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.
The Utility Group contains breeds that were originally bred for a specific working purpose that is no longer applicable today, along with dogs that simply do not qualify for any of the other six groups.
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 utility dog breeds in the UK.
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1. French Bulldog
The French Bulldog has been challenging the Labrador for the title of Britain's favourite dog in recent years - often appearing in second place. It lagged well behind in 2025 though, with 'just' 7,750 registrations - but it's still the UK's favourite utility breed by a country mile. | Getty Images for Westminster Ken
2. Miniature Schnauzer
Originally bred by German farmers to hunt rats and other vermin, the Miniature Schnauzer is now more at home curled up on a couch. There were 2,956 new puppies registered with the Royal Kennel Club in 2025 putting the breed in 2nd spot when it comes to the most popular utility pet dogs. That's up one place on the year before. | Getty Images
3. Bulldog
The Bulldog is one of the breeds of dog most closely associated with the UK and remains popular - although not as popular as its smaller French cousin. There were 2,711 Bulldog registrations in 2025, giving it the bronze medal for utility breeds - down a place from 2024. | Getty Images
4. Toy Poodle
The Poodle comes in three sizes - standard, miniature and toy - with the diminuative Toy Poodle the most popular with 1,880 Royal Kennel Club registrations in 2025. It's up for debate whether they were first bred in France or Germany, with the toy version often used as circus performers in less enlightened times. | AFP via Getty Images