Which Dog Breed Is Right for You?
Dog breeds that are good with kids, suit an apartment or a first-time owner, shed little or bark little — from the American Kennel Club's ratings of 54 breeds. A breed is listed only where its rating gives a clear answer.
👨👩👧 Kids
Dog breeds good with kids (36)
- Australian Shepherd
- Basset Hound
- Beagle
- Bernese Mountain Dog
- Bichon Frise
- Border Terrier
- Boston Terrier
- Boxer
- Cardigan Welsh Corgi
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Cocker Spaniel
- Doberman Pinscher
- Flat-Coated Retriever
- French Bulldog
- German Shepherd
- German Shorthaired Pointer
- Golden Retriever
- Havanese
- Irish Setter
- Labrador Retriever
- Miniature Schnauzer
- Newfoundland
- Papillon
- Poodle
- Pug
- Rhodesian Ridgeback
- Saint Bernard
- Samoyed
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Shih Tzu
- Siberian Husky
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
- Vizsla
- Weimaraner
- West Highland White Terrier
- Whippet
Not ideal with young kids (1)
🐕 Other dogs
Good with other dogs (26)
- Basset Hound
- Beagle
- Bernese Mountain Dog
- Bichon Frise
- Boston Terrier
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Cocker Spaniel
- Dachshund
- English Springer Spaniel
- Flat-Coated Retriever
- French Bulldog
- German Shorthaired Pointer
- Golden Retriever
- Havanese
- Irish Setter
- Irish Wolfhound
- Italian Greyhound
- Labrador Retriever
- Newfoundland
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi
- Pug
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Shih Tzu
- Siberian Husky
- Vizsla
- Whippet
Often best as the only dog (3)
🌱 First-time owners
Good for first-time owners (17)
Better with an experienced owner (1)
🏢 Apartments
Can suit an apartment (10)
🧹 Shedding
Heavy shedders (8)
🔊 Barking
Vocal breeds (18)
Ratings from the American Kennel Club's breed pages (1–5): listed as "yes" at 4–5 and "no" at 1–2, and only when our own breed rating doesn't point the other way. Every dog is an individual.