House of the Dragon: Dog breeds of Westeros

Are you watching House of the Dragon? Have you noticed the dogs?

In House of the Dragon episode 3, “Second of His Name,” we see the royal family go on a hunting trip to commemorate the birth of Aegon, the child of Viserys (Paddy Considine) and Alicent (Emily Carey).

Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) joins a group of women in a parlor area of a tent. While discussing current events, Rhaenyra insults Lady Redwyne (Joanna David) who has cast a barb her way, saying that it is her uncle’s fault that there is a war. During this scene, we see a Pug In Redwyne’s arms. After Rhaenyra quips about Redwyne’s lack of action and just eating cake during a war, the scene-stealing Pug, who’s wearing a snazzy, golden collar, starts eating said cake off Redwyne’s plate. The Pug was a good choice as a lap dog here because it was a favorite of royalty in Europe, according to the website of the American Kennel Club (AKC).

A look at the dogs and breeds popping up on House of the Dragon

While Viserys and his men are out tracking a deer, multiple dog breeds are shown. The Scottish Deerhound and the Dogue de Bordeaux, which is also known as the French Mastiff, are spotted. As its name suggests, the Scottish Deerhound is the perfect dog to sniff out a stag. On the other hand, the French Mastiff, classified as a working dog by the AKC, was more known to be owned by butchers to protect their meat.

In this episode of House of the Dragon, talk of the unauthorized war waged by Visery’s brother, Daemon (Matt Smith), and Coryls Velaryon, the “Sea Snake,” (Steve Toussaint) against the scary Crabs bubbles up. Aside from celebrating Aegon’s birthday, Viserys wants Rhaenyra to meet an eligible nobleman. Bombarded with suggestions for matches for his daughter as well as rethinking whether Rhaenyra should be his heir to the throne, Viserys is stressed and drinks too much. The pug lightens the mood and seems to help Rhaenyra. In the woods, we see the dogs leashed after they have cornered a poor buck. These dogs and their handlers have made the hunt successful, even though the king gets the credit with this hollow slaying.

Of course, in Westeros, these breeds would not have Scottish or French in their names because Scotland and France don’t exist in the Game of Thrones universe. So, it begs the question as to what these breeds would even be called. Westerosi Deerhounds? Westerosi Mastiffs? No matter what they’re called, we look forward to seeing more dog breeds featured in House of the Dragon in the future.