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The PAWLY breed guide: 198 dogs, honestly described.
History, temperament, exercise, coat, health and what each breed is like to live with in a Luxembourg flat. Written by the person who walks them, checked against breed standards and veterinary consensus.
198 breeds
Afghan Hound
A mountain hunter dressed for the catwalk, dignified and aloof indoors, astonishingly fast the moment something moves on the horizon.
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Airedale Terrier
The largest of the terriers: clever, funny, tireless and rarely as easy as it looks.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeAkita Inu
A dignified, loyal Japanese spitz, made famous by Hachikō, and a serious dog for experienced owners.
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Alaskan Malamute
Built to haul heavy freight across snow, a friendly, powerful and opinionated companion that needs work, cool weather and an owner with patience.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeAmerican Akita
A massive, bear-headed guardian of great dignity, devoted and quiet at home, and rarely willing to share its space with strange dogs.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeAmerican Cocker Spaniel
The smallest of the sporting spaniels, sweet-faced and merry, with a glamorous coat that asks for more care than its cheerful owner usually expects.
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American Staffordshire Terrier
A strong, confident and affectionate dog, and in Luxembourg one of the four breeds named by law.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeAppenzeller Sennenhund
A cheeky, tricoloured Swiss farm dog with a restless mind and an opinion about everything that moves past the window.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeAustralian Cattle Dog
A compact, tireless drover from the Australian outback, devoted to its own people and happiest with a job, a plan and a busy day.
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Australian Kelpie
A lean Australian sheep-working dog with inexhaustible stamina and a sharp, restless mind that finds its own jobs if you do not provide them.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeAustralian Shepherd
Beautiful, clever and tireless, and despite the name, an American ranch dog.
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Australian Silky Terrier
A glossy little terrier in blue and tan, dignified at the door and cheerfully reckless the moment a rat, ball or squirrel appears.
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Australian Terrier
A small, sturdy terrier from the Australian bush, built for rough ground and hard work but content to share a city flat.
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Azawakh
A tall, fine-boned sighthound from the southern Sahara, devoted to its own people and politely distant with everyone else.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeBasenji
A small hunting dog from Central Africa that yodels rather than barks, grooms itself like a cat and thinks for itself at every turn.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeBasset Hound
A short-legged hound of real substance, placid and affectionate at home, single-minded once a scent reaches that long, low nose.
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Bavarian Mountain Scent Hound
A light, calm and quietly obsessive tracker, bred to follow the trail of wounded game for hours and not to be a pavement ornament.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeBeagle
A cheerful, sociable nose on four legs. Everything about living with a Beagle follows from the nose.
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Bearded Collie
The shaggy, bouncing Scottish herder: cheerful, clever and always ready to join in.
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Beauceron
France's powerful black-and-tan herding dog: athletic, serious and loyal to a capable owner.
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Bedlington Terrier
A lamb in outline and a terrier in spirit, built with a sighthound's curves and the speed to match.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeBelgian Groenendael
The black, long-haired Belgian shepherd: elegant, sensitive and intense, and made for close work with one person.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeBelgian Shepherd Malinois
The police and military dog of choice: brilliant, intense and not a family pet for most families.
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Belgian Tervuren
The long-coated Belgian Shepherd in fawn and black, elegant and sensitive, bursting with energy and happiest working closely with its person.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeBernese Mountain Dog
A gentle Swiss giant, beautiful and good-natured, with a sadly short life expectancy.
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Bichon Frisé
A cheerful white powder puff with a sense of humour and a serious grooming requirement.
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Black Russian Terrier
A big, black working dog designed by the Soviet army, calm and steady at home but serious about its family and territory.
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Bloodhound
A gentle giant whose nose writes the itinerary of every walk, and who follows a scent long after common sense has gone home.
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Bolognese
A white, cloud-like Italian companion dog: gentle, devoted and happiest when glued to its person.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeBorder Collie
Probably the most capable working dog in the world, and for the same reason one of the hardest to keep in a city flat.
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Border Terrier
The terrier for people who find terriers too much: tough, cheerful and easy-going.
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Borzoi
The Russian wolfhound: elegant, quiet and reserved, and built to sprint after anything that runs.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeBoston Terrier
The American Gentleman: friendly, lively and tidy in its black and white tuxedo.
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Bouvier des Flandres
Flanders' rugged cattle dog: steady, protective and powerful, with a serious face and a soft side.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeBoxer
A clown with a guardian's heart: playful, loyal and slow to grow up.
