The Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana (ENCI) is Italy's national kennel club and keeps the Italian pedigree register. On each breed's page it publishes the number of registered births for the last ten years. ENCI does not publish a ranked list, so we ranked the breeds by their 2025 figures. The English Setter leads with 12,229 births, ahead of the Golden Retriever and the German Shepherd Dog.
These numbers count pedigree puppies whose births were registered with ENCI in 2025. ENCI notes that the figures may still change slightly. Mixed breeds and dogs without an Italian pedigree are not included, so the list shows which breeds Italian breeders registered most, not which dogs are most common in Italy.
Top 10 breeds in 2025
No. 1: English Setter
An elegant, gentle bird dog with a speckled coat, bred to range widely and point game.
No. 2: Golden Retriever
A gentle, eager-to-please family dog with a long coat that sheds a lot and needs regular brushing.
No. 3: German Shepherd Dog
A loyal, intelligent working dog that needs training, a job to do and plenty of activity.
No. 4: Poodle
Up from 7,521 births in 2024 to 8,349 in 2025, finishing just 52 behind the German Shepherd Dog.
No. 5: Segugio Maremmano
Named after the Maremma area of central Italy and used mainly for wild boar hunting, it rose to fifth place in 2025 with 6,736 births.
No. 6: Chihuahua
The smallest recognized breed: bold, loyal and closely attached to its favorite person.
No. 7: Labrador Retriever
A friendly, food-loving retriever that needs daily exercise and is widely used as an assistance dog.
No. 8: Dachshund
A long-backed, short-legged hound with a big bark and an independent mind; comes in smooth, long and wire coats.
No. 9: Lagotto Romagnolo
A curly-coated Italian water dog best known today for finding truffles.
No. 10: Australian Shepherd
A bright, high-energy herding dog developed in the United States, happiest with work, sport or long daily outings.
Reading this year’s list
Comparing ENCI's 2025 figures with those for 2024 shows clear movement. The English Setter grew from 11,516 to 12,229 births and the Golden Retriever from 9,286 to 9,907. The Poodle rose from 7,521 to 8,349, ending only 52 births behind the German Shepherd Dog, which fell from 8,845 to 8,401.
The biggest climber was the Segugio Maremmano, up from 6,250 to 6,736. On the 2024 figures, both the Chihuahua and the Labrador Retriever were ahead of it. In 2025 the Chihuahua fell from 7,412 to 6,630 and the Labrador from 6,550 to 6,025. The Lagotto Romagnolo also slipped, from 4,089 to 3,817, while the Australian Shepherd rose a little to 3,730.
Two of the ten are Italian breeds, the Segugio Maremmano and the Lagotto Romagnolo, and two are dedicated hunting dogs, the English Setter and the Segugio Maremmano. That hunting presence sets Italy apart from most lists. Spain is the closest match: there too, the English Setter was No. 1 in the most recent ranking.
About the No. 1 breed: English Setter
- Size
- Large
- FCI group
- 7 · Pointing dogs
- Origin
- United Kingdom
Temperament
The English Setter is gentle, friendly and affectionate, and usually gets on well with people and other dogs. It has a strong nose and a deep urge to range and search. Many setters are slow to mature and stay playful for years. They respond best to patient, kind training, as harsh handling tends to make them shut down.
Size and build
A large, elegant dog with a long, silky coat, speckled in white with orange, black, liver or lemon. Under the FCI standard, males stand roughly 65 to 68 cm and females 61 to 65 cm at the shoulder. Most weigh roughly 20 to 30 kg.
Daily care
Setters need plenty of free running every day, ideally in safe open ground. Recall training is essential, because a scent can carry one far away. Brush the feathered coat a few times a week. In hot Italian summers, exercise early or late, and after walks in dry fields check the ears, paws and coat for grass seeds, which can work their way into the skin.
Who it suits
Hunters and active owners in rural or suburban areas who have time for long outings every day. It is not a good fit for a small apartment with short walks only, or for people who are out for long hours and leave the dog alone.
Health in general terms
Hip dysplasia is a known concern in the breed, and some English Setters are born deaf in one or both ears. Skin allergies and an underactive thyroid are also seen. Itching, hair loss, weight gain without a clear reason or stiffness are worth raising with a vet. Ask a breeder about the parents' hip scores and whether the puppies had a hearing test.
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 English Setter is popular in Italy
ENCI publishes the figures without explaining them, so there is no official reason for the English Setter's lead. What is clear is that the setter is a traditional hunting dog in Italy, used to find and point game birds in open country and woodland. Many setters are bred by and for hunters.
That means its first place may say as much about hunting kennels as about family pets. A strong registration figure does not show how many setters live in Italian towns. Still, the breed's gentle, sociable nature means that many retired or non-hunting setters also live happily as companions, provided they get enough room to run.
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: Italian wolf: National Animal of Italy