How to Say Dog in Spanish?

How to Say Dog in Spanish?

In the Spanish Language, the feminine ones are called Perra, whereas the masculine ones are known as Perro. It is a standard term for the dog in Spanish; however, there is no single term for a thing in the Spanish language.

Here a thing can be called in several ways. Let us see how many different ways a dog can be called in Spanish.

Perro

This is the most frequent term for a dog in Spanish. This term is used in formal and informal situations and is well-known in all Spanish-speaking countries.

Perro is the common term used for all types of dogs; however, gender is very important in Spanish. So, if you want to refer to a female dog, you will have to call it perra. But you will need to keep in mind the heavily rolled Spanish “rr” and slightly rolled Spanish “r” as Pero means “but” whereas Perro means dog.

Example: ¿No te gustan los perros grandes?  Don’t you like big dogs?

Perrito

If you want to call your dog lovingly, then Perrito is used. Perrito is nothing but a cute little dog. It is an affectionate term used to refer to small dogs.

This term is used when you want to show closeness to your dog. Puppy in Spanish is called Perrito, which is the male form of the word. If your puppy is a girl, you can say perrita. Both Perrito and Peritta can be used in formal or informal contexts. Perrito or Perrita can be used to refer to small as well as big

Example: Mi perrito es el más tierno de todos los perros: My doggy is the sweetest dog of all.

Cachorro

Cachorro means puppy in Spanish. It refers to the youngest age in your dog’s life.

When you have young or small dogs around, you can call them Cachorro. If you want to call a male dog, use Cachorro, and a female is called Cachorrita. Sometimes you can affectionately call your puppy cachorrita.

In Spanish, cachorro is a term used to refer to all baby mammals like lions, tigers, dogs, and bears.

Example: Voy a regalarle a mi hija un cachorrito: I’ll give my daughter a puppy.

Firulais

Firalais is a Mexican slang word used to refer to dogs. Mexicans use this mainly for stray dogs; however, few use it to refer to their own dogs. This word came from popular mythology when Mexican migrants shifted to the United States.

These migrants who came with dogs were told to get dogs free of lice, and this gave rise to the word Firalais. It can also be used to call a dog when you are not aware of its name.

Example: El firulais rompió el jarrón de mi mamá  The dog broke my mom’s jar

Can

‘Can’ , plural of ‘Canes’, refers to any kind of dog in a formal way. Male as well as female dogs can be called ‘Can’. Since it is a formal term, it is used in publications, news, documentaries, and books. A direct translation of can is Hound, but it can be used to refer to any dog.

Spanish is a romance language with most of its vocabulary derived from Latin. It is similar to the Latin word Canine used in English.

Example: Los canes atacaron a una persona  The dogs attacked a person.

Chusco

When in Peru, the term used for street dogs and mixed breed dogs is Chusco. It can be translated as ‘mutt’ or ‘dog’. Just as Chusco is used in Peru, few other Spanish-speaking countries may have terms like

Mexico – Mertizo, Caquero – Costa Rica, Calingo – Honduras.

Example: Nuestro perro es mestizo. Our dog is a mutt.

Lomito

Lomito has become a popular Spanish word on the internet, just like ‘peludo’ and ‘peludito’. It is a very affectionate and cute way to call your dog. ‘Lorito’ can be used to refer to all types of big, small, female, male dogs and puppies. It does not have any direct translation; however, the meaning is closer to ‘dog’ or ‘doggy’.

Example: Gustavo va con su lomito a todos lados Gustavo goes everywhere with his dog.

Peludo / Peludito

Peludo means hairy. Even if this word is used for hairy pets, you can connect it more with dogs. It is a well-known word on social media for dogs and is a part of casual conversations. Peludito is a more loving word than Peludo.

Peludo and Peludito are used to refer to male and female dogs. These words are a direct translation of hairy and furry, but they are used for dogs.

Example: Linda extraña a su peludito.  Linda misses her furry

El Guau Guau

It is an example of onomatopoeia, where a word sounds like the sound it represents. El Guau Guau is more popular among kids as it is easier to pronounce than the word ‘perro’. It is also a cute and informal way of calling your dog.

Even though El Guau Guau is a direct translation of the word ‘Woof-Woof’, here it means dog.

Example: ¿Te gusta el guau guau? Do you like that dog?

Perrihijo

If you love your dog as one of your family, the most popular term for a dog in Spanish is used. It is Perrihijo which is a combination of ‘perro’ and ‘hijo’. This word is often used when you love your pet very much and call it in a playful and loving manner. Unfortunately, it does not have a direct translation, but it means dog-son.

Example: ¿Cómo está tu perrihijo? How is your dog-son?

Sabueso

Bloodhound dog is Sabueso. Sabueso is referred to as dogs who have jobs to do, like police or a tracker dog. This Spanish word refers to a few breeds of dogs who might have a great sense of smell and good hunting skills. It is a formal way to address working dogs,

for example: La policía consiguió un sabueso para capturar criminales: The police got a hound dog to catch criminals.

Lazarillo

They are also called seeing dogs. This term is used for dogs that help people with visual disabilities with their daily duties. It may not always be used on dogs; however, natives will get the mental image of a dog with this word.

Example: Necesitamos un lazarillo para papá, ahora que ha perdido la vista: We need a dog (a guide dog) for dad now that has lost his sight.

How to Command Your Dog in Spanish?

It is not very easy to control your pets. They may respond to our commands based on their mood and environment. If you are learning Spanish and wish to teach commands to your dog in the same language, below are a few basic commands:

• A few common commands that your dog should know are ‘sit’ and ‘stay.’ In Spanish, sit and stay are sientate and quieto, respectively. Quieto means quiet or calm but is used as a verb in Spanish.
• Few common words that you have to teach your dog are

Échate- “lie down.”, dese la vuelta- “roll over, Trae! – “fetch”, espera- “wait”

• Come here in Spanish – In Spanish speaking countries, leashes are not common, and hence you will need to know how to call your pet back when you take them walking in the park. Come – venir and here – aqui.

By now, you might have realized that it’s not only about calling your dog in Spanish. It’s about taking out the time and effort to learn a new language for the love of your pets. So get yourself and your amigo trained, and enjoy your days.