Best Family Dog Breeds (Ranked by Data)

Labrador Retriever

Good-natured, water-loving gundog whose easygoing temper and appetite for play make it America's long-running family favorite.

Large · 11–13 years

Golden Retriever

Warm-hearted, biddable retriever with a flowing gold coat that wants nothing more than to be part of everything the family does.

Large · 10–12 years

Beagle

Merry, nose-driven pack hound in a handy size, happiest with company, a scent to follow and a securely fenced yard.

Small · 10–15 years

Bulldog

Low-slung, wrinkle-faced couch companion whose stubborn calm and gentle way with children belie its bull-baiting past.

Medium · 8–10 years

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Soft-eyed lap spaniel with a sweet, adaptable nature, equally content on a country walk or curled up on the nearest available lap.

Small · 12–15 years

Boxer

Muscular, square-jawed clown that stays puppyish for years, bouncing between goofy play and devoted watchfulness over its family.

Large · 10–12 years

Bernese Mountain Dog

Big, tricolored Swiss farm dog with a soft heart, happiest pulling a cart, lounging in snow or leaning on its favorite person.

Large · 7–10 years

Boston Terrier

Dapper, tuxedo-marked American original with round eyes, a cheerful disposition and manners that suit small homes and city life.

Small · 11–13 years

Havanese

Cuba's silky-coated national dog, a sociable, springy little entertainer that bonds hard and dislikes being left alone.

Toy · 14–16 years

English Springer Spaniel

Eager, affectionate flushing spaniel that lives to work alongside its person and brings the same enthusiasm to family life.

Medium · 12–14 years

Cocker Spaniel

The smallest sporting breed, a soulful-eyed, feather-coated spaniel that trades field work for a devoted place in the family.

Small · 10–14 years

Basset Hound

Droopy-eared, low-riding French scent hound with a nose second only to the Bloodhound's and a laid-back, stubborn, lovable streak.

Medium · 12–13 years

Collie

Graceful, long-nosed Scottish herder made famous on screen, gentle and devoted with children and available in rough or smooth coats.

Large · 12–14 years

Pug

Wrinkled, curly-tailed charmer from imperial China, a sturdy little comedian that loves food, people and naps in roughly equal measure.

Small · 13–15 years

Newfoundland

Massive, web-footed Canadian water rescue dog with a famously sweet temperament, heavy coat and an equally heavy drool output.

Giant · 9–10 years

Samoyed

Smiling white Arctic spitz bred to herd reindeer and pull sleds; sociable and gentle but a heavy shedder that hates being left alone.

Medium · 12–14 years

St. Bernard

Huge, soft-hearted Alpine rescue dog from the Swiss hospice pass, patient with children, slow-moving and generous with its drool.

Giant · 8–10 years

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

Muscular, short-coupled English bull-and-terrier with a famously soft spot for people; affectionate with kids, less tolerant of strange dogs.

Medium · 12–14 years

Boykin Spaniel

South Carolina's own chocolate-brown swamp spaniel, sized to fit in a small boat; eager, water-loving and devoted to whoever holds the leash.

Medium · 10–15 years

Great Pyrenees

Massive white livestock guardian from the French-Spanish mountains; serene and patient by day, a vigilant night-time barker by instinct.

Giant · 10–12 years

Irish Setter

Glamorous mahogany bird dog with a rollicking, forever-young personality; needs room to run and forgives almost anything with a wagging tail.

Large · 12–15 years

Old English Sheepdog

Shaggy, bear-like drover with a rolling gait and a clownish streak; good-natured with everyone but demands hours of brushing every week.

Large · 10–12 years

Keeshond

Fox-faced Dutch barge spitz with spectacle markings and a plush silver-gray coat; outgoing, people-oriented and always ready to join the family.

Medium · 12–15 years

Flat-Coated Retriever

Glossy black or liver gundog nicknamed the Peter Pan of retrievers for its lifelong puppy spirit; exuberant, sociable and built for the field.

Large · 8–10 years

Leonberger

Lion-maned German giant created as a stately town mascot; gentle, water-loving and remarkably patient with children despite its enormous size.

Giant · 7–9 years

Bearded Collie

Bouncy, shaggy Scottish drover with a greying coat that lightens as it matures; exuberant, friendly and prone to a signature vertical leap.

Medium · 12–14 years

Bernedoodle

Designer cross

Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle cross that keeps the tricolor look with a curlier, lighter-shedding coat; a cross, not a breed.

