Honest breed report cards

Find the dog you'll actually live well with

Twenty breeds, graded by hand after 25 years of training and fostering. Answer seven quick questions and watch the wrong ones fall away. What's left is the dog that fits your real life, not the one with the best puppy photos.

The breed finder
Where will the dog live?
How often is someone home?
How do you feel about shedding?
Grooming upkeep?
Your activity level?
Kids under 8 at home?
Is this your first dog?
Or browse all 20 breeds →
Still in the running: 20 of 20 breeds
The report-card promise
Every breed here gets graded the way I’d brief a friend: what it’s really like to live with, who it fits, and who should walk away.
Great fit forThink twice if
Grades run Low to High. No inflated scores, no sponsored rankings. Every card ends with the two lists that matter. How we grade →
Every breed we've graded
All twenty report cards. Filter by size, shedding, or household, or just browse the faces.
CockapooDesigner Crosses
Cockapoo friendly · clever · velcro 10-15 in · 12-25 lb View report card →
MaltipooDesigner Crosses
Maltipoo bonded · bright · tiny 8-14 in · 5-12 lb View report card →
BernedoodleDesigner Crosses
Bernedoodle goofy · loyal · slow-to-bloom 12-29 in · 10-90 lb View report card →
MorkieDesigner Crosses
Morkie tiny · bold · vocal 6-9 in · 4-8 lb View report card →
Mal-ShiDesigner Crosses
Mal-Shi mellow · affectionate · lapdog 9-12 in · 6-12 lb View report card →
PuggleDesigner Crosses
Puggle goofy · food-driven · vocal 10-15 in · 15-30 lb View report card →
Teddy Bear (Shichon)Designer Crosses
Teddy Bear (Shichon) cuddly · gentle · velcro 9-12 in · 8-15 lb View report card →
Bichon FriseNon-Sporting Group
Bichon Frise cheerful · sturdy · clingy 9.5-11.5 in · 12-18 lb View report card →
Boston TerrierNon-Sporting Group
Boston Terrier friendly · sturdy · clownish 15-17 in · 12-25 lb View report card →
Cavalier King Charles SpanielToy Group
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel gentle · adaptable · devoted 12-13 in · 13-18 lb View report card →
Yorkshire TerrierToy Group
Yorkshire Terrier tiny · bold · devoted 7-8 in · 4-7 lb View report card →
PapillonToy Group
Papillon bright · springy · bold 8-11 in · 5-10 lb View report card →
PomeranianToy Group
Pomeranian bold · vocal · fluffy 6-7 in · 3-7 lb View report card →
Miniature PinscherToy Group
Miniature Pinscher bold · busy · stubborn 10-12.5 in · 8-11 lb View report card →
PugToy Group
Pug goofy · stubborn · loving 10-13 in · 14-18 lb View report card →
Miniature SchnauzerTerrier Group
Miniature Schnauzer bold · brainy · bearded 12-14 in · 11-20 lb View report card →
Jack Russell TerrierTerrier Group
Jack Russell Terrier bold · tireless · sharp 10-15 in · 13-17 lb View report card →
Soft-Coated Wheaten TerrierTerrier Group
Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier bouncy · friendly · busy 17-19 in · 30-40 lb View report card →
Shetland SheepdogHerding Group
Shetland Sheepdog bright · sensitive · vocal 13-16 in · 15-25 lb View report card →
AkitaWorking Group
Akita bold · loyal · aloof 24-28 in · 70-130 lb View report card →
Browse by group
Same dogs, sorted the way breeders and the AKC sort them.
Toy Group
Toy Group6 breeds

Companion dogs bred for the lap, not the field.
Terrier Group
Terrier Group3 breeds

Bred to hunt vermin, and they still act like it.
Working Group
Working Group1 breeds

Powerful, independent dogs bred to guard and haul.
Herding Group
Herding Group1 breeds

Bright, sensitive dogs wired to work with people.
Non-Sporting Group
Non-Sporting Group2 breeds

A catch-all group of sturdy, people-friendly companions.
Designer Crosses
Designer Crosses7 breeds

Deliberate mixes, often Poodle crosses for coat and size.
Graded by hand, not by committee

I’ve spent 25 years training dogs and fostered more than 50 of them through Northern California rescues. The grades on this site come from that: from the Akita who wanted nothing to do with my other dogs, the Cockapoos who fell apart when their people went back to the office, the Jack Russell who needed a job far more than he needed a couch.

No breed here scores a perfect ten, because no breed is a perfect ten. If a coat mats in three days, the report card says so. If a breed barks at everything that moves, you’ll read it here before you buy the crate. More about how this site works →

Aaron Seminoff, dog trainer
Aaron Seminoff
Dog trainer · 25 years · 50+ fosters

Aaron has trained hundreds of dogs, fostered more than 50, and volunteered with rescues across Northern California. Every grade on The Pet Zone comes from hands-on experience, not a content brief.

Start with a guide
Five deep guides per breed: size, grooming, training, colors, and names. A few worth reading first:
Cockapoo grooming: the matting truth→ How big does a Bernedoodle actually get?→ Yorkie training without the power struggle→ Pug colors: what’s real, what’s marketing→ Maltipoo names owners don’t regret→ Akita size: bigger than you think→ Cavalier grooming: silk takes upkeep→ Jack Russell training: give the engine a job→