Dogs come in all shapes and sizes - the Royal Kennel Club (formerly the UK Kennel Club) recognises 221 different pedigree dogs, from Affenpinscher to Yorkshire Terrier (there are sadly no dog breeds starting with the letter ‘z’!).
Then there are all manner of crossbreeds, from so-called ‘designer dogs’ to lovable mongrels.
Each has its own list of positive and negative attributes, and it’s important to take plenty of time to think about what breed will fit into your lifestyle the best - for instance a smaller dog if you live in a flat, or a hypoallergenic dog if the mere mention of dog hair makes you think about sneezing.
There is even scientific research to guide you, in particular psychologist Stanley Coren’s groundbreaking book The Intelligence of Dogs.
The Kennel Club separates breeds into seven different groups, each of which have a particular set of attributes.
If you are looking for an intelligent and courageous dog that will naturally form a close bond with you, then it’s worth considering a breed from the Pastoral Group.
They are dogs that have been bred to herd or guard livestock so they also respond very well to training and are eager to please.
The Kennel Club recently released their breed registration statistics for 2025, revealing how many of each breed of dog were registered with them over the year.
According to those figures, here are the 12 most popular pastoral dog breeds in the UK.
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1. German Shepherd
There's no doubting the top dog when it comes to pastoral breeds - there were 4,278 new German Shepherd registrations with the Kennel Club last year. | Getty Images
2. Border Collie
Named after the area around the England/Scotland border where it was first bred, the Border Collie is the second most popular of the pastoral breeds. There were 1,292 registrations with the Royal Kennel Club in 2025. | Getty Images
3. Welsh Pembroke Corgi
With 758 Royal Kennel Club registrations in 2025, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi is the third most popular breed of pastoral dog. They were originally bred to herd cattle. | Getty Images for OBB Media - FAN
4. Shetland Sheepdog
Originally called the Shetland Collie, confusion with the Rough Collie led to this breed, affectionately known as the Sheltie, being renamed the Shetland Sheepdog. There were 562 new registrations in 2025. | AFP via Getty Images