An Introduction To Dog Types

9 mins read

5 November 2025

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Just as feeding your dog the right diet is vital to helping them to stay healthy and energetic, giving them the emotional nourishment they need is vital to helping them to stay happy!

Introduction to dog types

With the South African Kennel Union recognising over 200 dog breeds and a whole host of other crossbreeds and types, choosing your perfect canine companion might seem a bit daunting at first. Different types of dogs have different needs. If you have a Terrier, for example, he will love digging, whereas a Scenthound would prefer to follow a trail to a hidden stash! A Livestock Protection dog may be happy on his own for long periods of time, but a Toy Dog needs lots more attention from you to feel content.

So getting to know your dog's personality and behavioural needs is vital to keep them as happy as possible.

Why are there so many different types of dogs?

If you travel around the world and look at village dog populations, you will see far more similarities than differences. Left to its own devices, the domestic dog is pretty similar no matter what country they come from. They are medium-sized, smoothish-coated, of various shades of brown with tulip shaped ears and a tail with a white tip (for easy communication) that is often held over their back. They may be slightly smaller in hot climates and larger with more coat in cold climates but basically, they are all very similar. They live alongside the human population but do not have a relationship with them.

By contrast, when you look at the types of dogs we live with today, there couldn't be a wider variety in terms of size, shape, coat-type and personality.

This is why if we want to understand our dogs, we need to know a little bit about how the companion dog has changed in the 15,000 years they have been living and working alongside humans.

How did different dog types evolve?

Put simply, dogs began to recognise that humans could provide food for them, while humans realised that some types of dogs were really good at certain jobs. Humans living alongside dogs was beneficial to both and so our ancestors began to selectively breed these dogs with those jobs in mind. At the same time, dogs evolved to succeed in the ever-changing environment in which they were living.

Dogs could do the jobs our ancestors needed them to do by using the skills they already had from the natural hardwired hunting/foraging and scavenging behaviours that allowed them to catch their food - so by amplifying or eliminating key parts of these behaviours with successive breeding, our ancestors created dogs that could help them with key tasks.

Different types of dogs for different jobs

Early humans didn't care what these dogs looked like, just that they could do the job, whether it was guarding, herding, retrieving or hunting. But in order to develop a working dog, dogs who were experts at a certain job were bred to others who showed the same working ability, and so on until true canine specialists had been produced.

As an interesting by-product, it was discovered that breeding for working ability developed a different shape or type of dog who was physically best able to do that job.

Dogs who needed to run fast, for example, had longer legs and lighter frames. Dogs who needed to sniff scents, were lower to the ground and dogs bred to go down holes to kill vermin, were smaller.

Each job needed a type of dog that had different natural strengths and weaknesses - physical, mental and emotional - and with each successive generation, these traits were amplified as we started breeding better and better working dogs - and the dog breeds we recognise today began to develop.

While all dogs' basic needs are similar, the job each was developed or has evolved to do has given them different emotional, behavioural and physical needs.

Types of dogs: choosing your perfect canine companion

The Kennel Union of Southern Africa now classify seven different groups of dog breed based on the jobs these dogs were created to do. The different types of dogs are:

Working dogs . Working dogs were bred to guard (property or livestock) or do other specialist jobs.

Alaskan Malamute

Bernese Mountain Dog

Bouvier Des Flandres

Boxer

Bullmastiff

Canadian Eskimo Dog

Doberman

Dogue de Bordeaux

Entlebucher Mountain Dog

German Pinscher

Giant Schnauzer

Great Dane

Great Swiss Mountain Dog

Greenland Dog

Hovawart

Leonberger

Mastiff

Neapolitan Mastiff

Newfoundland

Portuguese Water Dog

Pyrenean Mastiff

Rottweiler

Russian Black Terrier

Siberian Husky

St. Bernard

Tibetan Mastiff

Pastoral Dogs. Pastoral dogs were bred to work herding livestock such as sheep, cattle or even reindeer.

Anatolian Shepherd Dog

Australian Cattle Dog

Australian Shepherd

Bearded Collie

Beauceron

Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael)

Belgian Shepherd Dog (Laekenois)

Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois)

Belgian Shepherd Dog (Tervueren)

Bergamasco

Border Collie

Briard

Catalan Sheepdog

Collie (Rough)

Collie (Smooth)

Estrela Mountain Dog

Finnish Lapphund

German Shepherd Dog

Hungarian Kuvasz

Hungarian Puli

Hungarian Pumi

Komondor

Lancashire Heeler

Maremma Sheepdog

Norwegian Buhund

Old English Sheepdog

Picardy Sheepdog

Polish Lowland Sheepdog

Pyrenean Mountain Dog

Pyrenean Sheepdog (Long Haired)

Samoyed

Shetland Sheepdog

Swedish Lapphund

Swedish Vallhund

Turkish Kangal Dog

Welsh Corgi (Cardigan)

Welsh Corgi (Pembroke)

White Swiss Shepherd Dog

Gundogs . Gundogs were bred to work to the gun as either retrievers, setters, flushers or pointers.