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Bracco Italiano
An old Italian pointer with long ears, a thoughtful face and a ground-covering trot, gentle at home and tireless in the field.
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Briard
The long-haired French sheepdog: steady, sensitive and fiercely loyal to its own people, with a coat that collects the whole of a wet November.
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Brittany
A compact French pointer with a spaniel's coat and an athlete's engine, happiest when its nose and legs are working together.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeBrussels Griffon
A bearded little Belgian with an almost human expression, devoted to one household and in no doubt about its own importance.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeBull Terrier
Egg-headed, muscular and endlessly clownish: a bull terrier wants to be at the centre of the household and rarely accepts a quiet day.
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Bullmastiff
A quiet, heavyweight guardian bred to stop poachers, now more likely to lean its whole bulk against your knees on the sofa.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeCairn Terrier
A small, scruffy Highland terrier, bred to bolt foxes from the rocks and still cheerful, busy and unimpressed by its size.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeCane Corso
An athletic Italian guardian with a working dog's mind, devoted to its family and quietly certain about who belongs at the gate.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeCardigan Welsh Corgi
The Pembroke's older, long-tailed cousin: sturdy, steady and quietly clever, a cattle dog in a very low frame.
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Catalan Sheepdog
A shaggy Pyrenean herder with sedate manners at home, a hard-working mind outdoors and a long memory for strangers.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeCaucasian Shepherd Dog
A mountain guardian built to protect flocks from wolves, and a dog that treats your front door with the same seriousness.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeCavalier King Charles Spaniel
One of the sweetest companion dogs there is, and a breed where choosing the breeder matters more than almost anywhere else.
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Central Asian Shepherd Dog
An ancient caravan and flock guardian, quietly proud, unhurried indoors and unimpressed by anything that is not a genuine threat.
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Cesky Terrier
A calm, low-slung terrier from Bohemia, made deliberately in the twentieth century to be gentler and easier than its ancestors.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeChihuahua
The smallest pedigree dog in the world, with an apple-shaped head, a big personality and a courage that far outruns its size.
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Chinese Crested
A small, elegant companion in two versions, nearly naked or softly veiled, that treats its owner's lap as home territory.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeChow Chow
A dignified, lion-like Spitz with a blue-black tongue, loyal to its own people and politely indifferent to almost everyone else.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeCirneco dell'Etna
A fine-boned Sicilian hunter that looks like a small, elegant ghost of Egyptian art and thinks like a rabbit-chasing opportunist.
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Clumber Spaniel
A heavy, dignified white spaniel with a thoughtful expression, a slow working pace and a very large appetite for company.
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Coton de Tulear
A small white companion from Madagascar with a coat like cotton wool, a cheerful head and a talent for fitting into almost any household.
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Curly-Coated Retriever
The tallest and most independent of the retrievers, a self-assured water dog whose coat of tight curls sheds rain like a waxed jacket.
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Czechoslovakian Wolfdog
A pack-minded, wolf-looking working dog with the stamina of a marathon runner and a strong need for an owner who understands it.
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Dachshund
A long, low hunting dog from Germany with a loud voice, a stubborn streak and a nose that overrules everything else.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeDalmatian
A spotted Croatian coach dog with springy endurance, a sensitive nature and a surprising amount of hair on the sofa.
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Dandie Dinmont Terrier
A long, low, dignified terrier with a silky topknot and big dark eyes, equally ready to hunt a badger or demand your sofa.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeDobermann
An elegant, square-built German guard dog that is far more devoted, sensitive and people-minded than its fierce reputation suggests.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeDogo Argentino
A white, muscular big-game hunter from Córdoba, loyal and affectionate with its family and demanding of anyone who takes it on.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeDogue de Bordeaux
An ancient French guardian with a huge head and a soft heart, calm at home, vigilant at the door and demanding of careful ownership.
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Drentsche Patrijshond
The Dutch partridge dog is a gentle, white-and-brown spaniel descendant that works close to the gun and sulks if shouted at.
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Dutch Shepherd
A brindle, tireless herding dog with a worker's brain, happiest with a job to do and a person to do it with.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeEnglish Bulldog
Gentle, dignified and devoted, a symbol of tenacity whose extreme shape carries a heavy health cost.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeEnglish Cocker Spaniel
A merry, busy spaniel with a permanently wagging tail, and very different depending on working or show lines.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeEnglish Mastiff
A vast, gentle English guardian: calm, dignified and big enough to change the shape of your home.
