Dog Trivia Quiz

By Julia Williams

Many of you had a lot of fun with the Kitty Cat Trivia Quiz I posted a few weeks ago, so now it’s time for Dog Trivia! I’m making this quiz a wee bit harder, because I know how many devoted dog lovers there are out there, and I think most of you know a lot about dogs. We’ll see!

1. Which dog breed is sometimes referred to as “the Little Lion,” and why?
A. Poodle
B. Lowchen
C. Chow Chow
D. Samoyed

2. What does the phrase “three dog night” refer to?
A. Dogs fighting
B. A pack of wild dogs roaming at night
C. A Jazz Band from the 1920s
D. The temperature

3. What did psychologist Sigmund Freud’s dog supposedly do?
A. Barked at anyone Freud didn’t like
B. Saved Freud’s life by alerting him to an intruder
C. Attended all of Freud’s therapy sessions
D. Nothing – Freud hated dogs and did not own any


4. What was significant about Richard Nixon’s dog, Checkers?
A. He bit three White House reporters
B. Inspired the “Checkers Speech”
C. Was adopted from a local shelter
D. Became a famous cartoon character

5. Every January the AKC publishes their breed registration statistics. Which dog breed has been named “Most Popular” in America for the 20th year in a row?
A. Boxer
B. Labrador Retriever
C. Great Dane
D. Beagle

6. Which of these things found in some gardens can be toxic to dogs?
A. Mushrooms
B. Daffodils
C. Cocoa mulch
D. Tomato leaves and stems
E. All of the above

7. What did “Pavlov’s dogs” do?
A. Performed in a traveling circus
B. Drooled when he rang a bell
C. Contracted rabies after chasing bats in a cave
D. They were the first dogs to appear in a TV commercial

8. Which dog-friendly city in America goes by the nickname Dog Town West?
A. San Antonio, Texas
B. Bozeman, Montana
C. Portland, Oregon
D. Carmel, California

9. What did a Newfoundland dog do to Napoleon Bonaparte?
A. Bit him on his rear
B. Gave him rabies
C. Saved him from drowning
D. Nothing – the breed didn’t exist in Napoleon’s time

10. The CANIDAE Special Achievers are dogs that:
A. Win dog food eating contests sanctioned by the Competitive Eating Association
B. Are given to Olympic Gold Medalists
C. Participate in the Special Olympics
D. Are exemplary athletes, working dogs and show dogs sponsored by CANIDAE Pet Foods

11. What dog breed is recognized by Guinness as being the World’s Tallest?
A. Irish Wolfhound
B. English Mastiff
C. Great Dane
D. Scottish Deerhound

12. A dog’s nose print is as unique as a human’s fingerprint, and can be used to accurately identify it.
A. True
B. False

ANSWERS:

1. B. Lowchen. This small breed’s name means “Little Lion” in German. Their trademark is the “lion” cut, where the coat is left untrimmed on the forequarters and clipped close to the skin on the hindquarters. Cuffs of hair are left around the ankles, and the tail is clipped except for a plume on the tip. Aristocratic ladies supposedly warmed their feet on the Lowchen’s exposed skin.

2. D. The temperature. There’s some difference of opinion as to the origins of “three dog night” but it refers to a very cold night. Some say it originated in Australia where Aborigines had dogs or dingoes sleep with them to keep warm. Others claim the term came from Alaska and/or the arctic, where sled dogs were brought into the tent to provide enough body heat to survive on extremely cold nights.

3. C. Attended all of Freud’s therapy sessions. Freud believed that the presence of dogs comforted his patients. He also felt that one of his favorite dogs, a Chow Chow named Jo-Fi, had the ability to sense a patient’s mental state. Jo-Fi attended the therapy sessions and alerted Freud to patients who were stressed by where the dog chose to sit. Freud’s detailed notes on these dog-patient interactions are said to have formed the basis of modern day pet assisted therapy.

4. B. Inspired the “Checkers Speech” given in 1952 by Richard Nixon in response to accusations that he gave special favors to backers who contributed to his political fund. The televised speech became known as the Checkers Speech because Nixon admitted to accepting a cocker spaniel named Checkers as a gift for his kids. “…Our little girl – Tricia, the 6-year old – named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it.” Since then, the term “Checkers Speech” has been used to refer to any emotional speech by a politician.

