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

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