List of Breeds by Group

HERDING GROUP

The Herding Group, created in 1983, is the newest AKC classification; its members were formerly members of the Working Group. All breeds share the fabulous ability to control the movement of other animals. A remarkable example is the low-set Corgi, perhaps one foot tall at the shoulders, which can drive a herd of cows many times its size to pasture by leaping and nipping at their heels. The vast majority of Herding dogs, as household pets, never cross paths with a farm animal. Nevertheless, pure instinct prompts many of these dogs to gently herd their owners, especially the children of the family. In general, these intelligent dogs make excellent companions and respond beautifully to training exercises.

1. Australian Cattle Dog
2. Australian Shepherd
3. Bearded Collie
4. Beauceron
5. Belgian Laekenois
6. Belgian Malinois
7. Belgian Sheepdog
8. Belgian Tervuren
9. Bergamasco
10. Berger Picard
11. Border Collie
12. Bouvier des Flandres
13. Briard
14. Canaan Dog
15. Cardigan Welsh Corgi
16. Collie
17. Entlebucher Mountain Dog
18. Finnish Lapphund
19. German Shepherd Dog
20. Icelandic Sheepdog
21. Lancashire Heeler
22. Miniature American Shepherd
23. Mudi
24. Norwegian Buhund
25. Old English Sheepdog
26. Pembroke Welsh Corgi
27. Polish Lowland Sheepdog
28. Puli
29. Pumi
30. Pyrenean Shepherd
31. Shetland Sheepdog
32. Spanish Water Dog
33. Swedish Vallhund

HOUND GROUP

Most hounds share the common ancestral trait of being used for hunting. Some use acute scenting powers to follow a trail. Others demonstrate a phenomenal gift of stamina as they relentlessly run down quarry. Beyond this, however, generalizations about hounds are hard to come by, since the Group encompasses quite a diverse lot. There are Pharaoh Hounds, Norwegian Elkhounds, Afghans and Beagles, among others. Some hounds share the distinct ability to produce a unique sound known as baying. You’d best sample this sound before you decide to get a hound of your own to be sure it’s your cup of tea.

1. Afghan Hound
2. American English Coonhound
3. American Foxhound
4. Azawakh
5. Basenji
6. Basset Hound
7. Beagle
8. Black and Tan Coonhound
9. Bloodhound
10. Bluetick Coonhound
11. Borzoi
12. Cirneco Dell’Etna
13. Dachshund
14. English Foxhound
15. Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen
16. Greyhound
17. Harrier
18. Ibizan Hound
19. Irish Wolfhound
20. Norwegian Elkhound
21. Otterhound
22. Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
23. Pharaoh Hound
24. Plott Hound
25. Portuguese Podengo Pequeno
26. Redbone Coonhound
27. Rhodesian Ridgeback
28. Saluki
29. Scottish Deerhound
30. Sloughi
31. Treeing Walker Coonhound
32. Whippet

TOY GROUP

The diminutive size and winsome expressions of Toy dogs illustrate the main function of this Group: to embody sheer delight. Don’t let their tiny stature fool you, though – – many Toys are tough as nails. If you haven’t yet experienced the barking of an angry Chihuahua, for example, well, just wait. Toy dogs will always be popular with city dwellers and people without much living space. They make ideal apartment dogs and terrific lap warmers on nippy nights. (Incidentally, small breeds may be found in every Group, not just the Toy Group. We advise everyone to seriously consider getting a small breed, when appropriate, if for no other reason than to minimize some of the problems inherent in canines such as shedding, creating messes and cost of care. And training aside, it’s still easier to control a ten-pound dog than it is one ten times that size.)

1. Affenpinscher
2. Biewer Terrier
3. Brussels Griffon
4. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
5. Chihuahua
6. Chinese Crested
7. English Toy Spaniel
8. Havanese
9. Italian Greyhound
10. Japanese Chin
11. Maltese
12. Manchester Terrier
13. Miniature Pinscher
14. Papillon
15. Pekingese
16. Pomeranian
17. Poodle (Toy)
18. Pug
19. Russian Toy
20. Shih Tzu
21. Silky Terrier
22. Toy Fox Terrier
23. Yorkshire Terrier

NON-SPORTING GROUP

Non-sporting dogs are a diverse group. Here are sturdy animals with as different personalities and appearances as the Chow Chow, Dalmatian, French Bulldog, and Keeshond. Talk about differences in size, coat, and visage! Some, like the Schipperke and Tibetan Spaniel are uncommon sights in the average neighborhood. Others, however, like the Poodle and Lhasa Apso, have quite a large following. The breeds in the Non-Sporting Group are a varied collection in terms of size, coat, personality and overall appearance.