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English Pointer
A lean, tireless bird dog that freezes on scent, and needs a great deal of running.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeEnglish Setter
A gentle, speckled bird dog that ranges wide in the field and then folds itself, surprisingly neatly, onto the nearest sofa.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeEnglish Springer Spaniel
A tireless, merry gundog that lives for hedges, water and a job, and brings the same enthusiasm to the family kitchen.
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Entlebucher Mountain Dog
The smallest and liveliest of the Swiss mountain dogs, a compact tricolour cattle dog that herds, plays and keeps a sharp eye on its patch.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeEurasier
A calm, watchful family spitz that wants to be wherever its people are, and sulks quietly when it is not.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeFinnish Lapphund
A soft-eyed reindeer herder from the far north, friendly and calm indoors, but equipped with a ready voice and a coat built for snow.
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Finnish Spitz
A fox-coloured Finnish bird dog with a ringing bark, a quick mind and a firm opinion of its own.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeFlat-Coated Retriever
A black or liver gundog with a permanently wagging tail, an adolescence that lasts for years and a talent for carrying things.
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French Bulldog
Charming, funny and made for apartment life, with health limitations every owner must know before buying.
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Galgo Español
A lean, quiet Spanish greyhound that sleeps like a cat all day and runs like a missile when it sees a hare.
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German Pinscher
A square, springy, fearless watchdog in a compact frame, with the energy and opinions of a much bigger dog.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeGerman Shepherd
Intelligent, loyal and built to work. In the right hands one of the finest dogs there is; without a job, a handful.
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German Shorthaired Pointer
A versatile German hunting dog built for strength, endurance and speed, affectionate on the sofa and tireless outdoors when given a job.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeGerman Spitz
One of Central Europe's oldest breeds, a fox-faced, ruff-necked house guard that announces every visitor with great sincerity.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeGerman Wirehaired Pointer
The Deutsch Drahthaar is a bearded, weatherproof all-rounder, built for a day of fieldwork and not for a quiet life.
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Giant Schnauzer
A big, intense Bavarian working dog, loyal to the point of stubbornness and happiest with a capable owner and a proper job.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeGolden Retriever
Gentle, biddable and endlessly patient with children, with a coat that needs more work than most people expect.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeGordon Setter
The heaviest and most deliberate of the setters, a black and tan Scottish bird dog with a dignified manner and a love of routine.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeGreat Dane
The gentle giant of the dog world, far calmer indoors than its size suggests, and far bigger than most flats expect.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeGreat Pyrenees
A white mountain guardian from the Pyrenees, gentle with its own people, independent by design and happiest keeping quiet watch over everything.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeGreater Swiss Mountain Dog
A big, steady Swiss farm dog with a tricolour coat and a gentle manner, built to pull a cart and happiest when it is near its people.
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Greyhound
The fastest dog on earth is also one of the laziest at home, and many are retired racers looking for a sofa.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeHavanese
Cuba's national dog: a cheerful, sociable little bichon that loves people, learns tricks quickly and hates being left alone.
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Hovawart
A German farm guardian with a golden or black mane, calm at home, watchful at the gate, and slow to give its trust.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeHungarian Vizsla
A golden-rust pointer from Hungary, sensitive, affectionate and famously known as the velcro dog.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeIbizan Hound
A lean, big-eared Mediterranean hunter that sleeps like a cat on the sofa and clears a garden fence like a gazelle.
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Icelandic Sheepdog
A cheerful, curly-tailed Viking herder that wants to be involved in everything and will say so, loudly, at every opportunity.
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Irish Red and White Setter
The older, less fashionable Irish setter, white with red patches, and a gundog that still wants a field and a job.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeIrish Setter
A rich chestnut bird dog from Ireland, racy and affectionate, with boundless good humour and a nose that can override any recall.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeIrish Terrier
The red daredevil of Ireland: bold, loyal, affectionate with its own people and never far from a scrap or a good idea.
