Breed data center
Dog Breeds
Use this dog breed index as the starting point for practical comparison. Instead of ranking dogs by popularity, PetStorie groups breeds by the choices real owners have to make: space, time, training, grooming, shedding, family fit, and risk level.
Start With Your Situation
Choosing Your First Dog
Compare forgiving, trainable breeds in the first-time owner guide, then confirm the grooming and exercise trade-offs in the full breed profiles.
Living in an Apartment
Small size is not enough. Use the apartment dog breeds guide to compare barking, heat limits, exercise, and neighbor tolerance.
Busy Weekday Schedule
The busy owner shortlist focuses on calmer breeds that can fit ordinary workdays when exercise, training, and companionship are still handled responsibly.
Breed Groups to Compare
| Need | Best Starting Page | Good Breed Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Family companionship | Best Family Dogs | Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Havanese, Newfoundland |
| Low visible shedding | Low-Shedding Dog Breeds | Toy Poodle, Maltese, Miniature Schnauzer, Portuguese Water Dog |
| Small companion dogs | Small Dog Breeds | Chihuahua, Pug, French Bulldog, Japanese Chin, Papillon |
| Large or powerful dogs | Large Dog Breeds | Great Dane, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, Cane Corso, Saint Bernard |
| High-energy working dogs | High-Energy Working Dogs | Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, German Shepherd, Weimaraner |
| Serious guardian breeds | Guardian Dogs Compared | Kangal Dog, Central Asian Shepherd, Cane Corso, Great Pyrenees |
Popular Breed Guides
- Golden Retriever Breed Guide
- Labrador Retriever Breed Guide
- French Bulldog Breed Guide
- German Shepherd Breed Guide
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi Breed Guide
- Shiba Inu Breed Guide
All Dog Breed Profiles
This index uses the same breed data that powers the Dog Breed Finder and Dog Cost Calculator, so the main owner-fit signals stay consistent across PetStorie.
| Breed | Size | Home fit | Exercise | Grooming | Owner level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chihuahua | Toy | Apartment | Low | Low | First |
| Maltese | Toy | Apartment | Low | High | First |
| Pomeranian | Toy | Apartment | Low | High | Some |
| Toy Poodle | Toy | Apartment | Medium | High | First |
| Yorkshire Terrier | Toy | Apartment | Low | High | Some |
| Shih Tzu | Toy | Apartment | Low | High | First |
| Golden Retriever | Large | House | High | Medium | First |
| French Bulldog | Small | Apartment | Low | Medium | Some |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi | Small | House | Medium | Medium | Some |
| Samoyed | Large | House | High | High | Some |
| Shiba Inu | Small | House | Medium | Medium | Some |
| Siberian Husky | Medium | House | High | Medium | Experienced |
| Doberman Pinscher | Large | House | High | Low | Experienced |
| Scottish Terrier | Small | Apartment | Medium | Medium | Some |
| Standard Schnauzer | Medium | House | High | Medium | Some |
| Beagle | Small | House | Medium | Low | First |
| Labrador Retriever | Large | House | High | Medium | First |
| Alaskan Malamute | Large | House | High | High | Experienced |
| Bull Terrier | Medium | House | High | Low | Some |
| Pug | Small | Apartment | Low | Medium | First |
| Miniature Schnauzer | Small | Apartment | Medium | Medium | First |
| Dachshund | Small | Apartment | Medium | Low | Some |
| German Shepherd | Large | House | High | Medium | Experienced |
| Papillon | Toy | Apartment | Medium | Medium | First |
| Boston Terrier | Small | Apartment | Medium | Low | First |
| Basset Hound | Medium | House | Medium | Low | First |
| Rottweiler | Large | House | Medium | Low | Experienced |
| Shetland Sheepdog | Small | House | Medium | High | First |
| Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Small | Apartment | Low | Medium | First |
| Great Dane | Giant | House | Medium | Low | Some |
| Border Collie | Medium | House | High | Medium | Experienced |
| Saint Bernard | Giant | House | Medium | High | Some |
| Australian Shepherd | Medium | House | High | Medium | Experienced |
| Bernese Mountain Dog | Giant | House | Medium | High | Some |
| English Cocker Spaniel | Medium | House | Medium | Medium | First |
| American Cocker Spaniel | Small | Apartment | Medium | High | First |
| Great Pyrenees | Giant | Rural | Medium | High | Experienced |
| Italian Greyhound | Toy | Apartment | Medium | Low | Some |
| Brussels Griffon | Toy | Apartment | Low | Medium | Some |
| Havanese | Small | Apartment | Medium | High | First |
| English Springer Spaniel | Medium | House | High | Medium | First |
| Newfoundland | Giant | House | Medium | High | Some |
| Whippet | Medium | Apartment | Medium | Low | First |
| Caucasian Shepherd Dog | Giant | Rural | Medium | High | Experienced |
| Tibetan Mastiff | Giant | Rural | Medium | High | Experienced |
| Japanese Chin | Toy | Apartment | Low | Medium | First |
| Finnish Spitz | Medium | House | Medium | Medium | Some |
| Icelandic Sheepdog | Small | House | Medium | Medium | First |
| Portuguese Water Dog | Medium | House | High | High | Some |
| Spanish Water Dog | Medium | House | High | Medium | Some |
| Irish Water Spaniel | Large | House | High | High | Some |
| Wirehaired Pointing Griffon | Medium | House | High | Medium | Some |
| German Wirehaired Pointer | Large | House | High | Medium | Experienced |
| Weimaraner | Large | House | High | Low | Experienced |
| Central Asian Shepherd Dog | Giant | Rural | Medium | Medium | Experienced |
| Cane Corso | Large | House | Medium | Low | Experienced |
| Kangal Dog | Giant | Rural | Medium | Medium | Experienced |
Not Sure Where to Start?
Use Which Dog Should I Get? if you are still defining your needs, compare two breeds in the Dog Breed Selector, try the Dog Breed Finder for a quick practical match, or open the breed comparison hub if you are choosing between two similar dogs.