The most popular British dog breeds

British people are well known to be animal lovers, and as a result, they contributed to the breeding of many of the most famous dog breeds of the world. Beside the English Bulldog and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Britain is home to some extremely popular dog breeds. Below you can read about 6 of them!

Although labradors are originally from Canada, the breeding work done in the UK was equally important in the birth of the modren dog breed (Photo: pixabay.com)

The Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular dog breeds in the world, and is well-known in almost every corner of the Earth. This is no surprise: the sweet and loving nature of this dog makes it a great family pet, while the outstanding intelligence is something that makes Labs great service dogs. It's also their intelligence - and the fact that they have a pretty and friendly face - that makes Labradors so popular in the film industry, and after watching a scene with one of these pooches, many people fall in love with them instantly. While the Labrador Retriever partly originates from Canada - where it was used for fishing -, the breeding work done in the UK also played an important role in the birth of the famous dog breed we all know and love today.

Corgis are intelligent little dogs with extremely cute heads, and a great personality. The Queen famously loves these Welsh dogs - she owned more than 30 of either corgis or so-called dorgies (Corgi-Dachshund crosses). While Corgies are mostly kept as pets nowadays, they used to have a tough job once: working as herding dogs among cattle required bravery, stamina, swiftness, intelligence and a great amount of independence.

Welsh corgis are now popular pets (Photo: pixabay.com / Pexels)

Famous for their beautiful, unique fur, affectionate nature, outstanding stamina and intelligence, Shetland Sheepdogs are the ideal family members for those who love adventures and outdoor activities. They are also one of the stars of several dog sports, such as agility, flyball and dog dancing. Interestingly enough, the modern Sheltie was never used as a herding dog, as border collies were preferred - but its "ancestor", the now extinct Spitz-type working dog of Shetland was once a quite popular a herding dog indeed...

Shelties have a cute, yet majestic appearence (Photo: pixabay.com / Mr_niceshoot)

Being one of the most distinctive-looking dog breeds of the world, the English Bulldog is extremely popular not only as a pet, but also as the "muse" of several mascots, cartoon characters and more. This tough and strong dog was once used for bull baiting, but nowadays Bulldogs are usually kept as pets. With their usually calm nature, characteristic personality and unique looks, these dogs are deer to the heart of many animal enthusiasts.

English bulldogs are popular partly for their unique looks (Photo: pixabay.com / Alain Audet)

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was named after King Charles II of Britain, and thanks to their sweet and affectionate nature and aristocratic looks, these small pooches are still really popular as pets nowadays. Many artists and filmmakers were also inspired by the cute, yet majestic and elegant appearance of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

This small dog has a great personality (Photo: pixabay.com / Alexas_Fotos)

It's no surprise that the Airedale Terrier is often called the "king of terriers": not only its size is unmatched among other terriers, but it's graceful, yet strong appearance also makes this breed stand out from the rest of the terrier world. Airedale Terriers were commonly used as police dogs, but they were originally all around working farm dogs who helped families in many ways around the farms.

The "king of terriers" gained worldwide popularity (Photo: pixabay.com / Sue Porter)

Anita Diós

September 2018