Dog Breeds Word Search

About this puzzle

Every breed in this puzzle was shaped by a job. Dachshunds went after badgers, Corgis herded cattle, Bloodhounds tracked scents for miles, and Dalmatians trotted beside horse-drawn fire engines. The list covers up to 30 breeds, chosen to range from lapdogs to sled dogs, and each note explains where the breed came from and what it was bred to do.

Dog lovers of any age will enjoy it, and it suits a puppy-themed birthday party, a library program, or a quiet afternoon with the family dog snoring nearby. Kids who are campaigning for a puppy may find the notes useful, since they hint at how much exercise and grooming each breed tends to need. Golden Retrievers didn't make the cut, but only because the name is too long for the grid.

The 30 words in this puzzle

Every word, with a short note. Handy for teaching the vocabulary before or after solving.

In every version (12)

Beagle

Beagles are scent hounds with remarkable noses. The US Department of Agriculture has used a Beagle Brigade at airports to sniff out fruit, meat, and plants in travelers' bags.

Boxer

Boxers were developed in Germany in the late 1800s. One popular explanation for the name is their habit of rising on their hind legs and batting with their front paws.

Bulldog

The Bulldog's name comes from bull-baiting, a cruel sport England banned in 1835. Breeders later turned the Bulldog into the gentle, easygoing companion known today.

Chihuahua

The Chihuahua is one of the smallest dog breeds and is named after the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Despite their size, they are often bold and fiercely loyal.

Corgi

Welsh Corgis were bred to herd cattle by nipping at their heels. Being low to the ground helped them duck under kicking hooves.

Dachshund

Dachshund means badger dog in German. Their long bodies and short, strong legs were designed for digging into burrows after badgers.

Dalmatian

Dalmatian puppies are born pure white, and their spots appear over the first few weeks. The breed once ran alongside horse-drawn carriages and fire engines as guard dogs.

Great Dane

Despite the name, the Great Dane was developed in Germany, originally to hunt wild boar. It is one of the tallest dog breeds.

Husky

Siberian Huskies were bred by the Chukchi people of northeastern Siberia to pull sleds over long distances. Huskies ran in the 1925 relay that carried medicine to Nome, Alaska.

Labrador

Labrador Retrievers actually trace back to Newfoundland, where their ancestors helped fishermen haul in nets. Their water-resistant coat and thick, otter-like tail make them strong swimmers.

Poodle

Poodles were first bred in Germany as water retrievers. The fancy show clip began as a practical cut that kept joints and chest warm while lightening the coat for swimming.

Pug

Pugs are an ancient breed from China, where they were prized as companions in imperial households. Their flat faces mean they can struggle in hot weather.

Added in Medium and Hard (8)

Bloodhound

Bloodhounds have such reliable noses that their trailing work has been accepted as evidence in US courts. Their droopy skin and long ears help sweep scent toward the nose.

Border Collie

Border Collies come from the border region between Scotland and England. They herd sheep with an intense, focused stare known as the eye, and they are known for their intelligence.

Doberman

Bred in Germany in the late 1800s by Louis Dobermann, a tax collector who wanted a loyal, protective companion on his rounds. Dobermans are smart, athletic, and devoted to their families.

Greyhound

Greyhounds are the fastest dog breed, reaching about 45 miles per hour. At home, many are calm couch dogs that sleep much of the day.

Pomeranian

Pomeranians are named for the Pomerania region along the Baltic Sea. They descend from larger sled-pulling spitz dogs, and Queen Victoria helped make the small size popular.

Rottweiler

Rottweilers are named for the town of Rottweil in Germany, where they drove cattle to market and pulled butchers' carts loaded with meat.

Saint Bernard

Saint Bernards were bred by monks at the Great St Bernard Pass in the Swiss Alps to help find lost travelers. The little barrel around the neck is mostly a legend.

Shih Tzu

Shih Tzu means lion dog in Mandarin Chinese. The breed was kept as a palace companion in China and has roots in dogs from Tibet.

Added in Hard (10)

Basenji

An ancient hunting breed from Central Africa known as the barkless dog. Instead of barking, a Basenji makes an unusual yodel-like sound called a baroo.

Basset Hound

A short-legged scent hound from France; bas means low in French. Its long, droopy ears help sweep smells up from the ground toward its powerful nose.

Malamute

The Alaskan Malamute is a powerful sled dog named after the Malimiut, an Inupiat people of Alaska. It was bred to haul heavy loads and is Alaska's official state dog.

Maltese

A tiny toy breed linked for thousands of years with the Mediterranean island of Malta. Its long, silky white coat has no undercoat, so it needs regular brushing.

Newfoundland

A gentle giant from the Canadian island of the same name. Webbed feet and a water-resistant double coat made Newfies strong swimmers that helped fishermen and rescued people from the water.

Papillon

A small toy spaniel whose name is French for butterfly, because its large, fringed, upright ears look like a butterfly's wings.

Samoyed

A fluffy white spitz from Siberia, named for the Samoyede people, who used the dogs to herd reindeer and pull sleds. Its upturned mouth is nicknamed the Sammy smile.

Schnauzer

Schnauzer comes from the German word for snout, a nod to the breed's bushy beard. Schnauzers come in three sizes: miniature, standard, and giant.

Shiba Inu

The smallest of Japan's native breeds, first used to hunt in mountain brush. Shibas are clean, independent, and famous for a dramatic high-pitched yelp called the Shiba scream.

Whippet

A slim English sighthound that looks like a small Greyhound. Whippets can reach about 35 miles per hour, but at home they are famously calm couch companions.

A few facts to share while you solve

• A dog's nose print has a pattern of ridges and creases that is unique to that dog, much like a human fingerprint.
• The Basenji, an African hunting breed, rarely barks and instead makes a yodel-like sound.
• Dogs sweat mainly through the pads of their paws and cool themselves mostly by panting.

Four versions of this puzzle

Pick a version with the buttons above the grid. Each one has its own grid and answer key, and your progress on each is saved separately in this browser.

Hard and large print versions

Hard dog breeds word search: all 30 words on a 18 × 18 grid, hidden forward, backward, up, down and along both diagonals, with filler letters borrowed from the word list. Print it without the word list for an extra challenge. Play the hard version, or see all hard word searches.

Large print dog breeds word search: the 12 most familiar words on a 11 × 11 grid, printed with big letters and a big word list, and no backwards words. Play the large print version, or see all large print word searches.

Printing this word search

Press Print / PDF above the puzzle. You get a clean one-page sheet with the title, the grid, a word list with tick boxes, and optional name and date lines. The answer key prints on a second page. Prefer a file? Download it as a PDF or an image to print later or drop into a worksheet. Whatever version is showing on screen is the one that prints, and the large print version prints with bigger letters.

How to play online

1. Find a word from the list in the grid. Scanning for its first letter is the quickest way.
2. Drag across the word from its first letter to its last. On a phone, you can also tap the first letter, then the last.
3. Found words get highlighted and crossed off. Stuck? Hint circles the first letter of a word you haven’t found.

Read the full guide to solving word searches, with tips that make big grids much faster.