The Clube Português de Canicultura (CPC) is Portugal's national kennel club. Its statistics for 2025 list 14,469 individual registrations across all breeds. The German Shepherd Dog led clearly with 1,340, ahead of the Labrador Retriever with 976 and the Golden Retriever with 840.
The CPC figures combine its two registers: the Livro de Origens Português (LOP), for dogs with a recorded pedigree, and the Registo Inicial (RI), for dogs recognized as belonging to a breed without a full pedigree. They count registrations made in 2025 only. Mixed breeds and dogs outside the CPC system are not included, so the table shows which breeds were registered that year, not how many dogs of each breed live in Portugal.
Top 10 breeds in 2025
No. 1: German Shepherd Dog
A loyal, intelligent working dog that needs training, a job to do and plenty of activity.
No. 2: Labrador Retriever
A friendly, food-loving retriever that needs daily exercise and is widely used as an assistance dog.
No. 3: Golden Retriever
A gentle, eager-to-please family dog with a long coat that sheds a lot and needs regular brushing.
No. 4: Cane Corso
A large Italian guardian breed at No. 4 with 756 registrations, one of several protective breeds in Portugal's list.
No. 5: Dachshund
A long-backed, short-legged hound with a big bark and an independent mind; comes in smooth, long and wire coats.
No. 6: German Spitz
Tied with the Dachshund at 527 registrations; we follow the order of the CPC table.
No. 7: Belgian Shepherd Dog
An agile, alert working dog in four coat varieties, including the Malinois, that needs an active owner.
No. 8: Brittany
A compact, energetic French pointing dog that is affectionate and eager to work.
No. 9: English Setter
An elegant, gentle bird dog with a speckled coat, bred to range widely and point game.
No. 10: Portuguese Water Dog
Portugal's own water dog, once used by fishermen along the coast, at No. 10 with 404 registrations.
Reading this year’s list
The German Shepherd Dog is 364 registrations ahead of the Labrador, a wide lead in a fairly small register. Fourth place goes to the Cane Corso with 756, a large Italian guardian breed that does not appear in the top 10 of any other country in this section. The Dachshund and the German Spitz tied for fifth with 527 each. We list them in the order used in the CPC table.
Large dogs dominate. Besides the German Shepherd, the two retrievers and the Cane Corso, the list includes the Belgian Shepherd Dog (495), the Brittany (447), the English Setter (428) and the Portuguese Water Dog (404). Only the Dachshund and the German Spitz are small. This is a clear contrast with Spain, where the Poodle and the Dachshund sit near the top of the RSCE list.
Two Portuguese breeds sit at the edge of the list. The Portuguese Water Dog is No. 10, and the Estrela Mountain Dog, a large Portuguese guardian breed, is just outside at No. 11 with 386. The Jack Russell Terrier (383) and the Chihuahua (377) follow closely. With numbers this close, a few dozen registrations can move a breed several places from one year to the next.
About the No. 1 breed: German Shepherd Dog
- Size
- Large
- FCI group
- 1 · Sheepdogs and cattle dogs
- Origin
- Germany
Temperament
German Shepherds are devoted, confident and quick to learn. They usually attach strongly to their family and stay reserved with people they do not know. That natural watchfulness needs guiding: a Shepherd should meet many people, dogs and places while young, so it learns what is normal. Well raised, it is steady and dependable; left bored or alone too long, it can become noisy or anxious.
Size and build
A large, strong dog with a long body, erect ears and a thick coat, usually black and tan. The FCI standard gives a shoulder height of roughly 60 to 65 cm for males and 55 to 60 cm for females. Males usually weigh about 30 to 40 kg, and females about 22 to 32 kg.
Daily care
A Shepherd needs daily exercise plus mental work, such as obedience practice, tracking games or a dog sport. In hot summers, walk early and late, give shade and fresh water, and avoid hard exercise at midday. The coat sheds heavily, so brush a few times a week. Ask your vet about protection against insect-borne diseases that are common in warm regions.
Who it suits
Experienced or committed owners who will train consistently and spend time with the dog every day, ideally with a garden. It is not a good choice for someone who wants a low-effort pet, is away for long hours, or cannot manage a strong dog on the lead.
Health in general terms
Hip and elbow dysplasia are the best-known concerns in the breed. Degenerative myelopathy, a slow disease of the spinal cord, and bloat, where the stomach fills with gas and may twist, are also known. A swollen belly with restlessness is an emergency for a vet. Ask breeders whether the parents' hips and elbows were X-rayed and scored, and see the results.
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 German Shepherd Dog is popular in Portugal
The CPC publishes the numbers without comment, so it gives no reason for the German Shepherd's lead. What the table does show is a list with a strong working and protective side. The Cane Corso and the Belgian Shepherd Dog are also in the top 10, and both, like the German Shepherd, are often kept as watchful family guardians.
The German Shepherd suits owners who want a dog that is loyal to the family, alert to strangers and willing to train. It adapts to different roles, from companion to working and sport dog, and is widely known from police and search work. For households with a house and garden, it offers both company and a watchful presence, as long as it gets daily exercise and training.
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: Rooster: National Bird of Portugal