Dog’s is the singular possessive form of dog. E.g., “My dog’s name is Patch.” Furthermore, dogs’ is the plural possessive form. E.g., “I could hear dogs’ barks from the garden all night.” Also, dogs is the plural form of dog. E.g., “Dogs make excellent pets because they are loyal.”
The following chart breaks down the different forms of the word dog.
| Singular | Dog |
| Plural | Dogs |
| Singular possessive | Dog’s |
| Plural possessive | Dogs’ |
You can make the plural by simply adding an “s” to dog. Furthermore, you make the singular possessive by adding an apostrophe and an “s.” For the plural possessive, you only need to add an apostrophe to dogs.
Here are some examples of the different forms.
- Singular: I would like to get a dog to keep me company.
- Plural: I have always preferred dogs to cats because they are friendlier.
- Singular possessive: My dog’s collar has my phone number engraved on it in case he gets lost.
- Plural possessive: The dogs’ cages at the sanctuary were not big enough for the number of dogs.
Now that you have a general overview of the different forms of dog, please keep reading to learn more about each term and how to use them.
Dog’s
The word dog’s is the singular possessive form of dog. Consequently, you use it when you say something belongs to or is part of a single dog.
When you use the singular possessive form, you must ensure that the thing the dog possesses comes directly after the word dog’s, and that there is only one dog.
- I accidentally stood on my dog’s paw.
- My dog’s toys are scattered all around the house.
Dogs’
The term dogs’ is the plural possessive form of dog. Therefore, you can use it to say that something belongs to more than one canine.
This example is the same as the one in the singular possessive section. However, in this sentence, we know that there is more than one dog.
- All of my dogs’ toys are scattered around the house.
Also, in this example, we are referring to a specific number of dogs.
- The dogs’ performances at the dog show were all excellent.
Whereas in this example, we refer to all dogs.
- Dogs’ temperaments often vary according to breed.
Dogs
The word dogs is the standard plural form of dog. Therefore, you use it in any sentence where you mention multiple dogs in a non-possessive sense.
You can refer to all dogs, as in this example.
- Dogs are man’s best friend.
Alternatively, you can use dogs to refer to a specific number of dogs.
- My two dogs get on well with my cat.