The Swedish Kennel Club, Svenska Kennelklubben (SKK), keeps the main register of pedigree dogs in Sweden and publishes its yearly figures each January. In 2025 it registered 39,304 dogs. The Labrador Retriever led with 2,899, and according to the SKK's own summary this was its 15th year in a row at the top.
These figures cover only purebred dogs registered with the SKK in that one year. Dogs without pedigree papers, mixed breeds and dogs registered in earlier years are not part of the count. The list shows which breeds Swedish buyers chose in 2025, not how many dogs of each breed live in Swedish homes.
Top 10 breeds in 2025
No. 1: Labrador Retriever
A friendly, food-loving retriever that needs daily exercise and is widely used as an assistance dog.
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: Jämthund (Swedish Elkhound)
Sweden's own moose-hunting spitz, back at No. 4 in 2025 after what the SKK called a strong recovery from a dip in 2024.
No. 5: English Cocker Spaniel
A merry, busy gundog of medium size that is equally at home in the field and the family.
No. 6: Miniature American Shepherd
A smaller cousin of the Australian Shepherd with the same quick mind and need for activity, in a more portable size.
No. 7: Staffordshire Bull Terrier
A muscular, people-loving terrier of medium size, known for its affection toward its family.
No. 8: Havanese
A small, sociable companion with a soft, silky coat that likes to stay close to its people.
No. 9: Danish-Swedish Farmdog
A small farm breed shared by Denmark and Sweden, with 743 Swedish registrations in 2025.
No. 10: Border Collie
A highly intelligent, intense herding dog that needs a lot of physical and mental work every day.
Reading this year’s list
The gap at the top is wide. The Labrador had almost 1,200 more registrations than the Golden Retriever in second place (1,702), and the German Shepherd Dog was third with 1,235. Close behind came the Jämthund with 1,117. The SKK says the Jämthund recovered strongly in 2025 after a dip the year before.
Hunting and working dogs dominate. The two retrievers, the English Cocker Spaniel and the Jämthund all have hunting roots, while the German Shepherd and the Border Collie are working breeds. Two Nordic breeds appear: the Jämthund, a Swedish moose-hunting spitz, and the Danish-Swedish Farmdog, a small farm dog shared with Denmark, at No. 9 with 743. The SKK also notes that the Miniature American Shepherd and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier continued to find new fans. They sit at No. 6 and No. 7.
Companion breeds play a smaller part than in many countries. The Havanese is the only pure lapdog in the top 10, and the French Bulldog does not appear in it at all. Just outside the top 10 are the Shetland Sheepdog, the Finnish Lapphund, the Miniature Poodle, the Drever (another Swedish hunting breed) and the Jack Russell Terrier.
About the No. 1 breed: Labrador Retriever
- Size
- Large
- FCI group
- 8 · Retrievers, flushing dogs and water dogs
- Origin
- United Kingdom
Temperament
Labradors are friendly, eager to please and usually calm indoors once they have had enough exercise. They tend to greet strangers rather than guard against them, so they make poor watchdogs. Most love food and water in equal measure. Young Labradors can be boisterous and mouthy, and they need patient, steady training through their first two years.
Size and build
A medium-large, strongly built dog with a broad head, a short dense coat and a thick otter tail. Males stand roughly 56 to 57 cm at the shoulder and females a little less, about 54 to 56 cm. Most adults weigh about 25 to 36 kg.
Daily care
Plan on at least an hour of activity a day, including retrieving games and off-lead running where local rules allow. The coat sheds heavily twice a year, when weekly brushing becomes daily. In Swedish winters, rinse road salt and grit from the paws after walks, and dry the dog after a swim or a wet forest trail. Labradors gain weight easily, so measure meals and count treats.
Who it suits
Active households, families with children, and people who hunt or want to try dog sports such as retrieving tests. A Labrador is a poor fit for someone who is out all day, wants a tidy dog that sheds little, or cannot face daily walks in dark, wet or freezing weather.
Health in general terms
Like many large breeds, Labradors can inherit hip and elbow dysplasia, and some lines carry inherited eye diseases. Extra weight is a common problem and adds strain to the joints. Limping, stiffness after rest or a change in eyesight is worth raising with a vet. When choosing a puppy, ask the breeder for the parents' hip and elbow results and recent eye examinations.
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 Labrador Retriever is popular in Sweden
The SKK does not explain the Labrador's lead in its 2025 announcement. Its comments are about the market as a whole: it reports that purebred dogs gained market share, and it links part of that rise to public information about dog smuggling and about responsible breeding.
The breed's traits fit Swedish life well. Hunting has a long tradition in Sweden, as the Jämthund's high place shows, and a Labrador can be both a gun dog and a family dog. Its dense, water-resistant coat copes with cold rain, snow and lake swims. It is usually friendly with children and other dogs and easy to train, which suits families who want one dog for the home and for long days in the forest.
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: Eurasian blackbird: National Bird of Sweden