Many people that have been around something for a long time come up with nick names for those “things” around them. Telephone is a phone. Television is a TV. Newspaper is a paper.

Many people shorten the names of several breeds. This is something that many of us in the veterinary profession see this as a language that we take for granted.

This came to the surface recently when a client overheard a technician talk about a “Golden in back”. The client asked – a golden what (who knows if they were thinking we held the golden egg)? What the technician was referring to was a Golden Retriever.

So what other breed names are commonly shortend or have nick names?
Here is our list:

1.        Labrador Retriever = Lab
2.        Yorkshire Terrier = Yorkie
3.        German Shepherd Dogs = GShep (Gee-shep) or commonly written as GSD
4.        Retrievers (Golden) = Golden
5.        Beagles = Beagle
6.        Boxers = Boxer
7.        Dachshund = Doxie

8.        Poodle = Poodle
9.        Shih Tzu = Tzus (pronounced zoo)
10.        Bulldog = Bulldog
11.        Miniature Schnauzer = schnauzer
12.        Chihuahua = Chihuahua
13.        Pomeranian = Pom
14.        Pug = Pug
15.        Rottweilers= Rotty or Rottie
16.        BostonTerrier = Boston
17.        Cocker Spaniel = Cocker
18.        German Shorthaired Pointers = GSP’s or “Shorthairs”
19.        Maltese = Maltese
20.        Shetland Sheepdogs = Sheltie
21.        Doberman Pinscher = Dobie
22.        Pembroke Welsh Corgi = Corgi
23.        Great Danes = Dane
24.        Siberian Huskies = Huskie or Husky
25.        Cavalier King Charles Spaniels = “Cavalier”
26.        Miniature Pinschers = Min Pin
27.        English Springer Spaniels = Springers or ESS (pronounced E-S-S)
28.        Mastiff = Mastiff
29.        Brittany Spaniel = Brittany
30.        Weimaraner = Weimies or Weim
31.        Basset Hound = Basset
32.        Bichons Frises = Bichon
33.        Australian Shepherd = Aussie
34.        French Bulldogs = Bulldog
35.        West Highland White Terriers = Westie
36.        Papillon = Papillon
37.        Havanese = Havanese
38.        Collies = Collie
39.        St. Bernards = St. Bernard
40.        Bullmastiffs = Bullmastiff
41.        Bernese Mountain Dogs = Bernese
42.        Vizsla = Vizsla
43.        Bloodhound = Bloodhound
44.        Newfoundland = Newfie
45.        Scottish Terriers = Scotties
46.        Chinese Shar-Pei = Shar pei
47.        Chesapeake Bay Retrievers = Chessie
48.        Cairn Terriers = Cairns
49.        Lhasa Apsos = Lhasas
50.        Pekingese = Pekes
51.        Akita = Akita
52.        Chinese Crested = Chinese crested
53.        Rhodesian Ridgebacks = Rhodies
54.        Border Collies = border collies
55.        Airedale Terriers = Airedales
56.        Alaskan Malamutes = Malamutes
57.        Great Pyrenees = Pyr
58.        Bull Terriers = Bully
59.        Italian Greyhounds = Iggies
60.        Brussels Griffons = Griffons
61.        Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers = wheaten
62.        Whippets = Whippets
63.        Chow Chows = Chows
64.        Australian Cattle Dogs = Aussies
65.        Portuguese Water Dogs = PWDs or Water Dogs
66.        Irish Setters = Setters
67.        Shiba Inu = Shiba Inu
68.        American Staffordshire Terriers = Amstaff
69.        English Cocker Spaniels = Cocker
70.        Pointers (German Wirehaired)= Wirehair
71.        Japanese Chin = Chin
72.        Old English Sheepdogs = OES or Sheepdog
73.        Samoyeds = Samoyed
74.        Silky Terriers = Silkies
