19 Endearing English Dogs That Could Be Your Next Best Mate

When we think about England, the things that come to mind are the royal family, Big Ben, the London Eye, and lots of great bands and actors — but let’s talk about the fabulous dogs that were first bred in England.

Many of the canines that originated in England were created to hunt or to fight. Fortunately, they live lives of leisure now and don’t have to participate in blood sports.

Most of these English dog breeds are so energetic! They must have bred exuberance into hunting dogs.

The Brits love their dogs, and the first officially recognized dog show was at New Cornmarket in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1859. The first US dog show was in Chicago in 1874.

The early dog shows were organized by hunters who wanted to show off their canines. The first American Kennel Club (AKC) took place shortly after in 1877.

English Breed Dogs

Let’s take a look at the adorable English dog breeds.

1. Corgi 

Corgis received royal approval from Queen Elizabeth. The Corgi is affectionate, playful, alert, friendly, intelligent, very trainable, good with dogs and kids, and needs mental stimulus.

Corgis are barkers. These little cuties are somehow able to move cattle by barking and nipping at the cows’ heels (cute imagery).

Corgis are fast and graceful. ‘Kergie’ means dog in ancient Celtic. Historians think that ancient Corgis were brought to the UK from Central Europe and to Wales by the Celts when they migrated to Britain 3,000 years ago.

Fun fact: Cardigans Corgis have tails, and Pembroke Welsh Corgis don’t.

2. English Cocker Spaniels 

The English cocker spaniel makes a delightful pet. They are good with kids and dogs, friendly, affectionate, playful, very trainable, and need stimulation. As hunting dogs, they were bred to be very responsive to their humans. They are active in the field and calm at home.

The English created their spaniels centuries ago. The English cocker spaniel was bred for hunting woodcock. According to the AKC, “Spaniel” comes from the word Spanish, and “cocker” comes from the word woodcock, the adorable bird that the Brits and English cocker spaniel hunted.

3. Bull Terrier

The unique-looking bull terrier has a comical appearance with their egg head. Famous bull terriers include Bullseye, the Target dog, and Spuds MacKenzie from the old Bud Light commercials.

Bull terriers are fun and enjoy attention and playing. The AKC says they are mischievous, charming, affectionate, friendly, stubborn, and energetic.

Bull terriers were originally bred from bulldogs and terriers for dog fighting. In the 13th century, they were bull baiting, where bulldogs fought a staked bull, and spectators bet on who would win. When bull baiting was outlawed, bull terriers were forced into dogfighting.

Thankfully, dogfighting also became illegal. Their third career was much more pleasant — being a companion to young gentlemen.

4. Yorkshire Terrier

The Yorkshire terrier is good with children and dogs, affectionate, playful, friendly, protective, trainable, energetic, and smart. They are barkers and need mental stimulation. Their silky hair is like human hair, so it needs daily brushing if kept long.

Some people have their Yorkies clipped into a shorter hairdo. They are elegant (although their ancestors were working class) and hypoallergenic.

These pups from Yorkshire were used as mousers ridding textile mills and coal mines of rodents. Not such an elegant job. It’s believed that Scots brought them when they moved to England. There are several types of Yorkies, including black, parti, and hybrids.

Two other terriers famously from England are the cuddly Manchester terrier and the Jack Russell terrier. According to the AKC, the Manchester terrier chased mice in textile mills. Jack Russell terriers, bred by Reverend John Russell, were trained to hunt foxes and have a high prey drive.

5. English Springer Spaniel

The lovable English Springer spaniel is affectionate, good with dogs and kids, friendly, playful, trainable, energetic, and needs mental stimulation. The AKC describes English springer spaniels as “mannerly pets during the week and trusty hunting buddies on the weekend.” Springer spaniels were originally bred as hunting dogs that flushed birds out of hiding.

When the gun was invented, the springers pivoted from catch-and-kill assassins to locate and retrieve bird hunters. There are different spaniel breeds.

Springer and Cocker Spaniels used to be born in the same litter, so they were classified as the same breed as the English cocker spaniel for a while. Later, they were separated into two breeds.

