The Royal Kennel Club is the national registry for pedigree dogs in the United Kingdom. It publishes registration figures for every breed it recognizes, grouped by breed group, but it does not publish a single top 10. We ranked its 2025 figures ourselves. The Labrador Retriever comes first with 29,919 registrations, followed by the English Cocker Spaniel with 21,618 and the Golden Retriever with 9,976.
These numbers count pedigree dogs registered with the club during 2025, mostly puppies. Many dogs in British homes are crossbreeds or were never registered, so the figures show demand for particular pedigree breeds, not the number of dogs living in the UK. We also follow the club in listing Dachshund varieties separately, which is why two miniature Dachshunds appear in the top 10.
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: English Cocker Spaniel
Second only to the Labrador with 21,618 registrations, and kept both as a working gundog and as a family pet.
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: Miniature Smooth-haired Dachshund
The most registered Dachshund variety; The Royal Kennel Club lists each Dachshund size and coat separately.
No. 5: French Bulldog
Registrations fell from 13,789 in 2024 to 7,750 in 2025; the club gives no reason for the drop.
No. 6: English Springer Spaniel
An enthusiastic, friendly gundog with lots of stamina that loves water and retrieving.
No. 7: Staffordshire Bull Terrier
A muscular, people-loving terrier of medium size, known for its affection toward its family.
No. 8: German Shepherd Dog
A loyal, intelligent working dog that needs training, a job to do and plenty of activity.
No. 9: Miniature Long-haired Dachshund
A small Dachshund with a soft, flowing coat, often a little gentler than the smooth variety.
No. 10: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
A gentle, affectionate small spaniel that adapts to most homes and enjoys both walks and sofas.
Reading this year’s list
Four of the top six are gundogs bred in Britain to find and retrieve game: the Labrador, the English Cocker Spaniel, the Golden Retriever and the English Springer Spaniel. The Labrador is far ahead, with about 8,300 more registrations than the Cocker in second place. The Cocker in turn has more than twice as many as the Golden Retriever in third.
The biggest change is the French Bulldog. Its registrations fell from 13,789 in 2024 to 7,750 in 2025, a drop of about 44 percent, and it is now No. 5. The Labrador also fell, from 34,141 to 29,919, but kept a wide lead. The Royal Kennel Club does not explain these falls in its figures, and we have not found a reason stated by the club, so we do not suggest one.
Two details help when reading the list. If the two miniature Dachshund varieties were added together, their 12,602 registrations would place them third. The bottom of the table is also very close: the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel at No. 10 (3,224) is just ahead of the Whippet (3,218) and the Border Terrier (3,181), with the Miniature Schnauzer (2,956) and the Bulldog (2,711) not far behind.
About the No. 1 breed: Labrador Retriever
- Size
- Large
- FCI group
- 8 · Retrievers, flushing dogs and water dogs
- Origin
- United Kingdom
Temperament
Labradors are kind, sociable and eager to work with a person. They are rarely aggressive and tend to accept other dogs, visitors and children easily. Dogs from working gundog lines are often busier and more driven than those from show lines, so it is worth asking which kind a litter comes from. Either way, the breed's appetite makes food rewards very effective in training.
Size and build
Show-type Labradors tend to be heavier, with broader heads, while working-type dogs are often lighter and leggier. Most adults stand roughly 54 to 57 cm at the shoulder and weigh about 25 to 36 kg. The short, dense coat is black, yellow or liver (chocolate).
Daily care
Most Labradors need an hour or more of exercise a day, and many love retrieving games and water. Muddy walks mean regular towelling and a quick rinse of legs and belly, and ears should be checked after swims in rivers or the sea. Brush weekly, and more often during the seasonal shed. Gundog games, such as fetching a dummy after a short wait, use the breed's natural skills and build a reliable recall.
Who it suits
Households that enjoy daily walks in any weather and have time for training, whether in a town with good parks or in the countryside. A Labrador is a poor fit for someone out for long working days without a dog walker, or for anyone who minds dog hair and mud in the house.
Health in general terms
Like many large breeds, Labradors can inherit hip and elbow dysplasia, and some lines carry inherited eye diseases. Weight gain is common and affects the joints and general health, so a vet's advice on portion size is useful. 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 Labrador Retriever is popular in the United Kingdom
The Royal Kennel Club publishes the figures without commenting on why the Labrador leads. The breed's history offers part of the picture. The modern Labrador was developed in Britain from water dogs brought over from Newfoundland, and it was shaped as a shooting companion that would sit quietly, mark where a bird fell and bring it back gently. Working Labradors are still a familiar sight on country estates and shoots.
The same qualities suit ordinary family life. A dog bred to wait calmly and then work hard adapts well to a routine of school runs and long weekend walks. Footpaths, parks and beaches give owners many places for off-lead exercise, and a Labrador shrugs off wind and rain better than most breeds. It is also widely trained as a guide dog, which has made the breed a trusted, familiar face.
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: Lion: National Animal of the United Kingdom