How we rate breeds
Where the facts on our breed pages come from, how we rate character, and what has not been checked yet.
Independent
We don’t sell dogs, and breeders cannot pay to be listed or rated. The links to our sources are there so you can check the facts yourself; we earn nothing from them.
Introduction, origin and history
We write the introduction and the “origin and history” section of each breed page ourselves, from the official breed standard (the FCI’s brief historical summary and its description of temperament) and the breed pages of national kennel clubs such as the Royal Kennel Club (UK) and the American Kennel Club (AKC). Every statement links its source. Where the sources disagree, for example on where a breed comes from, we follow the FCI standard and say who sees it differently.
Crossbreeds such as Labradoodle and Maltipoo have no FCI standard. There we only write what a source documents; where no source documents how a cross began, the page says so.
Size, weight and life expectancy
Height and weight come from the official breed standard where it gives a figure: the FCI standard first, otherwise the standard of the American Kennel Club (AKC) or the Royal Kennel Club (UK). On each breed page, those figures link to the standard.
Many standards give no weight. There, and for crossbreeds such as Labradoodle and Maltipoo, which have no standard, the figures are typical ranges.
Life expectancy is a typical range for the breed. Individual dogs can live shorter or longer.
Character ratings from 1 to 5
We rate 13 traits from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high). The ratings describe what is typical for the breed, not every dog of the breed. Genes, upbringing and training shape each dog.
The ratings are our own editorial assessment. They drive the quiz, the questions and answers and the downsides on each breed page.
What the ratings mean
1 is the lowest rating and 5 the highest.
- Exercise needs
- Daily exercise: 1 = 30 to 60 minutes, 2 = about 1 hour, 3 = 1 to 2 hours, 4 = about 2 hours, 5 = more than 2 hours.
- Trainability
- How readily the dog learns and follows cues. 5 = keen to work with you; 1 = independent, needs a lot of patience.
- Grooming needs
- Brushing, trimming and coat care. 1 = a quick brush now and then; 5 = daily brushing or regular trips to a groomer.
- Shedding
- How much hair the dog loses. 1 = very little; 5 = a lot, often with heavy seasonal moults.
- Barking
- How readily the dog barks. 1 = rarely; 5 = often and loudly.
- Good with kids
- How well the breed usually copes with young children. 5 = patient and robust; 1 = better in a home without young children.
- Good with other dogs
- How well the breed usually gets on with other dogs.
- Good with cats
- How well the breed usually lives with cats. A low rating often means a strong hunting instinct.
- Apartment-friendly
- How well the breed copes with flat living, given enough exercise outside. Size, barking and energy count.
- Copes with being alone
- How long an adult dog can stay alone once it has learned to, step by step: 1 = 1 to 2 hours, 2 = 2 to 3 hours, 3 = up to 4 hours, 4 = up to 6 hours, 5 = up to 6 hours.
- Watchdog instinct
- How watchful and protective the breed is. 5 = a natural guard dog that needs careful socialising.
- Good for first-time owners
- How forgiving the breed is of a first-time owner’s mistakes.
- Affection
- How cuddly and people-oriented the breed is.
Health risks and health tests
The health risks on each breed page are conditions that breed health programmes and veterinary studies name for the breed, for example the Royal Kennel Club’s breed health plans (UK), the breed clubs and the OFA (US). Each risk links its source. For crossbreeds that no study covers yet, the page says so.
The health test table shows which tests the breeding rules ask of the parent dogs in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: the Royal Kennel Club’s Health Standard (UK), the OFA’s CHIC programme (US), the national breed clubs’ codes of ethics (Canada, where the Canadian Kennel Club requires no test), Dogs Australia’s registration rules and breed club codes of ethics (Australia), and Dogs New Zealand’s litter registration rules and former Accredited Breeder test lists (New Zealand). “Required” means the kennel club only registers litters of dogs with this test, or the breed club asks it of the members who breed; in the US, that the test is needed for a CHIC number. A line under each table says which applies. “Recommended” means the rules advise it. The UK Health Standard recommends tests but requires none. Pages in other languages show the countries where that language is spoken.
We read the breeding rules ourselves and link them on each page. Clubs change their rules, so check the current version before you buy.
Prices and running costs
We only show prices that a named source has published, with the source and the year. We don’t estimate. Puppy prices come from breed clubs, kennel clubs, insurers, pet retailers and pet media; running costs from one national source per country.
The monthly figures for the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand cover different things, so each page says what each figure includes. Prices are shown in each country’s own currency, as published; we don’t convert them. Puppies far below these prices often come without health checks or papers.
The breed quiz
The quiz compares your 13 answers with the ratings of all 42 breeds. Every answer a breed doesn’t meet adds a penalty, weighted by how much it matters; the breed with the lowest total is your result. If you have an allergy, only breeds with a low-shedding coat can win.
The result is a starting point, not a verdict. Meet dogs of the breed and talk to breeders before you decide.
Photos
The breed photos come from Wikimedia Commons and are used under their free licences. The photo credits page names every photographer.
Updates
Each breed page shows when it was last updated. We check prices, breeding rules and breed standards once a year, and update a page when its data changes.
What has not been checked yet
No vet or breeder has reviewed our character ratings and life expectancy figures yet. Treat them as a guide, and ask a vet about your dog’s health.