5. B. Labrador Retriever. The rest of the top ten pack for 2010, in order, were: German Shepherd, Yorkshire Terrier, Beagle, Golden Retriever, Bulldog, Boxer, Dachshund, Poodle and Shih Tzu.

6. E. All of the above. For more information on this important subject, read “Is Your Yard Safe for Your Dog,” “Mushroom Poisoning in Dogs” and “Plants Pets Should Not Eat.”

7. B. Drooled when he rang a bell. Russian scientist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov conducted experiments that led to the concept known as “conditioned reflex.” While studying digestion in dogs, Pavlov discovered something interesting: his canine subjects began salivating whenever assistants wearing lab coats entered the room, although no food was in sight at the time. Pavlov realized this was because the assistant’s had been introducing food, and the dogs automatically responded when they saw the lab coats. Pavlov then went on to use bells, metronomes, whistles and other stimuli to produce the same automatic response. “Pavlovian training” has since been used in many fields, including anti-phobia treatment.

8. D. Carmel, California has around 25 hotels, inns and B & B’s that welcome dogs of all sizes, as well as more than 4o restaurants, bars and coffee houses that allow dogs. Retail shops and art galleries put out water bowls and dog biscuits, and the leash-free Carmel Beach is a popular gathering spot for canines and their human companions.

9. C. Saved him from drowning. An unnamed Newfoundland is credited with saving French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s life in 1815. Napoleon was fleeing the island of Elba, where he was in exile, when turbulent seas knocked him overboard. A fisherman’s Newfoundland dog jumped in and kept Napoleon afloat until he could be rescued. Not surprisingly, Newfoundland dogs excel at water rescue due to their muscular build, webbed feet and natural swimming ability.

10. D. Special Achievers are exemplary athletes, working dogs and show dogs sponsored by CANIDAE Pet Foods. The Special Achievers program was created as a way for CANIDAE to support extraordinary dogs (cats too!) and those who love them.

11. C. Great Dane. The current Tallest Dog recognized by Guinness is Giant George, a Great Dane from Arizona. Many past Tallest Dog record holders have also been Great Danes.

12. A. True!

So…did anyone get a perfect score? Do tell!

Photo by Rieck62

Read more articles by Julia Williams

Interesting and Fun Facts About Dogs

By Linda Cole

Dogs have been man's best friend for centuries, which means we've had a lot of time to discover interesting and fun facts about them. They take their responsibility of protecting us seriously. Dogs entertain us and save us when we need help. We share a long history together, but they still amaze us.

If you're trying to teach your dog to catch a ball, take a knotted up piece of fabric or something soft, like a nerf ball, to help your dog learn how to catch.

Like people, some dogs can have low self esteem and it's important to give lots of praise and rewards to them along with plenty of attention to help them feel better about themselves.

The reason dogs turn in circles before lying down is because of a natural instinct hard wired into them from their wilder days. Turning in circles flattens tall grass so they can make their bed in it.

If your dog is a mixed breed dog, he'll most likely have the same behavioral traits of the breed he looks like the most.

When your dog growls while someone in the family is playing and roughhousing around, he isn't upset, he just wants in on the fun. It's just his way of asking if he can play, too.

Dogs do see in color, but it's not as vivid or to the same degree as what we see. It's similar to how we see color at dusk.

The world's heaviest and longest dog on record was an Old English Mastiff named Zorba. In 1989, Zorba was measured at 8 ft and 3 in. nose to tail and weighed in at an impressive 343 lbs. The smallest dog was a Yorkie from Blackburn, England who was no bigger than most cell phones. He weighed 4 ounces and measured only 2.5” tall and 3.75” long. The oldest known dog was an Australian cattle dog named Bluey who lived to a ripe old age of 29 years and 5 months.

The world's best drug sniffing dogs had a price put on their heads because they were so good. Rocky and Barco patrolled the area between Texas and Mexico called “Cocaine Alley.” Mexican drug lords offered a reward of $30,000 for each dog to anyone who could get rid of them. Together, the dogs racked up 969 cocaine and other drug seizures worth $128 million in 1988, and they are credited with the largest amount of drugs seized by dogs.

A Labrador named Snag, a U.S. customs drug sniffing dog, has 118 drug seizures under his belt totaling $810 million.

If you want a water-loving breed, don’t adopt a Basset Hound. With such short legs and two-thirds of their weight in front, Bassets can swim only very short distances with great difficulty, and some can’t swim at all. Greyhounds are the fastest breed, and can reach speeds up to 45 mph.

