Best Dog Breed

Dogs have been selectively bred for longer than most countries have existed, which is why the differences between these animals are so much larger than the differences between cat breeds.

Almost every breed here was designed to do a job. Border collies were built to move sheep and will move your furniture instead if given nothing else. Dachshunds were shaped to go down badger holes, which explains both the body and the attitude. Retrievers were bred to bring back shot birds without damaging them, and the soft mouth turned out to make excellent family dogs entirely by accident. Huskies were built to run for a very long time and have never been told the job ended.

Thirty-two breeds qualified, competing for one spot on a sofa. Looks count, temperament counts, and so does the amount of chaos you are prepared to sign up for.

There is a real tension in this bracket between the dog people love and the dog people could actually live with. Great Danes and huskies do well on sight and rather worse once the voter thinks about a flat.