How to Say "Dog" in Spanish: 9+ Useful Translations (2024)

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Co-authored byLanguage Academiaand Nihal Shetty

Last Updated: November 25, 2023References

1. This is the standard word for “dog” in Spanish. You can never go wrong with calling a dog “perro,” and this is also the most common way to refer to man’s best friend in Spanish.^[1]

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   • Keep in mind the difference between the Spanish “rr,” which is a heavily rolled “r,” and the Spanish “r,” which is slightly rolled. “Pero” (without the rolled “r”) simply means “but,” and it’s easy to get confused with “perro.”
   • Learning to roll your “r”s can take some practice, but is very doable. Practice saying “pero” and “perro” out loud, and pretty soon you’ll have mastered a crucial skill for speaking Spanish.
   • Sample sentence: “¡Que hermoso perro!” (“KAY er-MOH-so PEH-rro!”): “What a beautiful dog!”

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1. “Perrito” is an affectionate term that means “little dog” or “doggy.” When you want to show your closeness to a dog, you can use “perrito” in place of “perro.” Getting comfortable with using the suffix “-ito” in conversation can make you sound more like a native speaker.^[2]

   • In Spanish, “-ito” and “-ita” (for feminine nouns) are diminutive suffixes. This means that they’re an affectionate way to refer to something that is cute or small.
   • Sample sentence: “¿Puedo acariciar a tu perro?” (“Poo-EH-doh ah-car-ees-i-AR ah too peh-RRI-toh?”): “Can I pet your dog?”

1. “Cachorro” is the Spanish equivalent to “puppy.” If you see a young or very small dog, try calling it a “cachorro.” This is a useful way to expand your dog-related vocabulary in Spanish, so give it a try when you see a cute puppy running around.^[3]

   • Sample sentence: “¿Cómo se llama tu cachorro?” (“KOH-moh say YA-ma too ka-CHO-rro?”): “What’s your puppy’s name?”

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1. Say “little puppy” to show even more affection. Just like “perrito,” “cachorrito” is another diminuitive form. Saying “cachorrito,” ideally with a gasp of adoration, is sure to get a smile from another dog-owner.^[4]

   • Sample sentence: “¡Amo este cachorrito!” (“AH-mo ES-tay ka-cho-RRI-toh”): “I love this little puppy!”

1. “Can” is a formal and less-common way to say “dog.” You might see or hear this word in reference to dog shows or at the veterinarian’s office. “Can” is likely not as useful when you’re having a casual conversation, but if you want to seem a little more formal, try it out.^[5]

   • Spanish is a romance language, which means that most of its vocabulary is derived from Latin. In English, we also have a word that comes from Latin: “canine.”
   • Sample sentence: “Pancho es un can muy inteligente.” (“PAHN-cho ess oon KAHN mooey een-tell-ee-HEN-tay”): “Pancho is a very intelligent dog.”

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1. This is the Spanish word for “mutt.” Although you can do this in English as well, “chucho” is often used in an affectionate way by Spanish dog-owners for their pets. Although it might be a bit rude to call the dog of someone you don’t know so well a “chucho,” this word can be an endearing way to refer to your own dog.^[6]

   • Sample sentence: “Simba es mi chucho.” (“SEEM-ba ess mee CHOO-cho”): “Simba is my mutt.”

1. This word means “hairy,” but with dogs it’s closer to “furball” or “fuzzy.” This is another affectionate way to talk about a dog. It’s a very casual way to refer to a dog, so it’s more appropriate when you’re with your friends than when you’re at the vet.

   • Just like most Spanish nouns, you can make “peludo” even more affectionate by saying “peludito” (“pel-oo-DEE-toh”).
   • Sample sentence: “¡Ven aquí, peludo!” (“VEN ah-KEY, pel-OO-doh”): “Come here, fuzzy!”

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1. On the Spanish internet, “lomito” is similar to “pupper.” Although it literally means “tenderloin,” on Facebook and Instagram it gets used as a cute way to refer to a dog. If you see a nice photo of a dog online, you can call it a “lomito” to show your affection.

   • Sample sentence: “¡Mi lomito se ve tan lindo!” (“Mee low-MEE-tow say vay tahn LIN-doh”): “My dog looks so cute!”

1. A “sabueso,” or a “hound,” is a dog with a job to do. Think police or tracker dogs, but also, like in English, “sabueso” is a word you might use when referring to certain breeds of dogs. Sometimes it's used metaphorically to talk about people with a great sense of smell.^[7]

   • Sample sentence: “El es una mezcla de sabueso y labrador.” (“El ess oon-a mess-klah day sa-BOOEH-so ee lab-rah-DOR”): “He is a mix of hound dog and labrador.”

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1. Seeing-eye or guide dogs have their own word in Spanish. “Lazarillo” is the term usually used for dogs that help people with visual disabilities navigate their daily lives. If you see a guide dog in public, using the standard term “perro” is fine, but “lazarillo” can help you sound even more native.^[8]

   • Sample sentence: “Rosa tuvo un lazarillo desde que tenía 18 años.” (“RO-sah TOO-vo oon la-sa-RI-yo DES-day KAY ten-EE-ah di-ACE-y-OCH-oh AN-yos.”): “Rosa had a seeing-eye dog ever since she was 18 years old.”

1. Spanish kids might use “the woof woof” to talk about dogs. “El guau guau” is an example of onomatopoeia, when a word sounds like the sound it represents (think “boom” in English). Although kids are likely to say “el guau guau” a bit more often than adults, you can use this term too to show your affection for a dog.^[9]

   • Sample sentence: “Donde está el guau guau?” (“DOAN-day ess-TA el goo-OW goo-OW”): “Where is the woof woof (doggy)?”

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1. This is a Mexican slang word for dog. “Firulais” is often used for stray dogs in Mexico, but it can also refer to domestic ones. This word emerged in the mid-20th century, and has since become a very popular term in Mexico.

   • The popular etymology for “firulais” comes from the experience of Mexican migrants to the United States. Migrants who came with their dogs were informed by border authorities that their dogs should be “free of lice,” which eventually became “firulais” in Spanish.
   • Sample sentence: “Hay un firulais en la calle.” (“EYE oon fee-ROO-lice ehn la KAI-ye”): “There’s a dog in the street.”

Dog Breeds in Spanish

1. If you’ve got an eye for dog breeds, get a little more specific. By naming the type of dog you see, you’re sure to get the attention of other dog-aficionados. Or, if you’re wondering what kind of dog someone has, you can ask, “¿Qué clase de perro es el?” (“KAY CLA-seh day PEH-rro ess el?”) (“What kind of dog is he?”). Here are a few common dog breeds in Spanish:

   • Mastín (mahs-TEEN): Mastiff
   • Pastor (PAHS-tor): Shepherd
   • Salchicha (sal-CHI-cha): Dachshund (“salchicha” also means sausage in Spanish!)
   • Dálmata (DAL-ma-ta): Dalmatian
   • Retriver (re-TREE-vehr): Retriever

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