Dog Breed Names Blog about Pet Animals
There are so many different breeds of dog that some people may be curious on how some of these breeds got their names. With some dog breeds it is easy to figure out where their names came from, such as the English Short Haired Pointer or the Golden Retriever. This is because these breeds do exactly what their name implies.
On the other hand, some breeds seem to have strange and unique names. Some common breeds such as the Mastiff or Collie have colourful histories of how the breed got its name. The word Mastiff comes from the French word mastin which means tame. The word Collie comes from the Anglo-Saxon word coal, which means black.
The word Terrier comes from the Latin word terre and means to go to ground. The word Pinscher comes from the German word for Terrier and can be applied to many different types of dogs. The word Poodle comes from the German word Puddlehund and literally means, "dog that splashes in water", hence the variations such as Portugese Water Dog - made famous recently by the Obama family - which is actually a type of Poodle.
Some dog breeds got their names from either the person who started the breed or from a famous person associated with that particular dog. The Parson Russell Terrier and Jack Russell Terrier are both named after Reverend John Russell, who began breeding them for hunting in the 19th century. The 
Doberman breed was named after a German tax collector who needed some protection from being robbed. He bred Manchester Terriers, with Pinschers, Rottweilers and Greyhounds until he produced the Doberman .
The name Rottweiler comes from the Old German words, rote, meaning red, and weill, meaning tile. The town of this breed's origin as a butcher's dog was named Rottweill because most of the buildings had red tiled roofs.
The origin of dog breed names provides a interesting look into cultures and history from all over the world. Almost all dog breeds have some interesting facts behind their names, and can make for fascinating reading. If you know of any bizarre dog breed origins, why not register as an AFI site user and post them here for our readers to enjoy?
