The Best Dog Breeds Trivia Quiz

The origin of "Frenchies" goes back to the mid 1800s and, oddly enough, the side effects of the Industrial Revolution. With the ban on bull-baiting at the beginning of the century, miniature breeds of bulldog began to be developed in England, and then, when the the Industrial Revolution began displacing workers, these toy bulldogs were among the many dogs that migrated across the Channel to France.

This offshoot of the English bulldog breed became very popular in France, and over time was also cross-bred with terriers, giving them their distinctive, perky ears. In 1885, the breed made its way over to America, and soon after the 'French Bull Dog Club of America' was formed, which defined the breed standard moving forward.

Labrador retrievers, as the name implies, trace their origins to a dog breed called the "St. John's water dog." These dogs had been developed by settlers in Newfoundland to retrieve waterfowl and, in the 1830s, some of them were brought to England, where they were bred with British hunting dogs.

The breed description was first published in 1846, and by the 1870s, the Labrador retriever was quite commonly known throughout the U.K., albeit with a different colouring than depicted here. The first yellow Labrador was born in 1899.

The American Kennel Club registered the Labrador retriever in the U.S. in 1917.

The golden retriever was bred in Scotland by Sir Dudley Marjoribanks in the late 1800s. He began with crossing a flat-coated retriever with a Tweed water spaniel (species now extinct), and later incorporated red setter, Labrador retriever and bloodhound into the stock. A mated pair (with bloodlines recorded) named Nous II and Queenie became the foundation from which all golden retrievers are descended.

Originally called a flat-coated retriever, yellow, the breed was registered in 1913 with the Kennel Club, and by 1920, was just called a golden retriever.

In the late 19th century, efforts were made to define the best German breed of working dog, but differences of opinion on what constituted the best characteristics of such a dog derailed those efforts. In 1899, Max von Stephanitz discovered a beautiful and intelligent dog that he felt defined all of those desired characteristics, and he immediately created the Society for German Shepherd Dogs.

The society worked diligently to solidify the desired traits in a focused breeding program, and the German shepherd dog that has become extremely popular over the past century was strongly defined by the mid-1920s, albeit by a different name for a time. With the post-World War anti-German sentiment, the German shepherd dog was called the Alsatian wolf dog for half a century before reverting to its original name.

While their origins are a little bit in dispute, most experts in the field believe that the poodle originated in Germany during the Middle Ages as a water dog, retrieving shot waterfowl and arrows and bolts that missed their marks. Over time, four different size variants were developed, including Standard, Medium, Miniature, and Toy Poodles.

The poodle was first recognized by the UK's Kennel Club in 1874, and by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1886, both shortly after the respective clubs were first formed.

The bulldog name originated through the practice of bull-baiting, in which tethered bulls were set upon by the dogs until one managed to grab the bull by the nose and pin it to the ground. Many dogs would be maimed or killed in the process, which eventually led to the practice being banned.

The original 'old English bulldogs' (dating from back to the 17th century) were larger than modern bulldogs, which have been bred as companion dogs since the 1835 Cruelty to Animals Act was put into force. The bulldog was among the first inclusion of breeds when the Kennel Club (UK) originated in 1873, and was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1886.

The Rottweiler is considered one of the oldest dog breeds, dating back to the time of the Romans. The name came from the town Rottweil, located in southwest Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It was actually a free imperial city for approximately 600 years!

While the breed was present with the Romans, it came to be known for the Rottweil region as it was a natural crossing for Roman soldiers traveling through the Alps, and many of the dogs mixed with the locals, basically creating a population base.

Rottweilers were popular working dogs, used for herding and driving, as well as pulling carts (pre-industrialization) for butchers. Hence the name 'Rottweiler Metzgerhund,' or 'Rottweil butchers' dog.' Today, their usual duties also include search and rescue, guarding and policing.

The name 'beagle' comes from the type of activities that beagles were bred for - hunting hares and rabbits - which is known as 'beagling.' The origins of the breed are a little muddled, as types of beagle and harrier scent hounds were in the UK for centuries before the modern breed developed.

The credit for the development of today's beagle largely sits with Reverend Phillip Honeywood of Essex, who established a beagle pack in the 1830s. From this pack two strains were developed - rough-coated and smooth-coated, but the former eventually became extinct in the late 20th century.

Since its export to North America, this intelligent and friendly breed has become more popular in the New World than its original UK home.

Translating from German as 'badger dog,' the dachshund has also been called the 'wiener dog,' 'doxie,' and 'sausage dog,' for its short-legged, long-bodied profile. As the 'badger dog' name implies, it was bred to sniff out and hunt badgers (along with other burrowing creatures).

Dachshunds come in three main sizes - standard, miniature, and 'kaninchen,' while also having three varieties of coat - smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired. Colouring also can vary. And while they can be difficult to train, dachshunds are known for their loyalty and devotion to their owners, making them popular pets.

German shorthaired pointers were developed in the 19th century in (you guessed it) Germany, and were considered prized sporting dogs, always excelling at hunting competitions. It is an energetic dog, and is today also often found in the role of companion dog, albeit one that needs a lot of attention and exercise. Their intelligence, endurance, and versatility in many sporting roles also make them a popular choice as law enforcement dogs.

Unfortunately, since the first studbook was not created until 1870, it is unknown what dogs went into creating this breed. The breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1930.