The cutest dog breeds: 12 popular breeds and what makes them charming

Which dog is cutest depends on who you ask, because cuteness is a matter of personal taste. So this list of the cutest dog breeds starts from a number anyone can check: the American Kennel Club's ranking of the most popular breeds of 2025. For each of the 12 breeds at the top, you will find what the club says about its look and character, and which royal portrait colours suit its coat.

What is the cutest dog breed?

The cutest dog breed is the one you find cutest. Popularity is easier to count. The American Kennel Club (AKC) ranks breeds each year by the number of dogs registered with it. Its ranking for 2025 counted 202 breeds.

The French Bulldog came first for the fourth year in a row. The Labrador Retriever came second. The AKC says the Labrador held first place for 31 years, until the French Bulldog passed it in 2022.

Why do dogs look cute to us?

Researchers use the name "baby schema" for the set of features that makes a face look young. A 2014 study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, by Marta Borgi and four colleagues, lists them as a large head and a round face, a high forehead, large eyes, and a small nose and mouth. The team changed photos of people, dogs and cats to make these features stronger or weaker. Children aged 3 to 6 and university students both rated the more baby-like faces as cuter.

Dogs also have a face muscle that helps. A 2019 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, by Kaminski and four colleagues, compared the heads of dogs and wolves. Every dog had a muscle that raises the inner eyebrow, and the wolves did not. The authors say this eyebrow movement makes a dog's face look more like a young animal's, and may make people want to care for the dog. They connect it to the look people call "puppy dog eyes".

The 12 most popular dog breeds of 2025

Rank	Breed	Height at the shoulder
1	French Bulldog	11 to 13 inches
2	Labrador Retriever	21.5 to 24.5 inches
3	Golden Retriever	21.5 to 24 inches
4	German Shepherd Dog	22 to 26 inches
5	Dachshund	5 to 9 inches
6	Poodle	10 inches or less (Toy) to over 15 inches (Standard)
7	Beagle	Up to 15 inches
8	Rottweiler	22 to 27 inches
9	German Shorthaired Pointer	21 to 25 inches
10	Bulldog	14 to 15 inches
11	Cane Corso	23.5 to 27.5 inches
12	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	12 to 13 inches

The portrait colour line under each breed follows one simple idea from the guide to choosing a royal portrait style: pick clothes that contrast with the coat. A black or dark brown coat stands out against saffron and gold. A golden, cream or red coat stands out against green, blue or deep red. A white or grey coat works with most colours. A coat with patches or several colours suits plainer clothes, so the pattern stays the main detail. The portrait studio offers all 15 styles for any dog.

Small breeds: French Bulldog, Dachshund, Beagle and Cavalier

French Bulldog (No. 1)

The AKC describes the French Bulldog as a Bulldog in miniature, with large, upright "bat ears", a square head and heavy wrinkles above a short nose. It weighs under 28 pounds. The club calls it playful, smart and adaptable, and says Frenchies do not bark much. Coat colours include fawn, cream and white, and some Frenchies have large white patches.

Portrait colours: green, blue or deep red for fawn and cream; plainer clothes for a Frenchie with large white patches.

Dachshund (No. 5)

The Dachshund has a long back and short legs. The AKC lists two sizes, standard (16 to 32 pounds) and miniature (11 pounds or less), and three coats: smooth, wirehaired and longhaired. The club's words for its character are curious, friendly and spunky. Colours include red, cream, black and tan, and chocolate and tan.

Portrait colours: green or blue for red and cream; saffron or gold for black and tan; plainer clothes for a spotted coat, which the AKC calls dapple.

Beagle (No. 7)

The AKC calls the Beagle funny and, "thanks to its pleading expression", cute. It has big brown or hazel eyes and long ears set low on a broad head. Beagles come in two sizes, under 13 inches and 13 to 15 inches. The club's words are curious, friendly and merry. Coats include lemon and white, red and white, and tricolour.

Portrait colours: most Beagle coats have two or three colours, so plainer clothes let the pattern show.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (No. 12)

The AKC says the Cavalier's "sweet, gentle, melting expression" comes from its large, round eyes. It stands 12 to 13 inches and weighs 13 to 18 pounds, with a silky coat and long hair on the ears. The breed has four colours: Blenheim (chestnut markings on white), tricolour, black and tan, and ruby, a rich red. Its royal name goes back to Charles I and Charles II, told in royal dogs in history.

Portrait colours: green or blue for ruby; saffron or gold for black and tan; plainer clothes for Blenheim and tricolour.

Medium and large breeds

Labrador Retriever (No. 2)

The AKC calls the Labrador "sweet-faced" and describes it as active, friendly and outgoing. It has a thick "otter tail". The dense coat comes in yellow, black and chocolate.

Portrait colours: saffron or gold for black and chocolate; green, blue or deep red for yellow. The Mysore Royal portrait in the gallery shows a black labrador in a saffron turban, holding a gold sceptre.

Golden Retriever (No. 3) and German Shepherd Dog (No. 4)

The Golden Retriever, intelligent, friendly and devoted in the AKC's words, has a coat of rich gold that suits green, blue or deep red, and has its own guide to golden retriever portraits. The German Shepherd Dog, which the AKC calls courageous, confident and smart, has its own guide to German Shepherd portraits.

Poodle (No. 6)

Poodles come in three sizes: Toy, Miniature and Standard. The AKC calls them eager, athletic and smart, with a curly coat it describes as low-allergen. Colours include black, white, apricot, silver, cream and brown. Dog intelligence has its own guide: the smartest dog breeds.

Portrait colours: any colour for white or silver; saffron or gold for black and brown; green or blue for apricot and cream.

Rottweiler (No. 8)

The AKC says the Rottweiler descends from the mastiffs of the Roman army and has a short, shining black coat with rust markings. It calls the breed loyal and loving, a gentle playmate at home that stays distant with strangers.

Portrait colours: saffron or gold, which stand out against the black coat.

German Shorthaired Pointer (No. 9)

The AKC says "noble" and "aristocratic" are words often used for this pointer's look, which suits a royal portrait. The coat is solid liver (a reddish brown) or liver and white. The club's words for its character are friendly, smart and willing to please.

Portrait colours: saffron or gold for solid liver; plainer clothes for liver and white.

Bulldog (No. 10)

The AKC lists the Bulldog's loose skin, wrinkled brow, pushed-in nose and small ears, and calls it kind, courageous and dignified. Colours include fawn, red, white and mixes of these.

Portrait colours: green or blue for fawn and red; any colour for white.

Cane Corso (No. 11)

The AKC says the Cane Corso's name comes from Latin words for "bodyguard dog" and that its family line goes back to ancient Rome. It stands up to 27.5 inches and often weighs more than 100 pounds. The club calls it intelligent, affectionate and majestic. Colours include black, grey, fawn and red.

Portrait colours: saffron or gold for black; green or blue for fawn and red.

Is the Pomeranian one of the cutest dogs?

The Pomeranian ranked No. 19 in 2025, up from No. 22 the year before. The AKC describes a tiny dog of no more than 7 pounds with a "smiling, foxy face" and a thick coat with two layers. It says orange and red are the most common of its colours. The club calls the breed inquisitive, lively and bold. It says the name comes from Pomerania, an area of northeastern Europe that is now part of Poland and western Germany, and that the breed's popularity is largely due to Queen Victoria. Her Pomeranians have their own story in Queen Victoria and her dogs.

An orange Pomeranian stands out against blue. The Patiala Royal portrait in the gallery shows a Pomeranian in a blue coat and a jewelled turban, seated on a red throne. The court behind that style is described in the Maharajas of Patiala.