Shibuya Station for almost a decade after his owner, Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, died in 1925.

What do puppies of the spotted firehouse carriage-dog breed look like at birth?

Dalmatians are born with plain white coats. Their first visible spots usually come in during the first ten days.

What is the North American 'wiener dog', the long-bodied German badger hound, nicknamed in Britain and Australasia?

Sausage dog is the British and Australian nickname, matching the North American 'wiener dog'; both refer to the long, low body the breed was given to follow badgers into their burrows.

A 2020 study found Mexico's tiniest breed retains what share of pre-colonial dog ancestry?

About 4%: a 2020 genome study found the Chihuahua keeps roughly 4 percent of its ancestry from the dogs of pre-colonial Mexico, while most modern breeds are almost entirely European.

Queen Elizabeth II owned more than 30 dogs of which breed during her reign?

The Pembroke Welsh Corgi became inseparable from the Queen's public image. The breed was originally a cattle herder.

Bo, the dog the Obama family brought to the White House in 2009, was which breed?

Bo was a Portuguese Water Dog, a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy in April 2009; the Obamas chose the low-shedding breed for Malia's allergies, and a second Portuguese Water Dog, Sunny, joined in 2013.

Genetic research traces the Chow Chow's origin to indigenous central Chinese dogs roughly how long ago?

8,300 years: a 2017 genome study found the Chow Chow diverged from indigenous central Chinese dogs about 8,300 years ago, making it one of the oldest distinct breeds.

Which breed is the smallest of Japan's six native spitz-type breeds?

The Shiba Inu is the smallest of Japan's six native breeds, standing about 35 to 41 cm at the shoulder; its name is usually read as 'brushwood dog', after the terrain it hunted in.

The 1925 serum run's final relay leg, led by a dog later honoured in Central Park, ended in which town?

Relay teams hauled diphtheria antitoxin across Alaska to Nome in 1925.

Which breed became the AKC's most popular in its 2022 rankings, ending a decades-long reign?

The French Bulldog took the AKC's No. 1 spot in the 2022 rankings, released in March 2023, ending the Labrador Retriever's reign after climbing steadily through the list over the previous decade.

Which droopy-faced scent hound can follow a human trail days old, which is why police use it for manhunts?

The Bloodhound pairs an extreme nose with a stubborn tracking drive, which is why it is the standard search dog.

Which breed's head is officially described as "egg-shaped" when seen head-on?

The Bull Terrier's head is almost flat in profile with no stop; Spuds MacKenzie of the Bud Light ads was one too.

From which war's battlefield was Hollywood star Rin Tin Tin rescued as a puppy?

American soldier Lee Duncan found the puppy in Flirey, France during World War I. Rin Tin Tin went on to appear in 27 films.

How long does a dog's pregnancy last, on average?

Litters arrive roughly 58 to 68 days after fertilisation, averaging about 63 days.

Most dog historians place the Poodle's origins in which country, despite the FCI's view?

Despite the breed's French associations, most cynologists trace the Poodle to medieval Germany, where it retrieved waterfowl.

Which retriever breed did the Earls of Malmesbury and Dukes of Buccleuch establish in 19th-century Britain?

The Labrador Retriever was fixed as a breed in the 1880s when the Earl of Malmesbury gave dogs from his kennel to the Duke of Buccleuch; Malmesbury was the first to call them 'Labrador dogs'.

Which breed won the first Best in Show at Westminster, in 1907?

Warren Remedy, a Smooth Fox Terrier bitch, won Westminster's first Best in Show in 1907 and repeated in 1908 and 1909, making her the show's only three-time winner.

Which big white Hungarian guardian breed wears a corded, mop-like coat?

The Komondor's long white coat naturally forms heavy cords that resemble dreadlocks, camouflaging it among the sheep it guards.

Roughly how many more smell-sensitive receptors does a dog have than a human?

Dogs have roughly 40 times more olfactory receptors than people: well over a hundred million against a human's five or six million.

An Alpine rescue dog named Barry, now preserved in a Bern museum, is credited with saving how many lives?

Barry worked the Great St Bernard Pass and is reported to have saved somewhere between 40 and 100 people.

A sheepdog named Chaser, studied by psychologist John Pilley, learned the names of how many toys?

Chaser could pick out and retrieve 1,022 individually named toys, the largest tested vocabulary of any non-human animal.

Mexico's ancient hairless breed takes its Nahuatl name from which Aztec god?

Xolotl, the Aztec god of fire and lightning who guided souls to the underworld, gives the Xoloitzcuintli its name, joined to itzcuintli, the Nahuatl word for dog.

