Bow-Wow, Says the Dog Lyrics
Dogs, cats, hogs, rats, sparrows, crows, ducks and cuckoos: every animal gets its sound in this cheerful rhyme, made for the youngest children to join in.
Bow-Wow, Says the Dog
Bow-wow, says the dog;
Mew-mew, says the cat;
Grunt, grunt, goes the hog;
And squeak, goes the rat.
Chirp, chirp, says the sparrow;
Caw, caw, says the crow;
Quack, quack, says the duck;
And what cuckoos say, you know.
So, with sparrows and cuckoos,
With rats and with dogs,
With ducks and with crows,
With cats and with hogs,
A fine song I have made,
To please you, my dear;
And if it's well sung,
'T will be charming to hear.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/bow-wow-says-the-dog/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Spoken rhyme
- Best for ages
- 1 to 4 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| Bow-wow, says the dog | Bark and pant like a puppy. |
| Mew-mew, says the cat | Lick a paw like a cat. |
| Quack, quack, says the duck | Flap your elbows like wings. |
| And what cuckoos say, you know | Let your child call out cuckoo. |
What Does Bow-Wow, Says the Dog Mean?
Each line pairs an animal with its sound, from the dog's bow-wow to the crow's caw. The cuckoo's line is a little game: the rhyme does not say the sound, because everyone already knows it. The last verse is the singer's sign-off, hoping the song is sung well.
History and Origin
Walter Jerrold included the rhyme in The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes (1903). Animal-sound rhymes are among the first that babies and toddlers learn, because the noises are easy to copy long before children can say whole sentences.
Learning Activities
- Sound guess: make an animal sound and let your child name the animal.
- Picture cards: hold up animal pictures as you reach each line.
- Other languages: dogs say different things around the world, such as wan-wan in Japanese.