12 Dog Breeds You’re Probably Pronouncing Wrong

12 Dog Breeds You’re Probably Pronouncing Wrong

Hundreds of unique dog breeds have originated all over the world, bred for the specific environment and necessary work of that region. As many of these breeds made their way to the United States, their names often were so frequently mispronounced that their Americanized name became the norm. Here is a list of 12 of those commonly mispronounced dog breeds and how to correctly pronounce them!

Three Samoyed dogs sitting in the snow in front of a blue sky

1. Samoyed

Samoyeds originated in Siberia and were bred by the Samoyedes, a semi-nomadic group of people who treated their dogs as family. This is why the Samoyed is known as one of the friendliest dog breeds! The correct pronunciation of Samoyed is "samma-yed".

Two Keeshond dogs sitting in a grassy field in the sun

2. Keeshond

This Dutch dog was bred as a barge dog, guarding vessels and providing companionship to the barge workers. This breed is pronounced "kayz-hond".

White Shih Tzu dog with red bow standing in profile on rocks by the ocean

3. Shih Tzu

These small dogs originated in the palaces of Chinese emperors as early as 800 BCE. The correct way to say this breed's name is "sheed-zoo".

An adult Belgian malinois dog standing in the woods in the wintertime

4. Belgian Malinois

These dogs are incredibly versatile workers who have landed jobs in explosive and narcotic detection, tracking suspects for police apprehension, search and rescue missions, and much more. The second word in this breed's name is pronounced "mal-uhn-waa."

Large gray cane corso dog lying on a log in the forest

5. Cane Corso

These strong dogs, originally bred for the military, often have their name mispronounced. The correct way to say their name is "kah-nay kor-so".

Tan and white sloughi dog laying in the leaves in the woods

6. Sloughi

The Sloughi is an ancient breed that originated around the Mediterranean Basin thousands of year ago. Their name is pronounced "sloo-ghee".

Weimaraner dog standing on rocks on the beach overlooking the ocean

7. Weimaraner

This beautiful breed was originally developed by the Grand Duke Karl August of Germany in the 1800's. The correct way to pronounce this breed is "vahy-muh-rah-ner".

Schipperke dog standing in field.

8. Schipperke

Schipperkes originated in Belgium as popular exterminators and guard dogs on barges and in shipyards. The breed's name is pronounced "sheep-er-ker".

What's your Mutt DNA Brown, black, and white Papillon dog standing in a grassy field with its tongue out

9. Papillon

These dogs are named after the French word for "butterfly" due to their large ears being shaped like the winged insects. Papillon is pronounced "pa-pee-yawn".

Brown Spinone Italiano dog standing outside in a grassy yard

10. Spinone Italiano

This breed gets it name from "spino", a thorn bush common in Italy's Piedmont where the breed likely originated from. While the plant was essentially impossible for most animals to move through, the Spinone Italiano's thick, rough coat made navigation through the brambles a breeze. The correct way to pronounce this breed's name is "spin-own-ee italiano".

Vizsla dog standing in the tall grass of a field

11. Vizsla

These Hungarian hunting dogs have retained the traits they were originally bred for: speed, agility, and toughness. Vizsla is correctly pronounced "veez-luh".

Two Xoloitzcuintli dogs standing in grass, both looking up to the left

12. Xoloitzcuintli

It may not be that you can't pronounce this breed's name, but rather you've never had the opportunity to. These dogs, also known as Mexican hairless dogs or "xolos" for short, were once believed to be sacred and have been found in the tombs of Colima, Mayan, Toltec, Zapotec, and Aztec Native Americans. The correct way to pronounce the full name is "sho-lo-eetz-queent-lee".

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