With Crufts starting tomorrow, it seemed like a good time to talk about dog breed names and where they came from.
Some are named after people, others after places and others are named for physical features.
For those who want the correct terms:
🤓 Toponyms – named after places
🤓 Eponyms – named after people
🤓 Etymology – the origin of words
So…here we go!
Toponyms: (Named after places)
Dalmation
The Dalmatian is most commonly known for acting as a guard dog in Dalmatia, a region in Croatia in as early as the 18th century.
Labrador
Labradors are named from a region on Eastern Canada (now known as Newfoundland and Labrador) and were called the St. John’s water dog. They were brought to England in the 18th century, where they simply called them Labradors.
Weimaraner
These beautiful dogs have been around since the 19th century, when the Duke of Weimar started to breed dogs that were smart, strong hunters that would not be afraid of big game like wolves.The breed that developed started to become popular among other Weimar nobleman, and the dog was named after its place of origin.
Doberman Pincer
Named after a German dog breeder who bred to dog to be taken to houses to collect tax – and with a dog like that, people were more inclined to pay up!
The Pincer bit might be a reference to their ears being close together.
Eponyms: (Named after people)
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
This type of spaniel gets its name from King Charles II, who was rarely seen without the company of his small spaniels.
Jack Russell
The Jack Russell is named after John ‘Jack’ Russell, an 18th Century man from Dorset who wanted to breed a terrier with shorter legs more able to climb, to hunt foxes amongst the hills.
St Bernard
There are a few theories – but all came back to their ability to rescue, and the name comes from the place in Switzerland where they did it.
Etymology (word origins)
Spaniel
From the old French word for ‘Spanish’ – ‘espaigneul’. Shakespeare also used it as an adjective for a submissive person.
Dachshund
A German dog trained to chase badgers 500 years ago – it translates to ‘Badger Dog’.
Poodlehunde
From the German ‘pudln’ – ‘to splash’.
‘Splash hound’ – used as water retrievers. It might be where we get the word puddle from.
Schnauzer
It’s all about the length of the long, droopy mouth! Schnauzer being ‘snout’.
Bassett Hound
Bas is French for ‘low’ – a reference to their low stature.
Corgi
It’s a Welsh word! It means ‘dwarf dog’. (Corgi and Penguin are the only 2 Welsh words to make it into the English dictionary!)
