We’re officially a nations of dog owners, with the UK’s most popular pet living in around one-in-three households (and rising).
That means that there are around three million pooches living here, with more people choosing to join the army of dog lovers every week.
If you are looking to welcome a dog into your family, there are 221 different breeds of pedigree dog to choose from, alongside numerous crossbreeds, so there’s plenty of thinking to do before you select your family’s latest addition.
There’s even academic guidance to seek out, with Psychologist Stanley Coren’s book ‘The Intelligence of Dogs’ ranking breeds by instincts, obedience, and the ability to adapt.
Choosing the right breed is absolutely essential – for example opting for a small dog if you don’t have much room at home.
But if you have the space and don’t mind regular long walks then there’s no reason why you can’t ‘go large’ and get one of the bigger breeds of dog.
Each year the UK Kennel Club releases figures showing how many dogs of each breed have been registered with them, and the stats for 2024 have now been released.
According to those figures, these are the 15 most popular large dog breeds.
13. Weimaraner
Named after the Weimar area of Germany where it originated, the Weimaraner was bred as a hunting dog in the nineteenth century. There were 629 registered by the Kennel Club last year. | Canva/Getty Images
14. Bernese Mountain Dog
Yet another German breed, the mighty Bernese Mountain Dog is the 14th most popular large dog breed, with 623 registrations last year. They originated in the Alps and were used as general farm dogs, occasionally even pulling carts. | Canva/Getty Images
15. Wire Hair Hungarian Vizsla
Completing our list of the 15 most popular large dog breeds is the secind most popular breed of Hungarian Vizsla - the wire hair variety. A total of 532 new puppies were registered with the Kennel Club last year. | Canva/Getty Images