Trivia: How Well Do You Know Dog Breeds?

Question: Which of these breeds was the American Kennel Club's most popular in 2015?
Labrador Retriever
Yorkshire Terrier
Boxer

Click to the next slide for the answer.

Answer: The Labrador Retriever has been the AKC’s most popular dog for 24 consecutive years.

Question: The Pug is one of the largest of the Toy breeds. True or false?

Answer: True. At 14 to 18 pounds, the jovial Pug is among the bigger breeds in the AKC’s Toy Group.

Question: The Obama family's two dogs are which breed?
Portuguese Water Dog
Poodle
Labradoodle

Answer: Portuguese Water Dog. The first family chose the Portie, because the breed is often believed to be more easily tolerated by people with allergies, like their daughters, but the jury’s still out on whether that holds true.

Question: For which of these tasks was the German Shepherd breed originally created?
Search and rescue
Guide dog work
Police and military work

Answer: Although German Shepherds have been successful with all of these tasks, they were created by Captain Max von Stephanitz for police and military work.

Question: Firefighters first developed an affinity for Dalmatians because of their history as circus dogs. True or false?

Answer: False. Dalmatians were once popular in the circus, but they started assisting firefighters because they were bred to be coaching dogs. They would run alongside horse-drawn fire engines to clear a path for them and later became firehouse mascots.

Question: Where is the Golden Retriever generally believed to have originated?
Australia
United States
Scotland

Answer: Dudley Marjoribanks, known as Lord Tweedmouth, is credited with breeding the first dogs who would become known as Goldens at his Scottish estate, but their relatives may have existed earlier in England.

Question: According to our survey of 122 veterinary professionals, which dog is often considered the smartest breed?
Chihuahua
Border Collie
Irish Setter

Answer: The Border Collie is often considered the world’s best herding dog, and the veterinary professionals we surveyed named him the smartest breed, too. In the same survey, our respondents said the lovable Chihuahua and stunning Irish Setter were among the not-so-clever breeds.

Question: Which of these dogs is commonly used at U.S. airports to sniff out contraband?
Beagles
Basset Hounds

Answer: Beagles tend to have an outstanding sense of smell, and their generally friendly nature allows them to search baggage without making passengers nervous in the way that more traditional police dogs might.

Question: The Havanese is the national dog of which country?
Cuba
France
Greece

Answer: The Havanese is the national dog of Cuba, even though he was once nearly extinct from his island home.

Question: This breed is sometimes known as a Blue Heeler. What’s her official name?
Australian Cattle Dog
Siberian Husky
Bluetick Coonhound

Answer: The Australian Cattle Dog was first known as the Australian Heeler, and her coat comes in blue or red speckled varieties.

Question: How fast can a Greyhound run? 
Up to 10 mph
Up to 40 mph
Up to 80 mph

Answer: Rescue groups often refer to the Greyhound as a “40-mph couch potato” — a nickname that reflects the breed's reputation for amazing speed and typically quiet, gentle nature.