What each dog is really like to live with, before you fall in love.

The ancient sofa sprinter: a calm, noble hound built for speed and deep naps.

A gentle, biddable gundog famed for its patience with children and its glossy golden coat.

Britain's most popular family dog: biddable, food driven and built for an active household.

The easy-going terrier with an otter head and a working heart.

A pocket herding dog with a full-size brain and work ethic.

The cotton-coated clown of Madagascar

A brilliant, low shedding companion that comes in three sizes but one sharp mind.

A bold, vivacious companion with a grand double coat and a loud voice for its size.

The gentle shadow with the teddy-bear face

The velcro companion of Cuba, silky-coated and endlessly sociable.

A spirited, confident toy terrier with a big personality and a high maintenance coat.

An energetic, devoted working dog known for its playful spirit and protective nature.

The gentleman of the gundogs: soft, sociable and built for open country.

The truffle dog: a woolly, nose-driven worker with a calmer nature than most doodles.

The compact water spaniel from South Carolina

A loyal, capable working dog that needs a job to do and an owner ready to provide one.

The King of Terriers: a courageous, versatile and large-hearted companion with a mind of its own.

A merry, affectionate gundog with a soft, silky coat and a nose that never switches off.

A big-dog brain behind the butterfly ears.

The redhead with the endless puppyhood

The aristocratic sighthound: a masterpiece of elegance, speed and quiet dignity.

The athlete who never sleeps in

An intelligent, high energy pastoral dog that requires a dedicated job to thrive.

The friendly reindeer herder

The gentle draft worker of the Alps

The small, sunny companion that fits almost any home.

The scruffy, good-natured gundog that wants to be your shadow.

A Labrador and Poodle cross that is usually bigger, bouncier and more energetic than people expect, with coat and size that vary by line.

The people-loving powerhouse

The original Schnauzer: bearded, bright and always on duty.

A 35mph sprinter wrapped around a dedicated couch potato, happiest after a short burst of speed followed by hours of sleep.

The orange and white pointing dog built for the field, not the sofa.

An affectionate Cocker Spaniel and Poodle cross where coat, size and energy vary litter to litter, so no two Cockapoos are quite alike.

The Maltese-Poodle cross built for laps, flats and low-shedding coats.

The gentle giant that thinks it is a lapdog

The world's most capable herding mind, needing an equally capable owner to match it.

The little white cloud with a circus brain.

The bearded brainbox in a curly coat

A working water dog in a family-sized, low-shedding coat.

An affectionate, adaptable toy spaniel that thrives on human company above almost anything else.

The farmyard sprinter with a soft side

A bold, affectionate herder with big-dog confidence and a distinctive low profile.

The Peter Pan of retrievers: cheerful, glossy and forever young at heart.

A rugged, driven gundog built for all weather and all day.

The smallest retriever, built to lure ducks and then prove it on every walk

The original corgi: a long tailed, fox faced herder with a big dog's voice

The Australian Shepherd-Poodle cross built for brains, energy and a job to do

The Viking moose hunter

The little Tibetan sentinel with a long memory.

A dazzling white working dog with a permanent smile, bred to pull sledges and herd reindeer, not to sit quietly at home.

A muscular, people loving terrier that thrives on closeness and firm, fair handling.

A comic, affectionate companion built for city life, but with health needs that demand a careful breeder.

A dapper, good natured American companion with a milder face and a gentleman's manners.

A sharp witted, wiry coated terrier type that watches the door and minds its diet in equal measure.

A velcro gundog bred to work closely with its handler all day, needing roughly two hours of exercise and genuine daily company.

A calm, powerful guardian breed that needs early socialisation and a confident, consistent owner.

The brindle all-rounder that needs a real job

A nose-driven, biddable gundog that needs real work for its mind and body.

The shaggy clown with a bear-like roll and a herder's heart.

The teddy bear that wants to be everywhere you are

The show-ring terrier with a comedian's timing.

The sweetest giant you will ever own, with the biggest reality check in drool, shedding and space it genuinely needs.

The Bernese Mountain Dog-Poodle cross built for family life, with a striking coat and a short lifespan shadow to plan for.

A collie in miniature, whip smart and devoted, but quick to bark at every passing sound.

A cheerful, curly coated companion bred purely to be good company, and happiest never left alone for long.

A striking spotted coach dog built for serious mileage, not for a sedentary household.

The tireless farm brain built to walk further than you can.

The serious retriever: tough, loyal and very much not a brown Labrador.

