Dog breed quiz: questions and answers

The right breed is the one whose needs fit your life: your home, how active your week is, how long a dog would be alone, who else lives with you, and how much grooming, dog hair and barking you are happy to live with.

Our free dog breed quiz asks about exactly those things and matches you with the breeds that fit, out of 65, with the reasons each one suits you and the things to watch for.

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Yes. The quiz and your result are free, with no account and no card. You enter your email address to see your result.

If you want to go deeper, there is an optional full report you can buy once.

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There are 13 questions, all in plain English:

• Where do you live?
• What is the weather like where you live?
• How active is a normal week for you?
• How long would your dog be alone on a normal day?
• Are there children at home?
• Do you already have another dog?
• Do you have a cat?
• Have you had a dog before?
• How much training are you planning to do?
• How much grooming are you up for?
• How do you feel about dog hair around the house?
• How much barking can your household handle?
• What size of dog are you open to?

Most people finish in about two minutes.

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No, on purpose. A personality quiz matches you to a dog by what you are like. We match you by how you live: your space, your time, your activity, your family and your other pets, and your tolerance for grooming, shedding and barking.

Those are the things that decide whether a dog is happy with you day to day.

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Each answer is compared with how each breed usually behaves, using published breed profiles: energy and exercise needs, size, grooming, shedding, barking, how easy it is to train, and how it does with children, other dogs and time alone.

Every breed gets a match score out of 100, and you see the reasons behind your top matches, the good and the not so good. There is no AI and no randomness: the same answers always give the same result.

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It is a well-grounded place to start, not a promise. Breed traits describe what is typical, individual dogs can be very different, and how a dog is raised matters as much as its breed.

Use your matches to narrow things down, then meet the dogs and talk to a breeder, rescue or vet before you decide.

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Yes, as often as you like. Change an answer and your matches change with it. Every result has its own link, so you can come back to it or share it.

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There is no single best dog breed. The best breed is the one that fits your life.

Popularity rankings, such as the American Kennel Club's yearly list, show which breeds are registered most often, not which one will suit you. A breed that is perfect for an active family with a big garden can be a poor fit for a flat and a long working day.

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The quiz compares 65 breeds, from the smallest to the largest:

• Airedale Terrier
• Akita
• Alaskan Malamute
• American Staffordshire Terrier
• Australian Cattle Dog
• Australian Shepherd
• Basset Hound
• Beagle
• Belgian Malinois
• Bernese Mountain Dog
• Bichon Frise
• Bloodhound
• Border Collie
• Boston Terrier
• Boxer
• Brittany
• Bulldog
• Cane Corso
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
• Chihuahua
• Chow Chow
• Cocker Spaniel
• Collie
• Dachshund
• Dalmatian
• Doberman Pinscher
• English Springer Spaniel
• French Bulldog
• German Shepherd Dog
• German Shorthaired Pointer
• Golden Retriever
• Great Dane
• Great Pyrenees
• Greyhound
• Havanese
• Irish Setter
• Labrador Retriever
• Lhasa Apso
• Maltese
• Mastiff
• Miniature Schnauzer
• Newfoundland
• Papillon
• Parson Russell Terrier
• Pembroke Welsh Corgi
• Pomeranian
• Poodle (Miniature)
• Poodle (Standard)
• Portuguese Water Dog
• Pug
• Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Rottweiler
• Russell Terrier
• Saint Bernard
• Samoyed
• Shetland Sheepdog
• Shiba Inu
• Shih Tzu
• Siberian Husky
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier
• Vizsla
• Weimaraner
• West Highland White Terrier
• Whippet
• Yorkshire Terrier

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In our breed data, drawn from published breed profiles, these 7 breeds get the top rating for first-time owners:

• Boston Terrier
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
• French Bulldog
• Golden Retriever
• Havanese
• Labrador Retriever
• Pug

Easy to start with is not the same as right for you. The quiz weighs this against your space, your time and how active you are.

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These 20 breeds get our top rating for apartment living:

• Bichon Frise
• Boston Terrier
• Bulldog
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
• Chihuahua
• Dachshund
• French Bulldog
• Greyhound
• Havanese
• Lhasa Apso
• Maltese
• Miniature Schnauzer
• Papillon
• Pomeranian
• Poodle (Miniature)
• Pug
• Shih Tzu
• West Highland White Terrier
• Whippet
• Yorkshire Terrier

Size is only part of it. Exercise needs, barking and time alone matter just as much in a flat, and the quiz accounts for all of them.

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In our breed data, these 10 breeds shed the least:

• Bichon Frise
• Havanese
• Lhasa Apso
• Maltese
• Miniature Schnauzer
• Poodle (Miniature)
• Poodle (Standard)
• Portuguese Water Dog
• Shih Tzu
• Yorkshire Terrier

Low shedding is not the whole story for allergies. If that is a concern, talk to your doctor and spend time with the breed before deciding.

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The full report is an optional digital report built from your quiz answers. It includes:

• Your full ranking of all 65 breeds, with the main point for and against each
• Your top five in depth: every reason each one fits you, and every caveat
• Exercise, time alone, grooming, barking and training needs for each
• Health topics worth asking about for each of your top five
• Questions to ask a breeder or rescue before you commit

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$4.99, paid once. There is no subscription. Depending on where you live, tax may be added at checkout, and you see the total before you pay.

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The report is digital. It opens online as soon as your payment is confirmed, and we email you a private link so you can come back to it. Nothing is shipped: we do not sell dogs, pet food or any physical products.

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Yes. You can have a full refund within 14 days of buying, no questions asked.

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There is no account or password. We ask for your email address to show you your result, and we keep it with your answers so a report can be linked to them if you buy one.

Occasional updates are optional, and you can unsubscribe at any time. We never sell your data.

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No. Pup & Parent gives lifestyle guidance based on your answers and general breed traits. Before you bring a dog home, talk to a vet, a responsible breeder or your local shelter.

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