We’re officially a nations of dog owners, with the UK’s most popular pet living in around one-in-three households (and rising).
That means that there are around three million pooches living here, with more people choosing to join the army of dog lovers every week.
If you are looking to welcome a dog into your family, there are 221 different breeds of pedigree dog to choose from, alongside numerous crossbreeds, so there’s plenty of thinking to do before you select your family’s latest addition.
There’s even academic guidance to seek out, with Psychologist Stanley Coren’s book ‘The Intelligence of Dogs’ ranking breeds by instincts, obedience, and the ability to adapt.
Choosing the right breed is absolutely essential – for example opting for a small dog if you don’t have much room at home.
But if you have the space and don’t mind regular long walks then there’s no reason why you can’t ‘go large’ and get one of the bigger breeds of dog.
Each year the UK Kennel Club releases figures showing how many dogs of each breed have been registered with them, and the stats for 2024 have now been released.
According to those figures, these are the 15 most popular large dog breeds.
9. Dalmatian
Much loved for its distinctive spotty coat, Dalmatians used to known as 'fire dogs' as they used to run alongside horse-drawn carriages ued by firefighters, acting as combined path-clearers, sirens and guides. There were 983 of these clever pooches registered in 2024. | Canva/Getty Images
10. Flat-Coated Retriever
With a total of 869 registrations in 2024, the Flat-Coated Retriever completes the 10 most popular large dog breeds in the UK. They originated in mid-19th century England and were a particular favourite of gamekeepers. | Canva/Getty Images
11. Rhodesian Ridgeback
First bred in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and used for the fearsome task of hunting lions, there were exactly 700 Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies registered in 2024. | Canva/Getty Images
12. Great Dane
The Great Dane is one of the biggest dogs in the world (along with the Irish Wolfhound), so you'll need a bit of space to keep them happy (and avoid breakages). There were 678 of them registered in 2024. It's a German breed descended from dogs used to hunt bears and wild boar. | Canva/Getty Images