Writing About Dogs

Writing About Dogs Writing About Dogs Writing About Dogs By Maeve Maddox A question that appears frequently on language sites is, â€Å"How do you capitalize the name of a dog breed? For example, German Shepherd or German shepherd?† My answer is, â€Å"It depends on your intended audience.† If you are writing for a general readership, you may as well follow the recommendations of the AP Stylebook and capitalize only those parts of the name that derive from a proper noun, as in these examples: German shepherd Labrador retriever Boston terrier Dandie Dinmont terrier Chihuahua basset hound dachshund schnauzer shih tzu If you choose to follow a style guide based on the MLA (Modern Language Association) Handbook, you might reduce even more of the breed name to lowercase: chihuahua pekingese rottweiler weimeraner german shepherd If, however, you are writing for an audience of readers who know something about dog breeds, you will think twice about using the term â€Å"German shepherd.† As one journalist who writes about dogs points out, The official name of a particular herding dog is German Shepherd Dog. Capitalizing each word helps to make that clear. Saying German shepherd dog could refer to any German-bred herding dog. Or, a reader could wonder why the word dog was even included, as many people just say German Shepherd, leaving off the last word of the breeds official name. Susan Ewing, â€Å"AP Style doesn’t work for dog breeds,† The Post-Journal, Jamestown, NY. A journalist following AP style would not capitalize basenji or every word in â€Å"Australian cattle dog,† but here are two extracts from articles written for publications aimed at dog owners: Take Whisper, a 3-year-old Australian Cattle Dog. Her first owners had no idea she was deaf, so pegged her as a â€Å"stubborn puppy† for not coming when called. First, the Basenji needs companionship and will not be happy left to exist on the fringes of your family’s day-to-day activities. As might be expected, the AKC (American Kennel Club) capitalizes every word in the name of a dog breed. In writing for a general audience, there’s no reason not to put generic words like spaniel, terrier, retriever, setter, and collie in lowercase, but an across-the-board ruling against capitalizing any word that does not derive from a proper noun has its drawbacks. To be in strict compliance with AP style would I have to write, â€Å"black Russian terrier† and â€Å"west highland white terrier† instead of â€Å"Black Russian terrier† and â€Å"West Highland White terrier†? What about â€Å"Cavalier King Charles Spaniel†? Should that be â€Å"cavalier King Charles spaniel†? AP style regarding the capitalization of dog breeds provides a useful baseline, but writers need to be willing to temper the recommendation with judgment. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Using "a" and "an" Before WordsBetween vs. In BetweenThe Two Sounds of G