Dogs Australia (the Australian National Kennel Council) is the national body for pedigree dogs in Australia. It publishes registration figures for every breed, year by year from 2018 to 2025, in a table called the National Animal Registration Analysis, but it does not publish a ranking. We sorted its 2025 column ourselves. The Golden Retriever comes first with 3,776 registrations, followed by the Labrador Retriever with 3,672 and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier with 2,757.
These numbers count pedigree dogs registered with Dogs Australia during 2025, 47,288 in all, mostly puppies. Many Australian dogs are crossbreeds or were never registered with a kennel club, and local councils keep their own pet registers, which are a different count altogether. So the list shows demand for particular pedigree breeds, not how many dogs of each breed live in Australia. We also follow the club's table in listing some varieties separately: the long stock coat German Shepherd Dog has its own row, and Poodles are split by size.
Top 10 breeds in 2025
No. 1: Golden Retriever
A gentle, eager-to-please family dog with a long coat that sheds a lot and needs regular brushing.
No. 2: Labrador Retriever
A friendly, food-loving retriever that needs daily exercise and is widely used as an assistance dog.
No. 3: Staffordshire Bull Terrier
A muscular, people-loving terrier of medium size, known for its affection toward its family.
No. 4: Border Collie
A highly intelligent, intense herding dog that needs a lot of physical and mental work every day.
No. 5: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
A gentle, affectionate small spaniel that adapts to most homes and enjoys both walks and sofas.
No. 6: English Cocker Spaniel
Listed in Australia simply as the Cocker Spaniel, it has climbed from No. 11 in 2018 to No. 6 in 2025.
No. 7: German Shepherd Dog
Dogs Australia lists the long stock coat German Shepherd separately (664 in 2025); counted together, the two would total 2,147 and rank No. 4.
No. 8: Australian Shepherd
Despite its name, a herding breed developed in the United States; it has risen from No. 14 in 2018 to No. 8.
No. 9: Rottweiler
A powerful, confident guardian breed that is devoted to its family and needs early training and socialization.
No. 10: Miniature Schnauzer
A small, sturdy and alert dog with a beard and eyebrows and a wiry coat that needs regular trimming.
Reading this year’s list
The top three were the same as in 2024. The Golden Retriever first overtook the Labrador in 2024, by just 31 registrations (3,558 to 3,527), and widened the gap to 104 in 2025. Before that the Labrador had been No. 1 in every year of the table, from 2018 to 2023. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, No. 2 from 2018 to 2021, has been No. 3 since 2022, and its registrations fell from 3,199 to 2,757, the biggest drop in numbers among the top 10.
Lower down, the same ten breeds made the list as in 2024, with small moves. The English Cocker Spaniel rose from No. 7 to No. 6. The German Shepherd Dog, level with the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel on 1,721 in 2024, slipped to No. 7 with 1,483. That figure leaves out the long stock coat German Shepherd (664), which Dogs Australia lists in a separate row; together the two would total 2,147 and rank No. 4, ahead of the Border Collie (1,975). The three Poodle sizes together (1,307) would also make the top 10, at No. 8.
Over a longer span, registrations have fallen sharply. The 2025 total of 47,288 is a little below the 48,820 of 2024 and about 40 percent below the peak of 78,580 in 2021. The table gives no reason, and we do not suggest one. The French Bulldog shows the change most clearly: it was No. 4 in 2018 and 2019 with more than 3,000 registrations a year, but had 675 in 2025 and ranked 15th. Breeds developed in Australia sit well down the list, with the Australian Cattle Dog at 504 and the Australian Kelpie at 123.
About the No. 1 breed: Golden Retriever
- Size
- Large
- FCI group
- 8 · Retrievers, flushing dogs and water dogs
- Origin
- United Kingdom
Temperament
Golden Retrievers are friendly, trusting and eager to work with their people. They usually get on well with children, visitors and other dogs, and they are rarely suspicious enough to make good guard dogs. Young Goldens are boisterous and mouthy, and the breed stays playful for years. Reward-based training works very well, and both food and retrieving games are strong motivators.
Size and build
A large, balanced dog with a kindly expression and a dense, water-resistant double coat that may be flat or wavy. The FCI breed standard gives a height of 56 to 61 cm at the shoulder for males and 51 to 56 cm for females, and allows any shade of gold or cream. The standard sets no weight, but most adults weigh roughly 25 to 34 kg.
Daily care
Goldens need an hour or more of exercise a day, and most love swimming and fetching. In an Australian summer, walk early in the morning or in the evening, provide shade and plenty of water, and watch for heavy panting on hot days. Brush several times a week, and daily during the seasonal shed; brushing out the dead undercoat helps more than clipping the coat short. Dry the ears after swimming, and in paralysis tick areas along the east coast, check the dog daily and use a tick preventive your vet recommends.
Who it suits
Families and active owners who want a sociable dog, have a yard or good walking areas nearby, and are home a fair amount. A Golden is a poor fit for someone who wants a guard dog, who is out for long working days without a dog walker, or who minds dog hair on clothes and furniture.
Health in general terms
Like many large breeds, Golden Retrievers can inherit hip and elbow dysplasia, and some lines carry inherited eye diseases. Cancer is a well-known concern in the breed, and skin allergies and ear infections are common. Keeping a Golden lean helps its joints. Before choosing a puppy, ask the breeder for the parents' hip and elbow scores, eye test results and any DNA test results for the breed, and ask a vet to explain what they mean.
This is general breed information, not medical advice. Ask a veterinarian about your own dog, and ask any breeder about the health tests used for the parents.
Why the Golden Retriever is popular in Australia
Dogs Australia publishes the table without commentary, so there is no official reason for the Golden Retriever's lead. What the figures do show is a steady climb: No. 5 in 2018, No. 3 from 2019 to 2021, No. 2 in 2022 and 2023, and No. 1 since 2024. Its registrations rose by about a quarter over that time, from 3,028 to 3,776, while total registrations fell by nearly a third.
The breed's traits explain its general appeal. The Golden is gentle, patient with children and keen to please, which makes it one of the easier large dogs to train, and guide dog and assistance dog programs value it for the same reasons. It is big enough for long walks, swims and beach days, yet calm indoors once it has been exercised, which suits a suburban house with a yard. The trade-off in Australia is its thick double coat: it sheds heavily and holds heat, so summer care takes some planning.
What these rankings measure
National kennel club breed rankings are registration rankings, not a census of the dogs living in each country. Only purebred puppies registered with the national kennel club are counted. Mixed-breed dogs, dogs from shelters and most dogs bred outside the club system never appear. Rules and fees differ between clubs, so the numbers are best compared within one country, not across countries.
Useful tools
See also: Red kangaroo: National Animal of Australia