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Irish Water Spaniel
The tallest of the spaniels: a curly, liver-coloured water dog with a rat tail, a clown's humour and a reserved heart.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeIrish Wolfhound
The tallest of the sighthounds, a rough-coated giant that is gentle, quiet and courteous at home, and still fast when it chooses to run.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeItalian Greyhound
A miniature sighthound of Renaissance courts: elegant, affectionate, fond of warm laps and rather more fragile than it looks.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeJack Russell Terrier
A big dog in a small body: fearless, clever, endlessly busy and permanently looking for something to hunt.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeJapanese Chin
A graceful, cat-like toy dog that spent centuries in Japanese courts and still expects to be admired from a cushion.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeJapanese Spitz
A snow-white, fox-faced companion with a bright mind and a standard that expressly frowns on noisiness, which says a great deal.
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Kangal Shepherd Dog
A Turkish flock guardian with a black mask and a calm, measuring gaze, bred to make its own decisions at night on an empty hillside.
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Karelian Bear Dog
A black and white Finnish spitz bred to corner bears and elk, which makes the average city squirrel seem a personal challenge.
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Keeshond
The grey, spectacled Spitz with a mane like a lion's collar, devoted to its household and convinced every doorbell is its business.
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Kerry Blue Terrier
Ireland's blue-grey terrier: clever, lively and low-shedding, but with a fierce streak and a coat that demands a groomer.
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Komondor
A Hungarian livestock guardian under a mop of white cords, built to watch alone all night and to decide for itself who is a threat.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeKorean Jindo
A loyal, watchful island hunting dog from southwest Korea, devoted to one person, famously good at finding its way out of gardens.
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Kromfohrländer
A cheerful German companion that came out of a terrier and a griffon, and still has opinions about ratting, barking and sofas.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeLabrador Retriever
The most popular family dog in Europe for good reasons, and with one well-known weakness: food.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeLagotto Romagnolo
A curly-coated Italian truffle hunter with a nose that never switches off, happiest when every walk becomes a search.
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Lakeland Terrier
A neat, fearless fell terrier from the English Lake District: tireless, cheerful and very terrier.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeLandseer
A tall, gentle black-and-white giant with a lifeguard's heart, happiest near water and impossible to keep off the sofa.
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Large Münsterländer
A black-headed German gundog that points, retrieves and swims all morning, then expects to be included in everything else.
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Leonberger
A lion-coloured giant with a black mask and a surprisingly gentle manner, happiest as an unhurried companion who is never left out of anything.
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Lhasa Apso
A small Tibetan watchdog in a long coat, confident and a little aloof, who decides for itself who deserves its attention.
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Löwchen
A small, merry companion with a lion's mane and a lion's opinion of itself, which has been a lapdog of the rich for centuries.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeMaltese
One of the oldest companion breeds in Europe, gentle and devoted, with a white coat that shows everything.
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Manchester Terrier
A sleek black and tan ratter from Victorian Manchester, elegant enough for a city flat and still quick enough to clear a barn.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeMiniature Pinscher
A small German house dog with a high-stepping trot and a guard dog's opinion of itself, bold, quick and endlessly alert.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeMiniature Schnauzer
A small, sturdy German farm dog with a beard, eyebrows and a lot to say.
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Mudi
A prick-eared Hungarian herder with a wavy coat and a restless mind, built to work all day and offer opinions all evening.
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Neapolitan Mastiff
A heavy, loose-skinned guardian from the Naples hinterland, calm and devoted at home and imposing enough to end most arguments at the door.
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Nederlandse Kooikerhondje
A small orange and white Dutch decoy dog with black-tipped ears, bright, sensitive and happiest with a job and a familiar face.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeNewfoundland
A giant water dog with a famously sweet nature, and a lot of drool.
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Norfolk Terrier
A small, friendly East Anglian terrier with drop ears and a big appetite for company.
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Norwegian Buhund
A cheerful Viking-age farm dog that herds, guards and talks, and expects to be involved in everything you do.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeNorwegian Elkhound
A square, silver-grey Nordic hunter built to hold a moose at bay with its voice, hardy, friendly and never short of an opinion.
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Norwich Terrier
One of the smallest terriers, with prick ears, a red-gold wire coat and a fearless character far larger than its 25 centimetres.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeNova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
The smallest retriever, a fox-coloured Canadian bird dog with a unique hunting technique and a famous scream.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeOld English Sheepdog
A big, shaggy British drover with a rolling gait and a booming bark, gentle at home and very much a dog that needs company.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifePapillon
A toy dog with the brain of a working breed, quick to learn, keen to join in, and far tougher than its butterfly ears suggest.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeParson Russell Terrier
A leggy working terrier built to run with horses and go to ground, cheerful and bold, and rarely content to watch life from the sofa.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifePekingese
The Chinese palace lion dog: dignified, stubborn, devoted, and much sturdier in spirit than in size.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifePembroke Welsh Corgi
A big herding dog on short legs, bold, clever and much more athletic than it looks.
