# Types of Dogs

> Types of dogs are grouping systems, not a single official list. Kennel clubs sort registered pedigree dogs by FCI, Kennel Club or AKC groups. Size and working role are different cuts of the same animals. Most of the world’s dogs are village or street dogs with no breed. Wild canids such as wolves, red foxes and African wild dogs are not types of domestic dog. WARN publishes 50 breed guides plus a street-dog guide — not a 400-breed catalogue.

Source: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/dog-breeds/types-of-dogs/
Last reviewed: 2026-08-25

## In brief

People searching “types of dogs” usually want a map of how dogs are grouped — kennel-club classes, size, jobs — not another popularity ranking. This page is that map. It is not a census of every recognised breed, and it does not pretend street dogs are a breed you can buy.

## At a glance

- 10: FCI pedigree groups
- 7: UK Kennel Club / AKC groups
- 50: WARN full breed guides
- 1: Street-dog species guide

FCI, Kennel Club and AKC counts are registry conventions for pedigree dogs. They are not a census of Canis familiaris. WARN’s 50 is a library size, not a claim that only 50 breeds exist.

## This is not the right page if you want

- A ranked list of the most popular pedigree breeds. That is /dog-breeds/most-popular/.
- A 200–400 breed kennel-club catalogue. WARN publishes 50 full breed guides, not every recognised breed.
- To buy a puppy from this page. WARN does not sell dogs.
- To adopt a kennel pet into your home. Local rehoming is /directory/.
- A field guide to wolves, foxes or African wild dogs pretending they are dog breeds. Those are wild canids — /wildlife-guides/wolf/, /wildlife-guides/fox/, /wildlife-guides/african-wild-dog/.
- Gift Aid or a UK charity receipt from WARN — that is /about/registration-status/.

## How to tell which type of dog you are looking at

Decide whether you need a kennel-club group, a size band, a working role, or an honest account of village dogs. Then open the matching WARN list or guide. Do not treat a grouping system as a shopping recommendation.

1. **Decide which grouping job you need** — Stay here if you wanted types of dogs as a taxonomy. If you wanted “most popular dog breeds”, stop and open /dog-breeds/most-popular/. If you wanted a local rescue dog, open /directory/. If you wanted wild canids, open the wolf, red fox or African wild dog guides.
2. **Pick a system: kennel club, size, or job** — FCI uses ten groups for registered pedigree dogs. The UK Kennel Club uses seven. Size bands (small, large) and roles (guard, family, first-time) are different cuts of WARN’s 50-breed library. None of those systems covers street dogs.
3. **Open the matching list or species guide** — Size and role pages live under /dog-breeds/. The domestic dog species guide is /wildlife-guides/dog/. Street dogs — the same species, no breed — are /wildlife-guides/street-dog/.
4. **Give if you want to fund dogs that have no breed** — WARN funds CNVR for street dogs in the partner network, not a kennel. Use /appeals/karachi-dogs/ or /donate/. You do not get a named pedigree dog. Gift Aid is not available.

## Types of dogs versus breed lists versus the street-dog guide

| Feature | This types page | Breed collection lists | Street-dog guide |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Job | Taxonomy of grouping systems | A cut of 50 pedigree guides | Dogs with no breed |
| Kennel-club catalogue | No — explains groups only | No — 50 names, not 400 | Not applicable |
| Wild canids | Explicitly excluded | Excluded | Excluded |
| Checkout | No — /donate/ or Karachi appeal | Appeal block on those pages | Related appeal where stated |

## FCI ten groups (pedigree dogs)

| Group | Name | What it is for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs) | German Shepherd, Border Collie, Pembroke Welsh Corgi — herding work, not a size class. |
| 2 | Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossoid, Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs | Rottweiler, Boxer, Doberman, Great Dane, Mastiff, Schnauzer. |
| 3 | Terriers | Breeds selected to go to ground after vermin — temperament is not “small and easy”. |
| 4 | Dachshunds | A group of one shape: the dachshund types, not a dump of all short-legged dogs. |
| 5 | Spitz and primitive types | Northern and primitive breeds — including several that are poor first dogs. |
| 6 | Scent hounds and related breeds | Pack-hunting scent hounds. Beagle sits in this job, not in “family” as a biology. |
| 7 | Pointing Dogs | Continental pointers and setters selected to find game birds. |
| 8 | Retrievers, Flushing Dogs, Water Dogs | Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Cocker Spaniel, Poodle. |
| 9 | Companion and Toy Dogs | French Bulldog and other companion types — popular is not the same as robust. |
| 10 | Sighthounds | Greyhound, Whippet, Afghan Hound — sight-chasing specialists. |

### UK Kennel Club (seven groups)

Hound, Working, Terrier, Gundog, Pastoral, Utility, Toy. Same registered-dog job as FCI, different drawers. A breed can sit in one KC group and a different FCI group.

### American Kennel Club (seven groups, plus miscellaneous)

Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, Herding. AKC rankings are registration volume in the United States, not a global quality score and not a WARN ranking.