A striking, tireless working dog that needs a job, not just a garden.

The people's coonhound: fast, friendly and gloriously loud.

A clown with a Beagle nose and a Pug heart

A small, shaggy earth dog with a big opinion about every rustle in the hedge.

The big-game athlete with a legal question mark

The dignified little Scotsman with a big opinion

The thinking person's guard dog: a working mind in a bearded, athletic frame

The bearded toy with a remarkably human face

A merry, sociable scenthound with a powerful nose and a mind of its own outdoors.

The tallest of all dog breeds: a gentle giant with a heartbreakingly short clock.

A sighthound in miniature: elegant, affectionate and genuinely fragile.

The misunderstood companion: a people-loving heart behind a powerful, athletic frame.

The gentle giant with the shortest clock and the softest heart.

A sleek, devoted guardian with a famously soft heart that needs a confident, present owner.

A striking tricolour giant from the Swiss Alps, devoted to family but burdened with a shortened lifespan.

A fox faced, fiercely independent Japanese hunting breed that answers to its own agenda.

An extraordinarily driven working breed that needs a real job, secure fencing and an experienced handler, not a casual family home.

A friendly, trainable Golden Retriever and Poodle cross whose coat, size and health depend heavily on the specific pairing behind it.

A long lived, silky coated companion that demands daily combing and daily company in equal measure.

A sleek, intelligent German gundog bred to hunt all day, needing constant company and daily hard exercise.

A small white terrier with a huge sense of self, bred to dig, bark and stand its ground.

The egg-headed clown with a terrier heart and a medical footnote.

The aristocrat of sighthounds: a flowing coat over an independent, galloping heart

A bold, characterful hunting breed in a long, low body, needing careful back protection for life.

A tiny shadow with a terrier opinion

The endless worker: a brilliant herding dog that needs a job, not a flat.

The shaggy 'holy dog' of Tibet, devoted and sure-footed, and not a terrier at all

Hairless or Powderpuff, a devoted little companion with very particular care needs

A affectionate, dignified companion dog bred for lap life, not long hikes.

Long back, big ears, bigger opinions

A powerful, affectionate Arctic freight dog bred to pull, that needs serious daily outlets for its strength and stamina.

The wrinkled, independent-minded Chinese guard dog that needs confident, hands-on owners.

A short legged French scenthound with a powerful nose, a deep bay and a stubborn streak worth respecting.

The French mastiff: a gentle, devoted giant with the shortest of years

A calm, powerful English guardian bred to track and hold poachers silently, now a devoted and protective family dog.

The smiling Dutch barge dog: sociable, chatty and very fluffy

The bouncy Irish terrier with a silky coat and a joyful greeting

The fearless 'king of toys': tiny, bold and always on the move

The South African farm guardian: calm, confident and seriously powerful

The aloof lion dog with the blue-black tongue.

The dog that does not bark: a tidy, fastidious hound that yodels instead

The world's best nose on four legs: a gentle giant built entirely for the trail.

The ancient, independent guardian primitive of the Himalayas.

A bold, tireless working terrier with huge personality packed into a small frame.

A powerful African hound built for stamina and independence, marked by the distinctive ridge of hair running along its spine.

A dignified, powerful Japanese guardian that bonds closely with its family but needs serious socialisation and a firm, experienced hand.

A gentle Swiss giant bred for Alpine rescue, calm with family but demanding in size, drool and veterinary care.

The Husky look in a smaller, louder package

A calm, independent mountain guardian with a thick coat, a loud bark and a genuine need for secure outdoor space.

A gentle giant whose enormous size demands patient growth, vigilant bloat awareness and an honest look at lifespan and cost.

A big, soft-hearted shaggy dog with a grooming bill to match

The ancient desert sighthound: gentle at home, gone at the sight of a hare

The wrinkled guardian: a calm, massive presence with serious care needs

A powerful Italian guardian breed that demands an experienced, committed owner and a genuine job to do.

A lap dog with opinions: imperial dignity wrapped in a lion's mane.

A tiny, big-hearted toy breed that needs careful handling, dental care and protection from the cold.

The Canary Islands catch dog: powerful, discerning and strictly for experts

A guardian, not a pet: an ancient Turkish flock protector built for independence, space and nightly vigilance.

A striking, athletic sled dog built for distance running and ill suited to a quiet life in the garden.

A charming, people loving companion whose flat face demands honest, careful ownership.

An affectionate, laid back companion whose flattened face brings serious breathing and health considerations.