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Peruvian Hairless Dog
An elegant, watchful companion that has lived beside people in Peru for two thousand years and still prefers to sit on someone's lap.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifePetit Basset Griffon Vendéen
A shaggy, happy French scenthound with a big voice, a good nose and endless optimism.
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Pharaoh Hound
Malta's elegant tan hunting dog, which blushes when it is happy and hunts by sight, scent and hearing.
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Polish Lowland Sheepdog
A shaggy, watchful Polish herder who looks through a fringe, remembers everything you taught it, and has views about how the household is run.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifePomeranian
A tiny spitz with a lion's mane and a big voice.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifePoodle
Far from a fashion accessory: one of the most intelligent and athletic breeds, in four sizes.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifePortuguese Water Dog
A fisherman's dog from the Algarve, strong, clever and water mad, with a coat that needs a professional and a mind that needs a job.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifePug
An ancient Chinese companion breed, affectionate and comic, whose flat face brings real health limits.
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Puli
A compact Hungarian herder in a mop of cords, bouncy and alert, who treats every flat as a flock to be supervised.
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Pumi
A wiry little Hungarian herder with terrier manners, tipped ears and an opinion on everything that moves past the window.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifePyrenean Mastiff
A huge, white, patched mountain guardian that is gentle with its family, grave with strangers and impossible to overlook in a lift.
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Pyrenean Shepherd
A small, wiry mountain herder with a sharp mind and a stubborn streak, intensely loyal to its own people and quietly sceptical of everyone else.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeRhodesian Ridgeback
The African lion dog: dignified, independent and athletic, with the ridge of hair along its back that gives it its name.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeRottweiler
A calm, powerful working dog from the town of Rottweil, loyal and protective, and a real responsibility.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeRough Collie
A Scottish working sheepdog in an extravagant coat, gentle and sensitive at home, and happiest when its family is close by.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeRussian Toy
A slender, long-legged scrap of a dog, no heavier than a bag of sugar, with the curiosity of a terrier and the devotion of a lapdog.
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Saarloos Wolfdog
A wolf-like dog from a Dutch experiment, loyal to its own people, wary of everyone else and always planning its own exit.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeSaint Bernard
The legendary Alpine rescue dog: gentle, calm and enormous.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeSaluki
An ancient desert hunter of great speed and stamina, gentle and reserved at home, and utterly single-minded once it spots something running.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeSamoyed
The smiling white spitz of the Arctic: friendly, talkative and covered in fur.
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Schapendoes
A springy, shaggy Dutch herder that clears a hedge from a standing start and then looks to you for the next idea.
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Schipperke
A small, black Belgian watchdog with a fox-like face, a ruff and the confidence of a much bigger dog.
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Scottish Terrier
A compact, dignified Highland terrier with a long beard, a stubborn streak and great self-respect.
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Sealyham Terrier
A low, square-jawed white terrier bred to follow badgers underground, with a big dog's confidence and no sense of scale.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeShar-Pei
A self-possessed guardian in a loose, sandpaper coat, devoted to its own household and politely uninterested in almost everyone else.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeShetland Sheepdog
A small, sensitive herding dog from the Shetland Islands, bright and devoted, and a keen barker.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeShiba Inu
Japan's ancient little hunting dog, clean and dignified, with a cat-like habit of deciding for itself when to listen.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeShih Tzu
The little lion dog of the Chinese court: calm, friendly and made for companionship.
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Shikoku
A lean, sesame-coated Japanese hunter with a sickle tail and a boar-hunter's stamina, affectionate with its own person and relentless on a scent.
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Siberian Husky
A sled dog built to run for hours in the cold, friendly with everyone and loyal to no fence.
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Skye Terrier
A long, low Scottish terrier under a curtain of hair, devoted to one person and politely unconvinced by everyone else.
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Sloughi
A lean North African sighthound that is aloof with strangers, devoted to its family and happiest asleep on a soft bed between sprints.
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Small Münsterländer
A brown-and-white German gundog with a spaniel's charm and a pointer's focus, happiest when its nose and brain are both employed.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeSmooth Collie
The Rough Collie's short-coated twin: the same sweet-faced intelligence and gentle ways, without the hours spent with a brush.
