Dog and cat breed guides
Every guide here cites the AKC, the CFA or a published study for its facts.
Best breeds guides
Best calm cat breeds
Five cats CFA describes as docile, sedate or mellow.
Best guard dog breeds
Five dogs from AKC breed descriptions, with size and life expectancy compared.
Best calm dog breeds
Five dogs AKC describes as low-key, placid, calm or serene.
Best apartment dog breeds
Five dogs whose AKC descriptions name apartment living.
Best apartment cat breeds
Five cats whose CFA profiles speak to space and adaptable surroundings.
Dog breeds
Herding Group
- Australian Cattle Dog
- Australian Shepherd
- Bearded Collie
- Beauceron
- Belgian Laekenois
- Belgian Malinois
- Belgian Sheepdog
- Belgian Tervuren
- Bergamasco Sheepdog
- Berger Picard
- Border Collie
- Bouvier des Flandres
- Briard
- Canaan Dog
- Cardigan Welsh Corgi
- Collie
- Entlebucher Mountain Dog
- Finnish Lapphund
- German Shepherd Dog
- Icelandic Sheepdog
- Lancashire Heeler
- Miniature American Shepherd
- Mudi
- Norwegian Buhund
- Old English Sheepdog
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi
- Polish Lowland Sheepdog
- Puli
- Pumi
- Pyrenean Shepherd
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Spanish Water Dog
- Swedish Vallhund
Hound Group
- Afghan Hound
- American English Coonhound
- American Foxhound
- Azawakh
- Basenji
- Basset Fauve de Bretagne
- Basset Hound
- Beagle
- Black and Tan Coonhound
- Bloodhound
- Bluetick Coonhound
- Borzoi
- Cirneco dell'Etna
- Dachshund
- English Foxhound
- Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen
- Greyhound
- Harrier
- Ibizan Hound
- Irish Wolfhound
- Norwegian Elkhound
- Otterhound
- Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen
- Pharaoh Hound
- Plott Hound
- Portuguese Podengo Pequeno
- Redbone Coonhound
- Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Saluki
- Scottish Deerhound
- Sloughi
- Treeing Walker Coonhound
- Whippet
Sporting Group
- American Water Spaniel
- Barbet
- Boykin Spaniel
- Bracco Italiano
- Brittany
- Chesapeake Bay Retriever
- Clumber Spaniel
- Cocker Spaniel
- Curly-Coated Retriever
- English Cocker Spaniel
- English Setter
- English Springer Spaniel
- Field Spaniel
- Flat-Coated Retriever
- German Shorthaired Pointer
- German Wirehaired Pointer
- Golden Retriever
- Gordon Setter
- Irish Red and White Setter
- Irish Setter
- Irish Water Spaniel
- Labrador Retriever
- Lagotto Romagnolo
- Nederlandse Kooikerhondje
- Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
- Pointer
- Spinone Italiano
- Sussex Spaniel
- Vizsla
- Weimaraner
- Welsh Springer Spaniel
- Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
- Wirehaired Vizsla
Terrier Group
- Airedale Terrier
- American Hairless Terrier
- American Staffordshire Terrier
- Australian Terrier
- Bedlington Terrier
- Border Terrier
- Bull Terrier
- Cairn Terrier
- Cesky Terrier
- Dandie Dinmont Terrier
- Glen of Imaal Terrier
- Irish Terrier
- Kerry Blue Terrier
- Lakeland Terrier
- Manchester Terrier (Standard)
- Miniature Bull Terrier
- Miniature Schnauzer
- Norfolk Terrier
- Norwich Terrier
- Parson Russell Terrier
- Rat Terrier
- Russell Terrier
- Scottish Terrier
- Sealyham Terrier
- Skye Terrier
- Smooth Fox Terrier
- Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
- Teddy Roosevelt Terrier
- Welsh Terrier
- West Highland White Terrier
- Wire Fox Terrier
Toy Group
- Affenpinscher
- Biewer Terrier
- Brussels Griffon
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Chihuahua
- Chinese Crested
- English Toy Spaniel
- Havanese
- Italian Greyhound
- Japanese Chin
- Maltese
- Manchester Terrier (Toy)
- Miniature Pinscher
- Papillon
- Pekingese
- Pomeranian
- Poodle (Toy)
- Pug
- Russian Toy
- Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka
- Shih Tzu
- Silky Terrier
- Toy Fox Terrier
- Yorkshire Terrier
Working Group
- Akita
- Alaskan Malamute
- Anatolian Shepherd Dog
- Bernese Mountain Dog
- Black Russian Terrier
- Boerboel
- Boxer
- Bullmastiff
- Cane Corso
- Chinook
- Danish-Swedish Farmdog
- Doberman Pinscher
- Dogo Argentino
- Dogue de Bordeaux
- German Pinscher
- Giant Schnauzer
- Great Dane
- Great Pyrenees
- Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
- Komondor
- Kuvasz
- Leonberger
- Mastiff
- Neapolitan Mastiff
- Newfoundland
- Portuguese Water Dog
- Rottweiler
- Saint Bernard
- Samoyed
- Siberian Husky
- Standard Schnauzer
- Tibetan Mastiff
Cat breeds
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Basset Hound by jimapics, CC BY-SA 2.0; Doberman Pinscher by Pets Adviser from Brooklyn, USA, CC BY 2.0; Japanese Chin by LostinTexas (Alex Archambault), CC BY 2.0; Ragdoll by Elli, CC0
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