Image: Gandee Vasan/The Image Bank/Getty Images
About This Quiz
In 2008, the Westminster Kennel Club awarded the Best in Show honor to a beagle -- a first for the breed. But what exactly is a dog breed is and how did the different breeds, from the tiny Chihuahua to the massive Great Dane, originate?
What's the main requirement for a group of dogs to be considered a breed?
similar appearances
common behaviors
a standard set of both physical and behavioral traits
For each breed recognized by groups such as the American Kennel Club, there exists some type of breed standard. This standard is a full description of what the ideal specimen of this breed should look like and how it should act.
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What's the term for breeding dogs to have specific characteristics?
inbreeding
artificial selection
With artificial selection, people select the traits they want to continue instead of "survival of the fittest." Traits favored by people may or may not be directly beneficial to the animal.
cross-breeding
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Which of these breeds are not often used as guide dogs?
golden retrievers
Chihuahuas
Guide dogs are typically golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers and German shepherds.
German shepherds
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What's one thing that guide dogs don't get during training when they behave well?
praise
petting
edible treats
In order to be an effective guide dog, the animal cannot be trained to expect food in return for good behavior.
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Which breed of dog has claimed the most Best in Show titles from the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show?
collie
fox terrier
The fox terrier (wire) has won Best in Show a whopping 13 times.
poodle
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What does "close breeding" mean?
It means the dogs are genetically similar because they share the same parentage.
Close breeding means that purebred dogs are uniform in appearance. It's difficult to escape genetic problems because so many of the dogs in that closed population share the same ancestry.
It means the dogs are close in nature and share a strong bond.
It means the dogs are bred in close quarters.
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Why wouldn't two Labradoodles produce Labradoodle offspring?
They aren't pure breeds.
You can't breed one Labradoodle with another Labradoodle and get Labradoodle offspring, because they aren't a part of a pure breed. Genetically, you're instead breeding a heterozygote to another heterozygote.
The poodle genes are stronger than the Labrador genes.
Designer dog mixes cannot reproduce.
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Around how many recognized dog breeds exist today?
350
Today, there are more than 350 recognized breeds, an infinite number of mixes and dogs that are no breed at all.
500
750
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According to the American Kennel Club, which breed of dog was the most popular in 2006 and 2007?
golden retriever
Labrador retriever
The Labrador retriever was the most popular breed in 1997, 2002, 2006 and 2007.
beagle
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Which breed of dog is the most common police dog?
Labrador retriever
hound
German shepherd
German shepherds are the most common type of police dog because of their intelligence, strength, aggression and sense of smell.
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You Got:
/10
Gandee Vasan/The Image Bank/Getty Images
