Dogs come in all shapes and sizes - the UK Kennel Club recognises 221 different pedigree dogs, from the Affenpinscher to the Yorkshire Terrier.
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.
And there are some breeds of dog that everybody seems to have heard of - even those of us who have never welcomed a pooch into our homes.
Polling company YouGov have been busy asking people which dog breeds people have heard of - with fewer than one-in-five people having heard of a breed like the Cirneco dell'Etna.
At the other end of the scale, here are the 14 breeds that most people have heard of, according to latest data from 2025.
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9. Staffordshire Bull Terrier
The loyal Staffy is the UK's most popular breed of terrier - with the UK Kennel Club having a healthy 5,447 new registrations last year. They were first bred in the 19th century in Birmingham and in the Black Country of Staffordshire, and today 94 per cent of people say they have heard of them. | Canva/Getty Images
10. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
93 per cent of people have heard of the big-eyed Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. These long-eared characters were bred to resemble King Charles II's spaniel of the English Civil War period. His supporters at that time were called Cavaliers and the two were combined to create the doggy name. | Canva/Getty Images
11. Great Dane
Given its size, it's perhaps unsurprising that 93 per cent of people have heard of the Great Dane - along with the Irish Wolfhound, it's one of the two largest breeds of dog in the world. The German breed was originally used to hunt bears, wild boar, and deer. | Canva/Getty Images
12. Collie
One of three dogs tied on a 92 per cent recognisability rating is the clever Collie. They were developed in Scotland and the North of England to herd sheep. When we're talking Collies, we specifically mean Rough Collies - the type of dog that television star 'Lassie' was. What's that boy? Timmy's stuck down the well? | Canva/Getty Images