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