Who's a good quizzer? Let's find out how well you know our four-legged friends.
10 questions on breeds, canine senses, records and the famous dogs of cartoons, films and history.
Pick your level
The normal quiz covers what dog lovers pick up along the way: the breeds you meet in the park, a few records and the cartoon dogs everyone grew up with.
Hard mode goes into breed origins, dog anatomy and true stories, from space dogs to the Border Collie with a vocabulary of over a thousand words.
Dogs descend from the grey wolf and have lived alongside people for at least fifteen thousand years. Most modern breeds, however, were fixed in the 19th century, when kennel clubs and dog shows began.
The Kennel Club in Britain was founded in 1873, the American Kennel Club in 1884. Each keeps its own list of recognised breeds and groups.
All ten easy level questions, with the answer and the reasoning behind it.
Correct answer: A puppy
A puppy, or pup. A cub is a young bear, lion or wolf.
Correct answer: Dachshund
The Dachshund, bred in Germany to follow badgers into their burrows. Its name means "badger dog".
Correct answer: 101
101 Dalmatians, based on Dodie Smith's novel, with Cruella de Vil as the villain.
Correct answer: Labradors and Golden Retrievers
Labradors and Golden Retrievers, often crossed together, for their calm temperament.
Correct answer: Wags its tail
It wags its tail, though tail-wagging can also signal excitement or nerves.
Correct answer: Gromit
Gromit, a beagle who never speaks but understands everything. Shaun is the sheep.
Correct answer: Smell
Smell. Dogs can detect explosives, drugs and even some illnesses.
Correct answer: Siberian and Alaskan Huskies
Huskies, mostly Alaskan Huskies bred for speed and endurance.
Correct answer: Poodle
The Poodle, whose show clip was once meant to keep joints warm while it retrieved ducks from cold water.
Correct answer: The grey wolf
The grey wolf. Hyenas, despite their looks, are closer to cats than to dogs.
Want to warm up before playing or double-check something? Open any question to reveal the correct answer and a short explanation.
Correct answer: Beagle
A beagle, created by Charles M. Schulz for Peanuts in 1950.
Correct answer: Great Dane
A Great Dane, though his designer bent the breed standard on purpose: hunched back, bowed legs, sloping chin.
Correct answer: Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Pembroke Welsh Corgis. She owned more than thirty during her reign, most descended from Susan, an 18th-birthday present in 1944.
Correct answer: Basenji
The Basenji, from Central Africa. Its unusual larynx produces a sound often called a "barroo".
Correct answer: Rough Collie
A Rough Collie. The first Lassie on screen, in 1943, was played by a male dog named Pal.
Correct answer: Their paw pads
Their paw pads. Panting does most of the cooling work.
Correct answer: A litter
A litter. A clutch is a set of eggs, a brood a family of chicks.
Correct answer: Greyhound
The Greyhound, which can top 40 mph (about 65 km/h) in a sprint.
Correct answer: Its nose print
Its nose print, the pattern of ridges on the nose leather.
Correct answer: Newfoundland
The Newfoundland, a huge working dog from Canada. Labradors and Poodles have some webbing too, but the Newfie is the classic water-rescue breed.
Stuck on one, or just curious how nasty it gets? Every hard mode question is here with its answer and the reasoning behind it.
Correct answer: 42
42. Puppies have 28 milk teeth, which fall out between about four and six months.
Correct answer: Chaser
Chaser, trained by psychology professor John Pilley in South Carolina. Her vocabulary of 1,022 toy names was published in 2011.
Correct answer: Belka and Strelka
Belka and Strelka, aboard Sputnik 5. Laika had been the first dog in orbit in 1957 but did not survive.
Correct answer: Blue and yellow
Blues and yellows. Dogs have two types of cone cells, so red and green look much alike to them.
Correct answer: Hachikō
Hachikō, from 1925 until his death in 1935. Kabosu was the Shiba Inu behind the Doge meme.
Correct answer: Pharaoh Hound
The Pharaoh Hound, Malta's national dog, known for blushing: its nose and ears turn pink when it gets excited.
Correct answer: Papillon
The Papillon. A drop-eared version of the same breed is called the Phalène, French for moth.
Correct answer: Theobromine
Theobromine, which dogs break down very slowly. Dark and baking chocolate contain the most.
Correct answer: French Bulldog
The French Bulldog, ending the Labrador Retriever's 31-year run at the top of the AKC rankings.
Correct answer: Conditioned reflexes
Conditioned reflexes: dogs learned to salivate at a signal announcing food. Pavlov's Nobel Prize in 1904 was in fact for his work on digestion.