German Pets Vocabulary
This set covers everyday pet ownership in German: the animals themselves (der Hund, die Katze, der Hamster, das Kaninchen, das Pferd), plus the gear and places around them (die Leine, das Halsband, der Napf, der Käfig, das Tierheim, die Zoohandlung). One surprise for English speakers: das Haustier just means "pet" in general, not a house-dwelling animal specifically, so a horse can technically count even though most people picture a dog or cat.
Learn these 18 words
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All 18 words
pet food
Ich kaufe morgen neues Futter für die Katze. — I'll buy new food for the cat tomorrow.
plural: die Hamster
hamster
Mein Hamster schläft tagsüber im Käfig. — My hamster sleeps in its cage during the day.
plural: die Hunde
dog
Der Hund ist noch jung. — The dog is still young.
plural: die Kaninchen
rabbit
Mein Bruder hat zwei Kaninchen zu Hause. — My brother has two rabbits at home.
plural: die Leinen
leash
Der Hund zieht stark an der Leine. — The dog pulls hard on the leash.
to pet, stroke
Die Kinder streicheln gern den Hund. — The children like to pet the dog.
plural: die Felle
fur
Das Fell der Katze ist sehr weich. — The cat's fur is very soft.
plural: die Halsbänder
collar
Der Hund trägt ein rotes Halsband. — The dog wears a red collar.
plural: die Käfige
cage
Der Hamster läuft im Käfig herum. — The hamster runs around in the cage.
plural: die Katzen
cat
Meine Tochter wünscht sich eine Katze. — My daughter wants a cat.
plural: die Näpfe
bowl
Der Napf steht immer in der Küche. — The bowl always stands in the kitchen.
plural: die Pferde
horse
Amira liebt Pferde. Sie reitet seit zehn Jahren. — Amira loves horses. She has been riding for ten years.
plural: die Tierärzte
veterinarian
Wir bringen die Katze zum Tierarzt. — We're taking the cat to the vet.
plural: die Tierheime
animal shelter
Sie haben ihren Hund aus dem Tierheim geholt. — They got their dog from the animal shelter.
plural: die Zoohandlungen
pet shop
Wir kaufen das Futter in der Zoohandlung. — We buy the food at the pet shop.
plural: die Haustiere
pet
Hat deine Familie ein Haustier? − Ja, wir haben einen Hund. — Does your family have a pet? − Yes, we have a dog.
to sniff / nuzzle
Der Hund beschnüffelt die neue Person. — The dog sniffs the new person.
plural: die Hunde
dog
Der Hund spielt gerne im Park mit anderen Hunden. — The dog likes to play in the park with other dogs.
How to learn this set
Notice that most of the animal words are grammatically unrelated in gender (der Hund, die Katze, das Kaninchen), so don't try to guess gender from meaning here, just learn each noun with its article as one chunk. The two verbs, streicheln and beschnüffeln, are worth drilling as a pair since they describe the two things pets actually do to each other and to you: one strokes, the other sniffs. For the object nouns, group them by scene: der Napf and das Futter belong together at feeding time, die Leine and das Halsband belong together for a walk.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Hund masculine or feminine in German?
Der Hund is masculine, and it stays der Hund regardless of the dog's actual sex, so a female dog is still called der Hund unless you specifically say die Hündin.
What is the difference between Haustier and Tier in German?
Das Tier just means animal in general, while das Haustier specifically means a domesticated pet kept by a person, similar to the difference between animal and pet in English.
What do you call a pet shop in German?
A pet shop is die Zoohandlung, literally a zoo-shop, and it's the word you'd use for buying things like das Futter or a new der Käfig.
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