75.        Parson Russell Terriers – Jack Russell Terriers = JRT or Jack Russell
76.        Beauceron = Beauceron
77.        Dalmatians = Dalmatian
78.        Cardigan Welsh Corgis = Corgi
79.        Belgian Malinois = Malinois
80.        Irish Wolfhounds = Wolfhound
81.        Border Terriers = Border Terrier
82.        Wire Fox Terriers = Wires
83.        Giant Schnauzers = Schnauzer
84.        Bouviers Flandres = Bouviers
85.        Staffordshire Bull Terriers
86.        Schipperkes = Schipperkes
87.        Swedish Vallhunds – Vallhunds
88.        Toy Fox Terriers = Fox Terrier
89.        Basenjis = Basenjis
90.        Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs = Swissies
91.        Gordon Setters = Gordons
92.        Tibetan Terriers = Tibetan Terriers
93.        English Setters = English Setters
94.        Afghan Hounds = Afghan
95.        Norwich Terriers = Norwich
96.        Norwegian Elkhounds = Elkhound
97.        Welsh Terriers = Welsh
98.        Borzois = Borzoi
99.        Keeshonden = Keeshound
100.        Flat-Coated Retrievers = Retriever
101.        Smooth Fox Terriers = Smooths or Smoothies
102.        Standard Schnauzers = Schnauzer
103.        Belgian Tervuren = Terv
104.        Tibetan Spaniels = Tibetan spaniel
105.        Wirehaired Pointing Griffons = Griffon
106.        Pointers = Pointer
107.        Bearded Collies = Bearded
108.        Australian Terriers = Australian Terrier
109.        American Eskimo Dogs = Eskie
110.        Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers = Toller
111.        Anatolian Shepherd Dogs – Anatolian Shepherd
112.        Norfolk Terriers = Norfolks
113.        Manchester Terriers = Manchesters
114.        Kerry Blue Terriers = Kerry blues
115.        Neapolitan Mastiffs = Mastiff
116.        Plotts Hound – Plotts
117.        Spinoni Italiani = Spinone
118.        Salukis = Salukis
119.        Belgian Sheepdogs = Belgian sheepdog
120.        Petits Bassets Griffons Vendeens = PBGV
121.        English Toy Spaniels = English Toy Spaniels
122.        Clumber Spaniels = Clumbers
123.        Briards = Briards
124.        Welsh Springer Spaniels = Welsh Springer
125.        Affenpinschers = Affen
126.        Irish Terriers = Irish Terriers
127.        Miniature Bull Terriers = Minnie Bull Terriers
128.        Tibetan Mastiffs = Mastiff
129.        Bedlington Terriers = Bedlington
130.        Lakeland Terriers = Lakeland
131.        Black Russian Terriers = Black Russian
132.        Spaniels (Field) = Spaniel
133.        Greyhounds = Greys
134.        Kuvaszok = Kuyaszok
135.        German Pinschers = German Pinscher
136.        Black and Tan Coonhounds = Coonhound
137.        Scottish Deerhounds = Deerhound
138.        American Water Spaniels = Spaniel
139.        Lowchen = Lowchen
140.        Ibizan Hounds = Ibizan
141.        Pulik = Pulik
142.        Polish Lowland Sheepdogs = Polski Owczarek Nizinny or PONS
143.        Curly-Coated Retrievers = Retriever
144.        Komondorok = Komondor
145.        Pharaoh Hounds = Pharaohs
146.        Sealyham Terriers = Sealyham
147.        Irish Water Spaniels = Irish Water Spaniels
148.        Dandie Dinmont Terriers = Dandies
149.        Glen of Imaal Terriers = Glen of Imaal Terriers
150.        Harriers = Harriers
151.        Finnish Spitz = Spitz
152.        Skye Terriers = Skyes
153.        Canaan Dogs = Canaan
154.        Spaniels = Sussex
155.        American Sussex Foxhounds = Foxhound
156.        Otterhounds = Otterhound
157.        English Foxhounds = Foxhound
158.        American Pit Bull Terrier = Pit bull or Pit