6. Airedale Terrier

Airedale terriers are friendly, courageous, clever, and protective. They make great family dogs. The Airedale terrier is the largest of the terriers. The AKC calls them King of the Terriers. Airedale terriers were originally bred in Aire Valley in Northern England, which was a major manufacturing center before the beginning of the 20th century.

Airdales originated in the mid-1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution, the valley’s factory hands and mill workers first bred Airedales to keep ducks and rats away. They were bred from the Otterhound, the English Black and Tan Terrier (now extinct), and a dash of Irish Terrier and Bedlington Terrier.

According to the AKC, some setters, retrievers, and herding dogs may have also been mixed in. Airedales were dependable messengers, guard dogs, and sentries in WWI. They are also police/bobby dogs. In America, Airedales hunted game birds, otters, waterfowl, and big animals.

7. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Cavs are gentle, affectionate, graceful, good with kids and dogs, friendly, athletic, and very trainable. They are happy to play and also content to just hang out.

In the 17th century, King Charles I and his son, King Charles II, loved the black and tan toy spaniels. According to the AKC, toy Spaniels were popular with British aristocrats into the early 19th century (due to their small size), and some bred red and whites at Blenheim Palace. Now they have a new King Charles to boost their street cred.

Toward the end of the 19th century, the Cavs were bred with Pugs and Japanese Chin, and the breeds had a flatter face and domed skull. In the 1920s, a wealthy American offered a cash prize to British Breeders to recreate Blenheim Spaniels, and the original variety returned.

8. Norwich Terrier

Norwich terriers are alert, loyal, affectionate, inquisitive, friendly, good with kids, protective, playful, need mental stimulation, and bark. These little cuties were courageous and hardy ratters and also part of fox-hunting packs.

In the 1870s and 1880s, many Cambridge University undergraduates bought cuddly Norwiches, entering into dog ownership to protect them from dorm rodents.

The difference between the Norwich terrier and the Norfolk Terrier is the Norfolk has shaggy hair, and the Norwich has a combination of wiry and soft hair.

Other brave terriers include Wire fox terriers bred for hunting foxes, Bedlington terriers that hunted vermin like Norwich terriers did, and Staffordshire bull terriers. The Staffordshire bull terrier was bred to attack bulls and then other dogs. They are stigmatized because of bully breed histories, but now they are just affectionate dogs transformed from fighters to lovers.

Some say the Bedlington terrier came from gypsies.

9. Bulldog

The English bulldog is friendly, brave, calm, affectionate, playful, and trainable. English bulldogs are unique looking with their loose skin, underbite, and smushed in face. Bulldogs can have difficulty breathing in warm weather due to their snout. There are many types of Bulldogs.

Bulldogs were bred in 13th-century England, where they were used for bullbaiting. In 1835, when bloodsports were outlawed, Bulldogs and other dogs were forced to fight other dogs for gamblers.

Finally, when dog fighting became illegal, breeders made bulldogs more mellow and sweet and bred out the ferociousness.

10. Border Collie

The Border collie is energetic, affectionate, smart, playful, trainable, barks a lot, and needs mental stimulation. The Border is known as the smartest dog breed and the best herder. A Border collie starred in the movie Babe. They are one of several types of Collie dog breeds.

The Border was created after Roman Emperor Claudius conquered England in the year 35. The Romans brought their canines to tend to their livestock.

300 years later, the Vikings invaded England and brought their small and quick herding pooches. They crossbred and created the Border.

11. Old English Sheepdog

The English Sheepdog is intelligent, gentle, adaptable, affectionate, good with children, playful, protective, very trainable, needs mental stimulation, loyal family pets, and are muscular canines. They are agile and enjoy exploring. Famous English sheepdogs include Paul McCartney’s Martha and the Shaggy Dog Disney movie Dog.

Old English sheepdogs are from Devon and Somerset counties and the Duchy of Cornwall. Experts believe that Old English sheepdogs were bred by mixing canines from Scotland, Europe, and Russia. Rather than tending to sheep, the Old English sheepdog drove sheep to town markets.