Snuppy, the first cloned dog, was born in 2005 at a university in which country?

Snuppy was born in April 2005 at Seoul National University in South Korea, his name a blend of 'SNU' and 'puppy'; he was confirmed a genuine clone even after lead scientist Hwang Woo-suk's other research was exposed as fabricated.

In which country was the Golden Retriever breed developed in the late 19th century?

Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, later Lord Tweedmouth, developed the breed from the 1860s at Guisachan, his estate in the Highlands of Scotland; the ruins of Guisachan House draw Golden Retriever fans from around the world.

Which now-extinct breed was crossed with Flat-coated Retrievers to create the Golden Retriever?

The Tweed Water Spaniel, a liver-coloured breed from the Scottish Borders that died out early in the 20th century, was crossed with a yellow Flat-coated Retriever in 1868; Irish Setter and Bloodhound were added later.

In what year did the UK Kennel Club register Golden Retrievers as a separate breed?

In 1913 the Kennel Club registered them as 'Yellow or Golden Retrievers', having listed them until then as 'Flat-coated Retriever, Golden'; the 'Yellow or' was dropped in 1920.

According to the Kennel Club breed standard, roughly how tall is a male Golden Retriever at the shoulder?

The Kennel Club standard puts males at 56 to 61 cm at the withers and females at 51 to 56 cm; healthy adults typically weigh 25 to 34 kg (55 to 75 lb).

What is the Golden Retriever's name in the 1993 film Homeward Bound?

Shadow, the wise old Golden Retriever voiced by Don Ameche in Homeward Bound (1993), leads the bulldog Chance and the cat Sassy home across the Sierra Nevada.

What was the name of Lord Tweedmouth's yellow retriever, sire of the first Golden Retriever litter?

Nous, a yellow Flat-coated Retriever bought by Lord Tweedmouth, was mated with a liver-coloured water spaniel named Belle in 1868; their pups Crocus, Cowslip and Primrose founded the Golden Retriever line.

Which US president's Golden Retriever, Liberty, lived in the White House in the 1970s?

Liberty was Gerald Ford's Golden Retriever, a gift from his daughter Susan in 1974; she had a litter of puppies at the White House in September 1975.

In the 1997 film Air Bud, a Golden Retriever named Buddy plays which sport?

In Air Bud (1997) Buddy joins a middle-school basketball team; the real dog belonged to Kevin DiCicco and had already appeared on America's Funniest Home Videos, while sequels had him play football, soccer, baseball and volleyball.

Greyfriars Bobby, the Skye terrier said to have guarded his owner's grave for 14 years, has a statue in which city?

Edinburgh put up a drinking fountain topped with his statue in 1873; his collar is in the Museum of Edinburgh.

Bluey, the oldest verified dog ever at 29 years and 5 months, was which breed?

Bluey was an Australian Cattle Dog who worked cattle and sheep for about 20 years in Rochester, Victoria, and died in 1939; her record briefly passed to Bobi in 2023 before Guinness revoked his title in 2024.

The Rottweiler's German name Metzgerhund describes it as whose dog?

Metzgerhund means 'butchers' dog': the dogs of the free city of Rottweil herded livestock and pulled butchers' carts of meat to market until railways replaced droving in the mid-1800s.

Charles Cruft, who founded the Crufts dog show in 1886, spent his career as general manager for a maker of what?

Dog biscuits; touring shows for the firm convinced him standards needed raising, and his first show was billed as the 'First Great Terrier Show'.

Which of Leonhard Seppala's lead dogs ran the longest, most dangerous stretch of the 1925 serum run?

Togo led Seppala's team on the 264-mile round trip that included the perilous crossing of Norton Sound; the press celebrated the dog on the final leg instead, while Togo's descendants shaped the modern Siberian Husky gene pool.

In 2008 a dog named Uno became the first of which breed to win Best in Show at America's top dog show?

Uno the Beagle took Westminster's top prize in 2008; Beagles had been the AKC's most-registered breed from 1953 to 1959 but had never won Best in Show in the event's 131-year history until then.

In which city did Morris Frank and Dorothy Eustis found The Seeing Eye guide-dog school in 1929?

The Seeing Eye opened in Nashville, Tennessee, in January 1929, after Frank had trained in Switzerland with a German Shepherd named Buddy; the school moved to New Jersey in 1931.

Which Greyhound won the first Best in Show at Crufts in 1928?

Primley Sceptre was shown by Herbert Whitley, who founded the zoo at his Primley estate that became Paignton Zoo; the win came in the first year Crufts awarded Best in Show.