If a disobedient female dog is called a bitch, what is a male dog called a bastard? Nomenclature and history are intertwined, so let’s look at the what’s and why’s of this name given to male dogs.
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A male dog that declines to follow any command of its master or instructor is usually referred to as a bastard. One more instance of this term being used for dogs is when one indicates its breed.
A mixed-breed dog is also referred to as a bastard sometimes, specifically for the mixture of more than two breeds of dogs. However, the term “bastard” is more commonly used for a dog when it doesn’t conform to its master’s instructions.
Why Is A Male Dog Called A Bastard?
Bastard is a term used for those dogs who are very aggressive. Some are very notorious. They excrete in the house or chew up your couches and socks. In this case, the word “bastard” is viewed as rough slang for disobedient behavior.
Again it can also be pointed out that dogs are labeled as bastards because of their crazy behavior. One can notice that bastards are often neutered male dogs. This process of neutering also affects the dog’s behavior.
In the breed line, there is a difference in the ways male and female dogs are referred to. Only males are cited as dogs, and females are mentioned as bitches. Sometimes, due to this difference, some people might call a dog a bastard to conform with the convention of calling a female dog a bitch. However, that’s not the right use of the term.
History Of Dogs
History tells us dogs are the domestic offshoot of wolves with an upswing tail. The word dog is originally taken from the ancient English docga, but its literal meaning is still unknown.
The scientific name of the dog is Canis Familiaris or Canis Lupus Familiaris. They have a history of over 15000 years and were the initial species to be domesticated, even before agriculture was developed.
What Are Male Dogs Called?
The names of the male dog can be characterized as under:
- Hounds: From the beginning of the 16th-century, dogs were called hounds irrespective of their gender, age, or procreant abilities. Later on, the names of dogs surfaced according to their gender.
- Stud: Male dogs that have not fathered young. Male dogs used for breeding are called studs, which is the equivalent of female dogs called bitch. But saying bitch is overtoned, and the stud has a definite meaning.
- Sire: Those male dogs who have fathered young, i.e., litter, are referred to as sire. It means a male parent animal. This term is often used for ancestry listing and not in normal discussion. Dam or dame is the female counter parallel part of sire; this term is also used in connection to the litter.
- Jerry: Though there is no specific word for neutered dogs in some areas, castrated male dogs are called jerry. According to research so far, some canine keepers have made this term.
- Bastard: However, the word has a negative connotation, but it is generally called by the people in rural areas of Australia. They have been given this name as they are trained to manage the flock. Again, this is an uncommon word and is also referred to the male dogs who are errant and defiant.
- Cur: Around the 11th century, this word was frequently used for dogs of the mixed or unidentified breed. People also referred to the canine who was ugly or cruel. But again, it was later on used as slang among humans and is no longer in use.
Note: The nomenclature mentioned above is used once a canine becomes an adult. There are no specific names as such for puppies. All pups are called puppies irrespective of gender.
Sometimes, puppies are also referred to as “whelps.” The process of a dog’s birth is called whelping, which is derived from the Old English word whelp; the modern English word “whelp” is another word for a puppy.
Names Given To Male Dogs In Other Countries
Different countries term male and female dogs with different names. In some rural parts of Australia, pet owners called their male canines a mongrel and bastard. Mongrels are usually referred to as working dogs.
In the UK, people often term their dogs as rude. According to their appearance or breeding, some endearing names are often used for male dogs. Some of these terms of endearment are good boy, fluff, fatty, mutt, hound, goldie, etc.
What Is A Neutered Male Dog Called?
The word “neuter” is used to describe castration in a dog. Castration is the surgical process for removing a male dog’s testicles. Neuter surgery ought to be performed under the guidance of an authorized veterinarian by providing general anesthesia.
“Neutering” usually is used to define only male races. But, it can be used for both sexes. The male-specific term is referred to as castration, while for female canines, the term spaying is used.
In day-to-day life, both terms are frequently related to fixing. Castration involves removing the testicles of a male animal. Sometimes, a castrated male canine is referred to as a gelding, but it is considered a negative term.
What Is Called Feminine Dog?
A female dog is called a bitch. This term “bitch” is derived from the word bicche, taken from the Old English word bicce. Some people say it has been derived from the Old Icelandic work bikkja for “female dog.” The Oxford English Dictionary jots this word meaning “female dog” to around 1000 AD.
This word classifies female dogs from male dogs. The male canines are later called dogs, studs, or sires. Nowadays, the word is treated as slang and used for disobedient female dogs.
Bitch is just a term used for female dogs, just as the mare is used for female horses.
When a female dog gets pregnant with a litter(birth of multiple puppies from the same mother) of puppies, she is called a dam. In dams, the days of pregnancy end at approximately 63 days, and it is during the incubation period that a bitch is referred to as a dam.
Once the dam gives birth to her offspring, the term bitch applies again. The dam is the modern term for bitch. In scientific articles since 2005, the authorized term for female canines, especially when you classify them according to the breeding context, is dam.
A commonly applied term to describe the surgical procedure in which the change in genitals occurs in a female dog or cat is called Spaying. “Spay” originates from the Greek word spathe, which means “broad blade.”
Some Final Words
In a nutshell, a male dog possesses several names. They have been named according to their gender, breeding, appearance, and even some terms of fondness.
A male canine is simply called a dog. If the dog is used for breeding, it can be termed a stud. An adult male dog that has not been fathered yet is called a stud. Referring to the puppies, a male dog is called a sire.
A dog is called by several other names such as hound, bastard, cur, mongrel, etc. But these words are not spoken widely or are no longer in use as it makes it abusive slang.
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