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Smooth Fox Terrier
A white, quick-witted terrier with a spring in every step, sharper than most dogs twice its size and rarely willing to be ignored.
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Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
An Irish farm terrier with a silky wheaten coat and a famously exuberant greeting, cheerful at home and sturdy enough for a long walk.
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Spanish Mastiff
The sheep guardian of the Spanish migration routes, a heavy, deep-voiced dog with a gentle face and a serious job description.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeSpanish Water Dog
A rustic Andalusian all-rounder in a curly woolly coat, quick to learn, keen to work and wary of strangers until it knows them.
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Spinone Italiano
A shaggy, bearded Italian gundog with the patience of a saint and the trot of a marathon runner.
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Stabyhoun
A calm, independent Frisian farm dog whose name means stand by me, though it will often decide the route itself.
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Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Muscular, affectionate and devoted to people, and in Luxembourg a breed that comes with specific legal obligations.
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Standard Schnauzer
The original whiskered Schnauzer: a square, quick-witted German stable dog with a ratter's alertness and a strong sense of ownership over its people.
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Swedish Lapphund
A black, bear-brown reindeer herder from northern Sweden, friendly, hardy and happier with a job than with a sofa.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeSwedish Vallhund
A short-legged Swedish cattle heeler with a wolf-grey coat, a busy mind and the confidence of a dog twice its height.
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Thai Ridgeback
A lean Thai hunter with a ridge of reversed hair along its back, a spectacular jump and little interest in obeying.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeTibetan Mastiff
The great guardian of the Himalayas: independent, nocturnal, watchful and impressive, and a serious commitment.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeTibetan Spaniel
A small, self-assured companion from the Himalayas that likes a high vantage point, keeps strangers at arm's length and adores its own people.
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Tibetan Terrier
A mountain herder in a shaggy overcoat, merry and sure-footed, more athletic than its lap-dog looks suggest and quietly watchful of strangers.
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Tosa
A composed, powerful Japanese mastiff, bred in the old fighting tradition, that asks for an owner of experience and a legal paper trail in Luxembourg.
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Volpino Italiano
A small white or red cloud with a watchman's temperament, the Volpino once rode on Tuscan carts and still announces every visitor.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeWeimaraner
The silver-grey hunting dog of Weimar: elegant, athletic and so attached to its people that it shadows them from room to room.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeWelsh Springer Spaniel
The red-and-white spaniel of Wales: a tireless, affectionate worker that is often overlooked and never dull.
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Welsh Terrier
A cheerful, sturdy terrier from Wales: like an Airedale in miniature, with more energy than manners.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeWest Highland White Terrier
A cheerful, confident little Scottish terrier, white by design, with a big opinion of itself and a worker's stamina.
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West Siberian Laika
A vigorous Siberian forest hunter with a brilliant nose and a passion for game that no flat can absorb.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeWhippet
A sprinter who sleeps most of the day: one of the best city dogs you have never considered.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeWhite Swiss Shepherd Dog
A snow-white shepherd with a gentler edge than its better-known cousin, and the same appetite for a job and a family to belong to.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeWire Fox Terrier
Bright-eyed and permanently on tiptoe, a small working terrier with a big opinion of itself and a remarkable talent for entertaining a household.
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Wirehaired Vizsla
A russet-gold Hungarian gundog in a weatherproof coat, built for field, forest and water and happiest when given all three.
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Xoloitzcuintle
An ancient Mexican dog, naked or sleekly coated, that watches the world calmly and attaches itself to one household with great devotion.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeYorkshire Terrier
A glamorous toy with a working-class terrier past, and a terrier temperament to match.
EnergyGroomingFlat lifeNo breed matches that search.
How to read this guide
Each page describes the breed as it usually is, not as every dog will be. Within one breed, working and show lines can differ more than two separate breeds, and a well-raised crossbreed can be a better fit than any pedigree.
The three scores, energy, grooming and flat life, are our reading as a walker in Luxembourg City, from 1 to 5. The facts, sizes, groups and health conditions come from breed standards and mainstream veterinary sources. Where something is debated, the page says so.
Four breeds and their look-alikes fall under Luxembourg's law on dogs susceptible to being dangerous: the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Mastiff and the Tosa. All four are in this guide, and their pages explain what that means.
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