## Size and working lists on WARN

- [Small dogs](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/dog-breeds/small-dog-breeds/) — Size band from WARN’s 50 guides — not a kennel-club group.
- [Large dogs](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/dog-breeds/large-dog-breeds/) — Size band including giant breeds in the same library.
- [Guard dogs](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/dog-breeds/guard-dogs/) — Editorial list of breeds used in protection work.
- [Family dogs](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/dog-breeds/family-dogs/) — Editorial list — breed shifts the odds, not a child-safety guarantee.
- [First-time owners](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/dog-breeds/first-time-owners/) — Forgiving breeds; an adult rescue is often easier than any puppy.
- [Most popular](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/dog-breeds/most-popular/) — Registration and ownership volume — fashion, not suitability.

## What are types of dogs?

Types of dogs are overlapping grouping systems for Canis familiaris: kennel-club classes for registered pedigree dogs, size bands, historical working jobs, and the much larger set of village, street and mixed dogs that no registry tracks. There is no single official list.

“Types of dogs” is not the same search as “dog breeds”. A breed is a closed, named breeding population with a written standard. A type is a drawer you put dogs into — by skull, by job, by size, or by whether anyone bothered to register them. Most dogs on Earth are not in a drawer with a championship.
WARN’s 50 breed guides are the most-searched pedigree names, each with size, lifespan, temperament and health. They are not the Fédération Cynologique Internationale’s full register, and they are not a shopping catalogue. The domestic dog species guide is /wildlife-guides/dog/.

## What are the FCI types of dogs?

The Fédération Cynologique Internationale groups recognised pedigree breeds into ten groups, from sheepdogs to sighthounds. Those groups apply to registered dogs with a breed standard. They do not classify street dogs, and WARN does not republish the FCI’s full breed list.

FCI is one convention. The UK Kennel Club and the AKC use seven groups each, with different names and memberships. A Labrador Retriever is a retriever (FCI Group 8, KC Gundog, AKC Sporting). A German Shepherd is a sheepdog (FCI Group 1, KC Pastoral, AKC Herding). The same animal, three filing cabinets.
Examples in the table below are breeds WARN already guides, or jobs the group is for. They are not a claim that WARN has mapped all 50 guides to an FCI number, and they are not kennel-club sales ranks. If you needed the official FCI nomenclature, that lives on the FCI site, not here.

## What about size and working types of dogs?

Size (toy through giant) and working role (herding, guarding, retrieving, companion) are practical types people actually live with. WARN publishes those as separate lists over the same 50 guides, each stating how it was compiled.

Size is recorded on each breed guide, so small and large lists are filters, not vibes. Guard, family and first-time lists are editorial selections — the page says so — because “good with children” is not a structured field you can sort without lying.
Trainability and exercise need follow working history more than size. A Border Collie needs more work than many giant breeds. A bored herding dog in a flat is not a type of companion dog just because someone hoped it would be.

## Are village dogs and street dogs a type of dog?

Yes — they are the global majority of Canis familiaris, landrace and mixed dogs living with or alongside people without a kennel-club breed. They are the same species as a Labrador. They are not a breed you order, and they are not “no type”.

Kennel-club pages quietly skip this. An estimated 200 million or more dogs live as street or community dogs. WHO-endorsed Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (CNVR) is the public-health response that works; poisoning and culling do not. WARN’s street-dog guide is /wildlife-guides/street-dog/. The live appeal is /appeals/karachi-dogs/.
Calling every mixed dog a “type of mongrel” as if that were a breed standard is a category error. Free-ranging dogs have ecology, disease risk and welfare needs. They do not have a breed ring.

## Are wolves, foxes and wild dogs types of dogs?

No. Domestic dogs are Canis familiaris (sometimes still listed as Canis lupus familiaris). Wolves, red foxes and African wild dogs are wild canids with their own IUCN assessments. They are relatives, not kennel types.

A wolf is not an unregistered German Shepherd. An African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) is not a feral pet. A red fox is Vulpes vulpes, not a toy breed. WARN publishes those as wildlife guides: /wildlife-guides/wolf/, /wildlife-guides/fox/, /wildlife-guides/african-wild-dog/.
Dingoes are a separate taxonomic argument (Canis dingo vs a domestic lineage) that this page does not settle. WARN does not currently publish a dingo breed guide, so this URL will not invent one.

## How many types or breeds of dog are there?

Kennel clubs recognise somewhere between about 200 and 400 pedigree breeds depending on the registry. There is no single global list. WARN publishes full guides to 50 of the most searched breeds, plus the domestic dog and street-dog species pages.

“How many types of dogs” and “how many dog breeds” get used interchangeably in search. The honest split: types are grouping systems; breeds are named populations. Village dogs sit outside both counts.
WARN funds partner-led rescue in 17 countries. That work is mostly street dogs, working equids and wildlife — not a breed club. Reading this page is free either way.