Barbet

Bracco Italiano

Braque D’Auvergne

Brittany

English Setter

German Longhaired Pointer

German Shorthaired Pointer

German Wirehaired Pointer

Gordon Setter

Hungarian Vizsla

Hungarian Wire Haired Vizsla

Irish Red & White Setter

Irish Setter

Italian Spinone

Korthals Griffon

Lagotto Romagnolo

Large Munsterlander

Pointer

Portuguese Pointer

Retriever (Chesapeake Bay)

Retriever (Curly Coated)

Retriever (Flat Coated)

Retriever (Golden)

Retriever (Labrador)

Retriever (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling)

Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer

Small Munsterlander

Spaniel (American Cocker)

Spaniel (American Water)

Spaniel (Clumber)

Spaniel (Cocker)

Spaniel (English Springer)

Spaniel (Field)

Spaniel (Irish Water)

Spaniel (Sussex)

Spaniel (Welsh Springer)

Spanish Water Dog

Weimaraner

Hound dogs . Hound dogs will hunt game using either sight or scent, to be followed either on foot or horseback.

Afghan Hound

Azawakh

Basenji

Basset Bleu De Gascogne

Basset Fauve De Bretagne

Basset Griffon Vendeen (Grand)

Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit)

Basset Hound

Bavarian Mountain Hound

Beagle

Black & Tan Coonhound

Bloodhound

Borzoi

Cirneco Dell'Etna

Dachshund (Long Haired)

Dachshund (Miniature Long Haired)

Dachshund (Miniature Smooth Haired)

Dachshund (Miniature Wire Haired)

Dachshund (Smooth Haired)

Dachshund (Wire Haired)

Deerhound

Finnish Spitz

Foxhound

Grand Bleu De Gascogne

Greyhound

Griffon Fauve De Bretagne

Hamiltonstovare

Harrier

Ibizan Hound

Irish Wolfhound

Norwegian Elkhound

Otterhound

Pharaoh Hound

Portuguese Podengo

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Saluki

Segugio Italiano

Sloughi

Whippet

Terrier dogs. Terrier dogs were bred to kill vermin often underground.

Airedale Terrier

Australian Terrier

Bedlington Terrier

Border Terrier

Bull Terrier

Bull Terrier (Miniature)

Cairn Terrier

Cesky Terrier

Dandie Dinmont Terrier

Fox Terrier (Smooth)

Fox Terrier (Wire)

Glen Of Imaal Terrier

Irish Terrier

Jack Russell Terrier

Kerry Blue Terrier

Lakeland Terrier

Manchester Terrier

Norfolk Terrier

Norwich Terrier

Parson Russell Terrier

Scottish Terrier

Sealyham Terrier

Skye Terrier

Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Welsh Terrier

West Highland White Terrier

Toy dogs . Toy dogs were bred to become companion breeds.

Affenpinscher

Australian Silky Terrier

Bichon Frise

Bolognese

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Chihuahua (Long Coat)

Chinese Crested

Coton De Tulear

English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan)

Griffon Bruxellois

Havanese

Italian Greyhound

Japanese Chin

King Charles Spaniel

Lowchen (Little Lion Dog)

Maltese

Miniature Pinscher

Papillon

Pekingese

Pomeranian

Pug

Russian Toy

Yorkshire Terrier

Utility dogs. Utility dogs are a wide category of breeds that don’t fit into any other group.

Akita

Boston Terrier

Bulldog

Canaan Dog

Chow Chow

Dalmatian

Eurasier

French Bulldog

German Spitz (Klein)

German Spitz (Mittel)

Japanese Shiba Inu

Japanese Spitz

Keeshond

Kooikerhondje

Korean Jindo

Lhasa Apso

Miniature Schnauzer

Poodle (Miniature)

Poodle (Standard)

Poodle (Toy)

Schipperke

Schnauzer

Shar Pei

Shih Tzu

Tibetan Spaniel

Tibetan Terrier

Xoloitzcuintle (Mex Hairless) Int

Xoloitzcuintle (Mex Hairless) Min

Xoloitzcuintle (Mex Hairless) Std

Each group has very different skills and a very different canine personality, which means each dog type will be totally different to live with.

Within every breed and type there are always individuals who don't fit the mould, especially as we now generally breed for looks and not working ability. But by understanding what your dog was originally bred to do and how they did that job, you will have many of the clues you need to make sure they fit into your lifestyle, to manage your expectations, to prevent behaviour problems, and to have a successful relationship and life together.

While this is fairly straightforward with purebred dogs, crossbreeds can have a mix of personality types, needs and behaviours depending on what breeds go into their ancestry and so you may have to be more of a canine detective to discover what makes them tick - but then that's half the fun!

Never forget however that every dog is different - even within breeds and types - and so while breed traits are a useful starting point, nothing beats spending time with your dog and learning about their personalities, what they enjoy, what they need, and building the very best relationship you can with them.

Read more about the emotional and behavioural needs of your dog according to their type in our dog type guides.

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