Small–Large · 12–15 years

Cavapoo

Designer cross

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Poodle cross bred for a gentle, lap-sized temperament; a hybrid with no breed standard.

Small · 12–15 years

Cockapoo

Designer cross

One of the oldest designer crosses, pairing Cocker Spaniel with Poodle for a small, cheerful, curly companion; not a recognized breed.

Toy–Medium · 13–16 years

Goldendoodle

Designer cross

Golden Retriever and Poodle cross, not a recognized breed: a sociable, wavy-coated family dog that varies by generation and size.

Small–Large · 10–15 years

Labradoodle

Designer cross

Labrador Retriever and Poodle cross first bred as a guide-dog prospect; a friendly, busy hybrid rather than a registered breed.

Small–Large · 12–15 years

Puggle

Designer cross

Pug and Beagle cross that pairs a wrinkled face with a hound's nose and stamina; a popular mix with no registry recognition.

Small · 10–15 years

French Bulldog

Compact, bat-eared companion with a clownish streak and modest exercise needs, well suited to city apartments.

Small · 10–12 years

German Shepherd Dog

Confident, quick-learning herding dog prized for police and service work, deeply loyal to its own people and watchful of everyone else.

Large · 9–13 years

Poodle

Sharp-witted, athletic water retriever in three sizes, wearing a curly low-shed coat that needs regular clipping.

Toy–Large · 10–18 years

German Shorthaired Pointer

Tireless, liver-ticked all-purpose hunting dog that points, retrieves and swims, and needs an owner who runs as much as it does.

Large · 10–12 years

Australian Shepherd

Striking merle-coated ranch dog developed in the American West, brilliant and driven, with a strong urge to herd anything that moves.

Medium · 12–15 years

Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Short-legged Welsh cattle herder with a fox-like face and a big personality, bright, bossy and quick to make friends.

Small · 12–13 years

Miniature Schnauzer

Bearded, bushy-browed little ratter with a lively, outspoken character, low-shedding coat and a knack for announcing visitors.

Small · 12–15 years

Great Dane

Towering, elegant boar hound turned gentle homebody; patient with children, short on lifespan, and convinced it fits on the sofa.

Giant · 7–10 years

Shih Tzu

Palace-bred lap dog with a sweeping coat and a trusting, outgoing nature, built for companionship rather than any kind of work.

Toy · 10–18 years

Miniature American Shepherd

Scaled-down Aussie bred in 1960s California for rodeo and trail life, keeping the herding brains and drive in a more portable package.

Small · 12–13 years

Siberian Husky

Wolf-faced sled dog built to run for hours; friendly with everyone, talkative, escape-prone and happiest in a pack and the cold.

Medium · 12–14 years

Shetland Sheepdog

Small, collie-like herder from the Shetland Islands, quick to learn, quick to bark and deeply attuned to the moods of its family.

Small · 12–14 years

Brittany

Leggy, orange-and-white French bird dog with boundless stamina and a soft, sensitive nature that responds best to gentle handling.

Medium · 12–14 years

Vizsla

Rust-gold Hungarian pointer with a lean build and a clingy, affectionate heart, often found draped across its owner after a long run.

Medium · 12–14 years

Mastiff

One of the heaviest breeds on earth, an ancient English guardian whose calm, dignified presence does most of the protecting for it.

Giant · 6–10 years

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Wheaten southern African hound marked by a ridge of reversed hair along the spine; athletic, independent and quietly protective.

Large · 10–13 years

West Highland White Terrier

Plucky, all-white Scottish earthdog with a harsh weatherproof coat, a cheerful self-assurance and a lingering instinct to dig.

Small · 13–15 years

Portuguese Water Dog

Curly or wavy-coated fisherman's helper from the Algarve coast, a clever, water-mad athlete that sheds little and thinks a lot.

Medium · 11–13 years

Bichon Frise

Powder-puff white companion with a merry, people-loving disposition and a curly low-shed coat that calls for frequent grooming.

Small · 14–15 years

Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Rugged, oily-coated duck dog from Maryland's tidal marshes, tougher-minded and more protective than its retriever cousins.

Large · 10–13 years

Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

Bearded, shaggy gundog engineered by a Dutch breeder to point and retrieve in any terrain; affectionate at home, methodical in the field.

Medium · 12–15 years

Whippet

Sleek medium sighthound that sprints in short bursts outdoors and then melts into a quiet, cuddly couch companion at home.