## Frequently asked questions

### What are the types of dogs?

Types of dogs are grouping systems: FCI’s ten pedigree groups, the UK Kennel Club’s seven groups, the AKC’s seven groups, size bands, historical working jobs, and village or street dogs that no registry tracks. There is no single official typology. Wild canids are not types of domestic dog.

### How many types of dogs are there?

It depends which system you mean. FCI uses ten groups for recognised pedigree breeds. The UK Kennel Club and AKC each use seven. Size and role cut the same animals differently. Kennel clubs recognise roughly 200–400 breeds. Most dogs on Earth are not in those counts because they are village or street dogs.

### What are the FCI dog groups?

The Fédération Cynologique Internationale files recognised pedigree breeds into ten groups: sheepdogs and cattle dogs; pinschers, schnauzers and molossoids; terriers; dachshunds; spitz and primitive types; scent hounds; pointing dogs; retrievers, flushing and water dogs; companion and toy dogs; and sighthounds. Those groups do not include street dogs.

### Is a street dog a type of dog?

Yes. Street dogs, village dogs and other free-ranging dogs are Canis familiaris — the same species as pedigree pets — living without a breed standard. They are the global majority. They are not a kennel-club group. WARN’s guide is /wildlife-guides/street-dog/; CNVR in Karachi is /appeals/karachi-dogs/.

### Are wolves a type of dog?

No. Wolves are wild Canis, not a kennel type of domestic dog. Red foxes are Vulpes. African wild dogs are Lycaon pictus. Relatives, not breeds. Open /wildlife-guides/wolf/, /wildlife-guides/fox/ and /wildlife-guides/african-wild-dog/ for those species. Do not buy a wild canid as a pet.

### What is the difference between a dog type and a dog breed?

A breed is a named, closed breeding population with a written standard and (usually) a registry. A type is a filing drawer — by group, size or job — that can hold several breeds, or hold dogs that have no breed at all. Searching “types of dogs” and “dog breeds” is not the same job.

### Which type of dog is best for families?

No type is automatically safe with children. WARN’s family-dog list is an editorial cut of the 50-breed library, not a guarantee: /dog-breeds/family-dogs/. Supervision and training decide outcomes. An adult rescue whose temperament is already known is often a better family dog than a fashionable puppy.

### Does WARN list every dog breed?

No. WARN publishes 50 full breed guides — the most searched names — at /dog-breeds/ and /wildlife-guides/dog/. Kennel clubs recognise a few hundred. This types page explains grouping systems. It does not dump unsourced extra breed names to look complete.

### What type of dog should I get?

Start from the household: daily exercise you will actually do, space, grooming, noise, and how many years you can plan for. Then use size and first-time-owner lists, or adopt via /directory/. Popularity and FCI group number do not answer that. Buying a puppy of a hyped companion type often funds volume breeding.

### Are designer crossbreeds a type of dog?

They are marketed types, not kennel-club groups. A named cross is two (or more) breeds, not a third breed with a stable standard. Health and size are less predictable than a closed breed, not more. This page will not rank designer names as official types.

### Is a gift from this page Gift Aid eligible?

No. Gift Aid is only available to UK registered charities. World Animal Rescue Network is a registered global not-for-profit animal welfare organisation, not a registered charity. International donors should check their own local rules. Full detail is at /about/registration-status/. Street-dog CNVR is /appeals/karachi-dogs/. You still receive a payment receipt from /donate/.

### Where should I go after this types of dogs page?

For pedigree cuts, open /dog-breeds/. For one breed, open /wildlife-guides/dog/ and pick a name. For dogs with no breed, open /wildlife-guides/street-dog/. For wild canids, open wolf, red fox or African wild dog. To give, use /donate/ or the Karachi appeal — not a named puppy.

### Do kennel-club types apply in every country?

No. FCI, the UK Kennel Club and the AKC disagree on names, group membership and which breeds exist. National registries add more splits. A group number is a filing convention for shows and studbooks. It is not a biological law and it is not WARN’s ranking.

### How do I donate after reading about types of dogs?

This page has no checkout form. If you want to fund dogs that have no breed, open /appeals/karachi-dogs/ or /donate/. Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay. You do not get a named pedigree animal. Cancel a monthly gift any time. Do not post parcels from Britain unless a partner asked in writing.

## Sources

- [Fédération Cynologique Internationale — breeds nomenclature](https://www.fci.be/en/nomenclature/) — Ten-group system for recognised pedigree breeds
- [The Kennel Club — breed information centre](https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/breeds-a-to-z/) — UK seven-group system
- [American Kennel Club — dog breeds](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/) — US groups and registration context; not a global rank
- [WHO — rabies and dog population management](https://www.who.int/health-topics/rabies) — Street dogs and CNVR as public-health practice
- [WARN editorial standards](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/about/editorial-standards/) — Sourcing hierarchy, corrections and AI disclosure

Donate: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/ · Street dogs: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/karachi-dogs/