Breeds
Breed profiles, built for buyers
Evidence-led dog breed profiles: temperament, exercise, health risks, and the gear and diet implications buyers actually need to plan for.
sporting group
Labrador Retriever
Friendly, food-motivated sporting dog bred to retrieve waterfowl. Needs 60+ minutes of daily exercise, is genetically predisposed to obesity and hip/elbow dysplasia, and is one of the easiest breeds to train with positive reinforcement.
herding group
German Shepherd Dog
Working herding breed with high drive, strong handler focus, and a serious need for daily mental and physical work. Genetically predisposed to hip and elbow dysplasia and degenerative myelopathy; needs careful socialization through adolescence and a well-fitted Y-front harness for any pulling work.
non-sporting group
French Bulldog
Small, affectionate companion breed and currently the most-registered dog in the U.S. Brachycephalic conformation drives serious airway, heat-tolerance, dental, and spinal welfare issues, buyers should screen breeders carefully and never use a neck collar for restraint.
sporting group
Golden Retriever
Friendly, trainable sporting dog bred to retrieve waterfowl. Needs 60+ minutes of daily exercise, sheds heavily year-round, and is genetically predisposed to hip/elbow dysplasia and one of the highest lifetime cancer rates of any breed, buy from breeders who screen hips, elbows, eyes, and heart.
non-sporting group
Poodle (Standard)
Highly intelligent, low-shedding retriever in a curly coat. Standard Poodles need 60+ minutes of daily exercise and serious mental work, require professional grooming every 4-6 weeks, and are predisposed to gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat) and Addison's disease.
non-sporting group
Bulldog (English)
Stocky, easygoing companion breed with serious conformation-driven welfare issues. Brachycephalic airway, heat intolerance, skin-fold dermatitis, and a roughly 80% C-section rate at birth are the norm, buyers should screen breeders carefully and never use a neck collar for restraint.
hound group
Beagle
Small, scent-driven pack hound bred to trail rabbits. Needs 60+ minutes of daily exercise, is famously food-motivated and easily obese, and follows its nose past any recall, secure fencing and a long line are baseline gear.
hound group
Dachshund
Small, bold scent hound bred to bolt badgers from earthworks. The long-back, short-leg conformation drives a roughly 1-in-4 lifetime risk of intervertebral disc disease, manage weight strictly, ban jumping from furniture, and use a harness rather than a neck collar.
cat
Domestic Shorthair
The non-pedigreed mixed-ancestry shorthaired cat that makes up the large majority of the U.S. and EU pet cat population. Genetically diverse and generally healthier than narrow-breed cats, but still benefits from indoor housing, environmental enrichment, and routine FLUTD-aware husbandry.
cat
Maine Coon
Large, longhaired North American breed with a dense water-resistant coat and sociable, dog-like temperament. Genetically predisposed to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and hip dysplasia, buy only from breeders who screen both, and budget for weekly grooming.
toy group
Yorkshire Terrier
A 4-7 lb long-coated terrier with a big-dog personality in a toy-dog body. Coat is single (hair, not fur) and needs daily line-brushing or a monthly clip; dental disease and luxating patella are the two lifetime buys to plan around.
working group
Rottweiler
A 80-135 lb Roman-descended working guardian. Confident and biddable in trained hands, physically overwhelming in untrained ones. Plan for hip and elbow screening, joint-supportive gear, and a lifetime training budget from day one.
herding group
Australian Shepherd
A 40-65 lb high-drive stock dog developed in the American West, not Australia. Needs 90+ minutes of daily exercise plus a real thinking job. Under-exercised Aussies redirect the herding drive onto joggers, bikes, and toddlers.
working group
Boxer
A 55-80 lb brachycephalic working breed with the energy of a herding dog and the muzzle length of a bulldog. Heat-sensitive, cancer-prone, and famously exuberant, plan cooling gear, cardiac screening, and 60+ minutes of daily exercise.
herding group
Border Collie
A 30-55 lb working sheepdog widely considered the most trainable and most demanding breed in the AKC. Not a jogging companion, a working partner. If you don't have a job, sport, or 2+ hours of daily structured activity, choose a different breed.
toy group
Chihuahua
A 3-6 lb toy dog from Mexico with the temperament of a much larger terrier. Long-lived (14-16 years is routine), fragile-boned, and prone to dental disease and luxating patella; socialization is the single biggest predictor of adult behavior.
toy group
Shih Tzu
A 9-16 lb brachycephalic toy companion from the Chinese and Tibetan imperial courts. Modest exercise need, high grooming need, and lifetime attention to airway, eye, and dental health.
working group
Great Dane
A 110-175 lb giant working breed with a 7-10 year median lifespan and elevated risks for bloat, dilated cardiomyopathy, and osteosarcoma. A gentle housemate that needs orthopedic support, giant-sized gear, and honest expectations about longevity.
cat
Ragdoll
A large (10-20 lb), semi-longhaired, pointed-pattern cat known for a docile, dog-like temperament and going limp when picked up. Cardiac screening (HCM), a scratching post the size of the adult cat, and weekly comb-outs are the three non-negotiables.
cat
Siamese
A 6-14 lb pointed short-haired cat from Thailand (formerly Siam) known for a loud, expressive voice and intense social bond. Highly interactive, moderately prone to asthma and dental disease, and best kept with a second cat or as a home-office companion.
cat
British Shorthair
A stocky, dense-coated cat of roughly 7 to 17 lb, calm and undemanding, and famously not a lap cat despite the teddy-bear appearance. Cardiac screening for HCM, a PKD1 DNA result from the breeder, and disciplined portion control are the three things that matter, because this is a low-activity breed that gains weight easily.
cat
Persian
A long-coated, flat-faced cat of roughly 7 to 12 lb that requires daily grooming for its entire life, not weekly. Polycystic kidney disease is testable and should be ruled out before purchase, and the flat face brings breathing, tear drainage and dental problems that vary sharply with how extreme the face is.
cat
Bengal
A muscular, spotted cat of roughly 8 to 15 lb with the highest activity demand of any common pedigree breed. Two inherited diseases have DNA tests worth insisting on, PRA-b and pyruvate kinase deficiency, and the honest warning is behavioural: an under-stimulated Bengal is genuinely destructive rather than mildly naughty.
cat
Sphynx
A hairless, warm-skinned cat of roughly 6 to 12 lb that needs regular bathing because there is no coat to absorb skin oils. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the serious concern and is strongly suspected to be inherited in the breed, so cardiac screening of both parents is the question that matters most when buying.
cat
Scottish Fold
A round-faced cat of roughly 6 to 13 lb whose folded ears come from a cartilage defect that also affects the skeleton. The gene that creates the fold causes osteochondrodysplasia, a painful progressive joint disease, and the two cannot be separated by better breeding. We would steer you toward a different breed, and toward vigilance about pain if you already have one.
cat
Norwegian Forest Cat
A large, semi-longhaired cat of roughly 12 to 20 lb that takes four to five years to reach full size. The double coat needs real weekly grooming rather than occasional brushing, and two inherited diseases are worth asking a breeder about directly: familial cardiomyopathy and glycogen storage disease type IV, which has a DNA test.