Medium · 12–15 years

Weimaraner

Silver-gray German hunting dog with pale eyes and a restless engine, affectionate to the point of separation anxiety when under-exercised.

Large · 10–13 years

Bloodhound

Wrinkled, long-eared tracking specialist whose nose is trusted in court; mild and affectionate at home, unstoppable once on a trail.

Large · 10–12 years

Cardigan Welsh Corgi

The long-tailed, rounder-eared corgi of Wales: a low-slung cattle driver with a thoughtful, slightly reserved temperament and a big bark.

Small · 12–15 years

Airedale Terrier

Largest of the terriers, a wiry Yorkshire all-rounder that hunted otters, carried wartime messages and still relishes any job it is given.

Medium · 11–14 years

Bullmastiff

Powerful, low-key guardian originally used to pin poachers on English estates; calm and devoted at home, wary of strangers by instinct.

Large · 7–9 years

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Smallest retriever, a fox-red Canadian that lures ducks within range by playing on the shore; intense, agile and happiest with a job.

Medium · 12–14 years

Cairn Terrier

Scruffy little Highland terrier once used to flush vermin from rock piles; cheerful, plucky and more biddable than most of its terrier cousins.

Small · 13–15 years

Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Irish farm terrier wrapped in a silky, wheat-colored coat; greets everyone with a bouncing leap and keeps a puppyish outlook well into adulthood.

Medium · 12–14 years

American Staffordshire Terrier

Stocky, confident American bull-and-terrier that thrives on human attention and structure; a devoted family dog that needs early socializing.

Medium · 12–16 years

Irish Wolfhound

Tallest of all breeds, a rough-coated Irish sighthound once used on wolves; gentle, quiet and sadly short-lived, with a calm dignity at home.

Giant · 6–8 years

Alaskan Malamute

Heavy-boned Arctic freighting dog built for hauling loads over long distances; playful and people-loving, but strong-willed and a champion digger.

Large · 10–14 years

Rat Terrier

Lean, pied American farm terrier that cleared barns of vermin for generations; quick, trainable and more easygoing than its name suggests.

Small · 12–18 years

Standard Schnauzer

The original mid-sized schnauzer, a bearded German farm dog that guarded carts and killed rats; alert, clever and fond of a good argument.

Medium · 13–16 years

Coton de Tulear

Cotton-coated companion from Madagascar's port city of Tulear; a cheerful, chatty clown that bonds hard and dislikes being left behind.

Small · 15–19 years

Dogue de Bordeaux

Broad-headed French mastiff with a wrinkled face and a slobbery grin; calm and deeply attached to family, with a serious guarding streak.

Giant · 5–11 years

Border Terrier

Otter-headed working terrier from the Anglo-Scottish borderlands; tough enough to run with hounds, yet unusually mellow and affectionate indoors.

Small · 12–15 years

Bouvier des Flandres

Burly, tousled cattle dog of the Flemish lowlands that once pulled carts and drove herds; steady, protective and quietly devoted to its family.

Large · 10–12 years

American Eskimo Dog

Snow-white American spitz in toy, miniature and standard sizes; a former circus performer that is quick to learn, quick to bark and loves its people.

Toy–Medium · 13–15 years

Tibetan Terrier

Not a terrier at all but a shaggy, snow-footed companion of Tibetan monks; sweet, sensitive and watchful, with a moderate need for exercise.

Medium · 12–15 years

Greyhound

Fastest dog on earth and one of the laziest indoors; a gentle, sensitive sighthound that asks for a soft bed and a few sprints a week.

Large · 10–13 years

Norwegian Elkhound

Silver-gray Viking spitz bred to track and hold moose at bay with its bark; bold, hardy and devoted, with a voice it is not shy about using.

Medium · 12–15 years

Aussiedoodle

Designer cross

Australian Shepherd and Poodle cross that combines herding drive with a curly, often merle coat; a cross with no breed status.

Toy–Large · 10–14 years

Schnoodle

Designer cross

Miniature Schnauzer and Poodle cross with a wiry-to-curly coat and a watchful streak; a hybrid without a breed standard.

Toy–Large · 12–15 years

Shih-Poo

Designer cross

Shih Tzu and Toy Poodle cross bred as a small, easygoing lap dog with a fluffy coat; a designer mix, not a registered breed.

Toy · 13–17 years