1. American Eskimo Dog
2. Bichon Frise
3. Boston Terrier
4. Bulldog
5. Chinese Shar-Pei
6. Chow Chow
7. Coton De Tulear
8. Dalmatian
9. Finnish Spitz
10. French Bulldog
11. Keeshond
12. Lhasa Apso
13. Lowchen
14. Norwegian Lundhund
15. Poodle
16. Schipperke
17. Shiba Inu
18. Tibetan Spaniel
19. Tibetan Terrier
20. Xoloitzcuintli

SPORTING GROUP

Naturally active and alert, Sporting dogs make likeable, well-rounded companions. Members of the Group include pointers, retrievers, setters and spaniels. Remarkable for their instincts in water and woods, many of these breeds actively continue to participate in hunting and other field activities. Potential owners of Sporting dogs need to realize that most require regular, invigorating exercise.

1. American Water Spaniel
2. Barbet
3. Boykin Spaniel
4. Bracco Italiano
5. Brittany
6. Chesapeake Bay Retriever
7. Clumber Spaniel
8. Cocker Spaniel
9. Curly-Coated Retriever
10. English Cocker Spaniel
11. English Setter
12. English Springer Spaniel
13. Field Spaniel
14. Flat-Coated Retriever
15. German Shorthaired Pointer
16. German Wirehaired Pointer
17. Golden Retriever
18. Gordon Setter
19. Irish Red and White Setter
20. Irish Setter
21. Irish Water Spaniel
22. Labrador Retriever
23. Lagotto Romagnolo
24. Nederlandse Kooikerhondje
25. Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
26. Pointer
27. Spinone Italiano
28. Sussex Spaniel
29. Vizsla
30. Weimaraner
31. Welsh Springer Spaniel
32. Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
33. Wirehaired Vizsla

TERRIER GROUP

People familiar with this Group invariably comment on the distinctive terrier personality. These are feisty, energetic dogs whose sizes range from fairly small, as in the Norfolk, Cairn or West Highland White Terrier, to the grand Airedale Terrier. Terriers typically have little tolerance for other animals, including other dogs. Their ancestors were bred to hunt and kill vermin. Many continue to project the attitude that they’re always eager for a spirited argument. Most terriers have wiry coats that require special grooming known as stripping in order to maintain a characteristic appearance. In general, they make engaging pets, but require owners with the determination to match their dogs’ lively characters.

1. Airedale Terrier
2. American Hairless Terrier
3. American Staffordshire Terrier
4. Australian Terrier
5. Bedlington Terrier
6. Border Terrier
7. Bull Terrier
8. Cairn Terrier
9. Cesky Terrier
10. Dandie Dinmont Terrier
11. Glen of Imaal Terrier
12. Irish Terrier
13. Kerry Blue Terrier
14. Lakeland Terrier
15. Manchester Terrier
16. Miniature Bull Terrier
17. Miniature Schnauzer
18. Norfolk Terrier
19. Norwich Terrier
20. Parson Russell Terrier
21. Rat Terrier
22. Russell Terrier
23. Scottish Terrier
24. Sealyham Terrier
25. Skye Terrier
26. Smooth Fox Terrier
27. Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
28. Staffordshire Bull Terrier
29. Welsh Terrier
30. West Highland White Terrier
31. Wire Fox Terrier

WORKING GROUP

Dogs of the Working Group were bred to perform such jobs as guarding property, pulling sleds and performing water rescues. They have been invaluable assets to man throughout the ages. The Doberman Pinscher, Siberian Husky and Great Dane are included in this Group, to name just a few. Quick to learn, these intelligent, capable animals make solid companions. Their considerable dimensions and strength alone, however, make many working dogs unsuitable as pets for average families. And again, by virtue of their size alone, these dogs must be properly trained.

