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Puppy breeds:
All the top puppy breeds from
around the world
Choose your next furry companion from among the world's
top puppy breeds - and here's some valuable information to
help you do that.
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So you know you're ready to
buy a puppy and you've read all about
choosing a dog breed.
Now you're ready to do your breed research! Here
PuppyPrimer.com introduces you to some of the word's most
popular dog breeds. 
On this page:
So
many different dogs ...
Dog
breeds and their groups
Which group of dogs should I
consider?
So many
different dogs ...
There are about 200
recognised dog breeds in the world today - so somewhere
out there you should be able to find the one that perfectly suits you
and your lifestyle!
Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, with different
personalities and different characteristics.
Most of these differences are due to the different purposes
the dogs were originally bred for.
For example, retrievers like labradors were bred to find
a shot bird, pick it up gently in their mouths and bring it back to
their master.
Although most labradors today spend their time in the
suburbs and never go hunting, they still love to race off and pick up a
thrown object and carry it lovingly back to you.
You can take advantage
of this characteristic by teaching your retrieving dog to bring you
your slippers or your car keys!
But no matter what their original purpose, the popular
puppy breeds (like labradors, golden retrievers, poodles
and terriers)
all owe their popularity today to their ability to get on with their
human friends.
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Dog breeds and their groups
Dog breeds are usually divided into groups that give
some idea of the purpose they were bred for.
In most countries, these groups are:
US
- Sporting (usually
hunting dogs, such as pointers, retrievers, setters and spaniels)
- Hounds (hunting
dogs, especially those who like to run or follow a scent)
- Working (usually
large dogs bred to guard, pull sleds and perform rescues)
- Terriers
(dogs originally bred to hunt vermin)
- Toys (small dogs
whose main purpose in life is to be a companion)
- Non-sporting (dogs
of all sizes that don't seem to fit in any other group!)
- Herding (dogs with
the ability to control, or herd, other animals)
UK
- Hounds
- Gundogs (dogs bred to
find live game
and, usually, to retrieve game)
- Terriers
- Utility
(dogs bred for a purpose other than hunting, eg fighting,
personal guarding)
- Working
(dogs bred
for guarding or rescue)
- Pastoral
(dogs bred
to herd cattle or sheep or other cloven-footed animals)
- Toys
Australia
- Toys
- Terriers
- Gundogs
- Hounds
- Working dogs
(includes herding dogs and dogs used to guard other animals)
- Utility (dogs bred
for guarding and rescue)
- Non-sporting
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Which group
of dogs should I consider?
The breed groups give an indication of the temperament
and exercise requirements of the different puppy breeds and you should
consider these characteristics when you go out to buy a puppy.
For example, dogs in the Sporting or Gundog groups like
regular, vigorous exercise and love to go out for a run or long walks
in the country.
Terriers
are lively dogs with a mind of their own but are intelligent and
resourceful.
Herding
dogs (herding, pastoral
or working
groups) will often round up
children, chickens and kittens in the absence of sheep or cows! They
are usually very intelligent and
trainable, and are very good at reading body language.
Hounds often
love to run and follow a
scent so you'll need good fencing to keep them in.
Toys
make excellent small companions and usually don't need much exercise
but care must be taken not to let them get fat or become fussy eaters.
Of all the puppy breeds, those in the Toys group are generally the
cheapest to feed and need the least space.
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