Dogs come in all shapes and sizes - 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.
Dog breeds regularly fall in and out of fashion for myriad reasons and the Royal Kennel Club (formerly the UK Kennel Club) keeps an eye on the numbers by publishing how many dogs of each breeds are registered with them each year.
Their figures for 2025 were recently released and Briefcase PR have been crunching the numbers to see which breeds are rising in popularity the fastest by comparing the data from 2025 with the numbers from the year before.
Here are the 10 dog breeds that are currently enjoying the biggest surge in popularity.
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5. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was already pretty popular in 2024, with 3,132 registrations in 2024. That grew to 3,224 last year - an increase of 92. | AFP via Getty Images
6. Italian Spinone
The Italian Spinone is a fairly rare sight in UK parks, but maybe not for much longer. There were 339 registrations last year with the Royal Kennel Club - that's 82 more than in 2024. | Getty Images
7. Portuguese Water Dog
Another dog that's no longer such a rarity with British owners is the Portuguese Water Dog. Just 107 were registered in 2024. That grew by 74 to 181 last year. | Getty Images
8. Lagotto Romagnolo
The distinctively curly-haired Lagotto Romagnolo has seldom been more popular with 304 registered with the Royal Kennel Club in 2025. That's an increase of 58 on the year before. | AFP via Getty Images