1. Akita
2. Alaskan Malamute
3. Anatolian Shepherd Dog
4. Bernese Mountain Dog
5. Black Russian Terrier
6. Boerboel
7. Boxer
8. Bullmastiff
9. Cane Corso
10. Chinook
11. Doberman Pinscher
12. Dogo Argentino
13. Dogue de Bordeaux
14. German Pinscher
15. Giant Schnauzer
16. Great Dane
17. Great Pyrenees
18. Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
19. Komondor
20. Kuvasz
21. Leonberger
22. Mastiff
23. Neapolitan Mastiff
24. Newfoundland
25. Portuguese Water Dog
26. Rottweiler
27. Saint Bernard
28. Samoyed
29. Siberian Husky
30. Standard Schnauzer
31. Tibetan Mastiff

MISCELLANEOUS CLASS

The breeds currently eligible to participate in the Miscellaneous Class are still enrolled in the AKC Foundation Stock Service®. FSS® enrollment is maintained until the AKC Board of Directors accepts the breed for regular status. Authorities acknowledge that throughout the world there are several hundred distinct breeds of purebred dogs, not all of which are AKC recognized breeds. Those officially recognized for AKC registration appear in the Stud Book of the American Kennel Club. The AKC provides for a regular path of development for a new breed, which may result in that breed’s full recognition and appearance in the official Stud Book as an AKC recognized breed.

1. Danish-Swedish Farmdog
2. Basset Fauve de Bretagne
3. Dutch Shepherd
4. Japanese Akitainu
5. Kai Ken
6. Norrbottenspets
7. Peruvian Inca Orchid
8. Portuguese Podengo
9. Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka
10. Small Musterlander Pointer
11. Teddy Roosevelt Terrier

FOUNDATION STOCK SERVICE

Each of the following breeds has been accepted for recording in the AKC Foundation Stock Service®. The AKC provides this service to allow these purebred breeds to continue to develop while providing them with the security of a reliable and reputable avenue to maintain their records. FSS® breeds are not eligible for AKC registration. Most of the FSS breeds are approved to compete in AKC Companion Events. Contact information is available for a majority of the Foundation Stock Service® breeds. The AKC does not recommend one club over another. None of the clubs are affiliated with the AKC at this time (except for the Coonhound national breed clubs).

1. Alaskan Klee Kai
2. American Bulldog
3. American Leopard Hound
4. Appenzeller Sennenhund
5. Australian Kelpie
6. Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog
7. Barbado da Terceira
8. Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound
9. Bohemian Shepherd
10. Bolognese
11. Braque de Bourbonnais
12. Braque Francais Pyrenean
13. Braque Saint-Germain
14. Brazilian Terrier
15. Broholmer
16. Carolina Dog
17. Catahoula Leopard Dog
18. Caucasian Shepherd Dog
19. Central Asian Shepherd Dog
20. Croatian Sheepdog
21. Czechoslovakian Vlack
22. Deutscher Wachtelhund 
23. Drentsche Patrijshond
24. Drever
25. Estrela Mountain Dog
26. Eurasier
27. French Spaniel
28. German Longhaired Pointer
29. German Spitz
30. Hamiltonstovare
31. Hanoverian Scenthound
32. Hokkaido
33. Hovawart
34. Jagdterrier
35. Japanese Terrier
36. Jindo
37. Karelian Bear Dog
38. Kishu Ken
39. Kromfohrlander
40. Lapponian Herder
41. Mountain Cur
42. Perro de Presa Canario
43. Pont-Audemer Spaniel
44. Porcelaine
45. Portuguese Pointer
46. Portuguese Sheepdog
47. Pudelpointer
48. Pyrenean Mastiff
49. Rafeiro de Alentejo
50. Romanian Carpathian Shepherd
51. Romanian Mioritic Shepherd Dog
52. Schapendoes
53. Segugio Italiano
54. Shikoku
55. Slovakian Wirehaired Pointer
56. Slovensky Cuvac
57. Slovensky Kopov
58. Spanish Mastiff
59. Stabyhoun
60. Swedish Lapphund
61. Taiwan Dog
62. Thai Ridgeback
63. Tornjak
64. Tosa
65. Transylvanian Hound
66. Treeing Tennessee Brindle
67. Volpino Italiano
68. Wetterhoun
69. Working Kelpie
70. Yakutian Laika