The dog on the Cracker Jack box is named Bingo.

We know how terrific a dog’s nose is when it comes to rooting out smells. But it also keeps them cool. The longer a dog's nose, the better it helps him to stay cool. A dog's nose print is as unique as our fingerprints, and you can identify an individual dog by his nose print. The Bloodhound has such a discriminating nose he can identify more than one scent at the same time.

There are more than 700 purebred dog breeds. The Egyptians trained the Saluki to track game, and this is thought to be the oldest known breed. You will find dogs mentioned 14 times in the Bible.

A Pekingese, Newfoundland and Pomeranian were aboard the Titanic when she went down and were the only dogs among the survivors. The Newfoundland was named Rigel and he is credited with saving people stranded in the water by pushing debris to them to hang on to. When the Carpathia arrived on the scene it almost ran over a lifeboat full of survivors. Rigel swam between the lifeboat and Carpathia barking until the Captain heard him and stopped the ship before it hit the lifeboat.

A German Shepherd guide dog and her blind owner walked the entire 2,100 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

Rin Tin Tin was found in a bombed out war dog kennel during WW I in France. A corporal in the U.S. army discovered him with his mother and 4 siblings. He was only 5 days old. Rin Tin Tin is named after a French puppet.

Read more articles by Linda Cole

Doggie Tails: Trivia and Tidbits

By Anna Lee

Have you ever wondered if your favorite actress, singer or other celebrity owns the same breed of dog that you have? Did Teddy Roosevelt have a dog? Can’t think of a movie with a German Shepherd Dog? I’ve done some research, and following are the interesting tidbits and trivia I came up with regarding our tail wagging stars.

Tidbits and Trivia

The Obama Family, as most of you probably know, are new owners of a Portuguese Water Dog that was given to them by Ted Kennedy. Senator Kennedy and his wife own several of the breed. If you are interested in getting one of those adorable puppies, check out the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America for a list of available pups.

Our former Presidents have had a variety of dogs. George Washington had 10 hounds, while Thomas Jefferson had a Sheepdog. Ulysses S. Grant had a Newfie named Faithful. Teddy Roosevelt had several breeds including a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Sailor Boy. LBJ was known for his Beagles, Jimmy Carter had a “mixed breed” named Grits, while the Clintons had Cockers before they had a Chocolate Lab living in the White House.

Oprah at one time had a house full of Yellow Labs with a few Cockers. Now she is down to two Cockers and three Golden Retrievers. Elton John also favors Cocker Spaniels. Ellen Degeneres had a rescue Border Collie. Bob Barker of “The Price is Right” fame owned a Labrador named Winston.

Martha Stewart is known for her Chow dogs. Ashley Judd, the adorable daughter of Noami Judd, has a Cockapoo that was a gift from her famous mom. Trisha Yearwood (Mrs. Garth Brooks) had a mutt. Alan Jackson has been known to carry around his 4 pound Yorkie, Coco Chanel.

There have been many TV shows, commercials and movies featuring dogs. Here are some in no particular order.

Movies/TV

Who could not love Lassie – a Collie
Lady and the Tramp – Cocker Spaniel and a mixed breed
Out of Africa – Scottish Deer Hound
The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin – German Shepherd
Beethoven – St. Bernard
Down and Out in Beverly Hills – Border Collie
Honey I Shrunk the Kids – Jack Russell Terrier
The tearful Old Yeller – Lab (although some think it was not pure lab)
The modern day tear jerker, Marley and Me – Lab
Topper – St. Bernard
Air Bud – Golden Retriever

Commercials

Bush Beans Spokes-Dog, Duke – Golden Retriever
Flea and Tick product commercials – yellow lab puppies
Cottonelle toilet paper commercials – yellow lab puppies

Did you know?

* The oldest living dog resides in Long Island, NY; it’s a Dachshund by the name of Channel. She was entered in the Guinness World Book of Records in May of 2009. Channel is 21 human years old, which is 120 in dog years!

* The greyhound can reach speed of 45 mph.

* The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest dog, and measures 36 inches at the shoulders. They range in weight from 100-125 pounds.

* The Great Dane is the second tallest dog at 32 inches at the shoulder, and can weigh about 120.
* The St. Bernard, the shortest of the giant dogs at 30 inches at the shoulder, can weigh up to 200 pounds.

* The smallest dog is a long-haired Chihuahua that stands at 4 inches tall and weighs 8 ounces.

Read more articles by Anna Lee