Dogs New Zealand, the national kennel club, publishes breed statistics in its annual yearbook. The latest figures cover dogs registered from 1 January to 31 December 2025 and appear in the 2025/26 yearbook. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier topped the list with 407 registrations, its third year in a row at No. 1, ahead of the Border Collie with 349 and the Labrador Retriever with 307.
These are pedigree registrations with Dogs New Zealand, and the numbers are small. Local councils keep a separate National Dog Database of licensed dogs, which is a different count altogether. Neither list tells you how many dogs of each breed live in New Zealand. This one shows which purebred breeds were registered with the kennel club that year. We also follow the yearbook in listing the German Shepherd Dog by coat: the figure here is for the stock coat only, and the long stock coat has its own line.
Top 10 breeds in 2025
No. 1: Staffordshire Bull Terrier
A muscular, people-loving terrier of medium size, known for its affection toward its family.
No. 2: Border Collie
A highly intelligent, intense herding dog that needs a lot of physical and mental work every day.
No. 3: Labrador Retriever
A friendly, food-loving retriever that needs daily exercise and is widely used as an assistance dog.
No. 4: Golden Retriever
Up from No. 7 to No. 4 in 2025; its gain of 75 registrations was the largest in the top 10.
No. 5: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
A gentle, affectionate small spaniel that adapts to most homes and enjoys both walks and sofas.
No. 6: Miniature Schnauzer
A small, sturdy and alert dog with a beard and eyebrows and a wiry coat that needs regular trimming.
No. 7: German Shepherd Dog
The figure is for the stock coat only. Dogs New Zealand lists the long stock coat separately (40 in 2025); together the two would total 224 and rank No. 6.
No. 8: French Bulldog
A compact, flat-faced companion with bat ears, happy in small homes but sensitive to heat.
No. 9: English Cocker Spaniel
Listed in New Zealand simply as the Cocker Spaniel, it rose from No. 12 in 2024 to No. 9 in 2025.
No. 10: Whippet
New to New Zealand's top 10 in 2025, up from No. 19 in 2024, with registrations rising from 66 to 109.
Reading this year’s list
The Staffie kept first place, though its registrations fell from 465 in 2024 to 407. Behind it the order changed a good deal. The Border Collie rose from No. 4 to No. 2 with 349, up from 326. The Labrador Retriever slipped from No. 2 to No. 3, falling by more than 100 registrations to 307, and the Golden Retriever climbed from No. 7 to No. 4, up from 214 to 289. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (275) and the Miniature Schnauzer (222) held No. 5 and No. 6.
The German Shepherd Dog (stock coat) dropped from No. 3 to No. 7, with 184 registrations against 330 a year earlier. The long stock coat German Shepherd, listed separately, had another 40; counted together the two would total 224 and rank No. 6, just ahead of the Miniature Schnauzer. Two breeds left the top 10: the Bulldog fell from No. 8 to No. 13 (94, down from 189) and the English Springer Spaniel from No. 10 to No. 23 (47, down from 114). In their place came the Cocker Spaniel, up from No. 12 to No. 9 with 112, and the Whippet, up from No. 19 to No. 10 with 109.
With numbers this small, a few litters can change the order from one year to the next, so single-year moves should be read with care. The French Bulldog, No. 1 in the United States and South Africa, rose one place to No. 8 here with 125 registrations, about the same as in 2024. Registrations overall are still falling, though more slowly: Dogs New Zealand reports 5,434 registrations in its 2025/26 financial year, down 5.8% from 5,769 the year before, after a 14.6% drop in 2024/25.
About the No. 1 breed: Staffordshire Bull Terrier
- Size
- Medium
- FCI group
- 3 · Terriers
- Origin
- United Kingdom
Temperament
Staffies are bold, cheerful and very attached to their families. They crave attention and tend to be gentle and tolerant with children they know. They are usually friendly with people but can be reactive with other dogs, especially if they were not socialized early. Consistent, positive training and plenty of recall practice are important.
Size and build
A medium-sized, stocky dog with a broad head, a short smooth coat and powerful shoulders. The breed standard gives a height of about 36 to 41 cm at the shoulder and a weight of roughly 11 to 17 kg, with females at the lighter end.
Daily care
Staffies need around an hour of exercise a day plus play and chew toys, because a bored Staffie can be destructive. The short coat needs only a quick weekly brush. Pale-coated dogs can get sunburned, so shade matters under strong New Zealand sun. Use a secure harness and fence, and take care at off-lead areas until you know how your dog reacts to other dogs.
Who it suits
Active owners and families who want a sociable, hands-on dog and will put time into training. A Staffie is less suited to homes with several other dogs, to owners who leave it alone for long days, or to anyone who cannot manage a strong dog on a lead.
Health in general terms
Staffordshire Bull Terriers are generally robust, but the breed has some known inherited conditions, including certain eye problems and a rare metabolic disorder that affects the nervous system, both of which have DNA tests. Skin allergies are fairly common. Itchy skin, cloudy eyes or unusual wobbliness is worth raising with a vet. Ask breeders whether the parents were DNA-tested and had their eyes and hips checked.
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 Staffordshire Bull Terrier is popular in New Zealand
The Dogs New Zealand yearbook gives registration figures without explaining them, so there is no official reason for the Staffie's lead. What the figures do show is that it was No. 1 in 2023, 2024 and 2025, even as its own registrations fell.
Its traits suit many New Zealand households. The Staffie is medium-sized and short-coated, so it fits a house in town as well as a suburban home with a yard. It is strong and energetic enough for beach walks and outdoor weekends, yet it is known above all for its affection toward its own people, including children. The main drawback is that some Staffies do not get along with other dogs, which matters in busy parks and on shared walking tracks.
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.
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See also: Kiwi: National Bird of New Zealand