12. Clumber Spaniel

The Clumber spaniel is playful, calm, funny, affectionate, friendly, and trainable. They love to fetch and swim and are easygoing companions. Some say they are mischievous, stubborn, and naughty. They are the largest of the spaniel breeds and spaniel types.

Historians can trace the breed to the 1700s in Nottinghamshire, England, where the Duke of Newcastle and his gamekeeper bred a spaniel and named it after the Duke’s estate, Clumber Park. They were game bird hunters and favorites of British royals. Clumbers were painted by portrait and sports artists.

13. English Setter

The English setter is friendly, mellow, happy, affectionate, good with kids and other dogs, playful, trainable, and needs mental stimulation. They are one of the AKC’s four British setters bred to work on the terrains of England, Ireland, and Scotland.

The English setter was developed 400 years ago on English estates by crossing old spaniel breeds and pointer breeds to create hunting dogs to sit quietly when game birds were located. They became gun dogs when hunting rifles were invented.

14. English Foxhounds

The English foxhound is gentle, affectionate, friendly, easy to train, and needs two hours of exercise each day.

George Washington helped popularize English Foxhounds in the US. This breed is still used in traditional English fox hunts.

15. Beagle

Beagles are friendly, good with children and dogs, affectionate, loyal, funny, playful, energetic, and need mental and physical stimulation. Snoopy from Peanuts is a Beagle.

They come in two sizes: under 13 inches and between 13-15 inches. Merry Beagles make great family dogs and are one of the most popular dogs.

Historians say that packs of Beagles hunted rabbits in England back in 55 BC. In the 1500s, English gentlemen had two varieties of Beagles: a pack of large hounds to track deer and small hounds to track hares. The Beagle descended from the small hounds. They began working with English hunters in the 1500s.

16. Greyhounds 

Greyhounds are independent, affectionate, gentle, good with dogs and children, playful, friendly, and energetic. The greyhound is very lean and fast and can be found in art, poetry, and in the company of kings during the last several thousands of years. The greyhound is the template of coursing dogs.

Greyhounds are in prehistoric Egyptian art from 5,000 years ago when they hunted gazelle and other animals in the desert. Alexander the Great and Russian Czars had greyhounds.

17. Whippet

Whippets are affectionate dogs that are calm, intelligent, good with children and dogs, fast, energetic, make a good watchdog, and need mental stimulus. The Whippet dog enjoys relaxing, but if you give them something to chase — they’ll jump up and run right after it.

They hail from Victorian England in the north country where coal miners liked dog racing and rabbit hunting but couldn’t afford to kennel and feed large dogs like Greyhounds — so they bred a smaller dog. They can run 35 miles per hour. Whippets were known as the “Poor Man’s Racehorse.”

They appear in art from the Middle Ages. At the turn of the 20th century, when textile workers from Lancashire were emigrating to New England, they brought their Whippet dogs.

18. Bloodhound

The Bloodhound is independent, friendly, inquisitive, affectionate, good with children and dogs, playful, and trainable. They bark and drool. They are an ancient breed famous for their excellent olfactory abilities.

Some well-known Bloodhounds include Mickey Mouse’s friend Pluto, Trusty from Lady and the Tramp, and Huckleberry Hound. They’re calm unless they are on a scent.

Although their history is mysterious, a third-century scholar wrote about “a hound of unrivaled scenting powers, so intensely devoted to the work that he could not be pulled off the trail until his quarry was found.”

The oldest scent hound, Bloodhounds, were mixed with other breeds to breed scent hounds. They are excellent police dogs and will follow a scent through swamps, etc. Technology can’t rival their noses.

19. Bullmastiff

The Bullmastiff is calm at home but fearless at work. They are loyal, affectionate, brave, good with children and dogs, protective, energetic, intelligent, fast, and need mental stimulation.

The Bullmstiff is a cross between a Bulldog and a Mastiff. They are muscular dogs and need early socialization and training to prevent undesirable behaviors (like many dogs).

Bullmastiffs were bred in the mid-to-late 19th century to guard the English aristocracy members’ game preserves from poachers. Modern Bullmastiffs have more wrinkles than their ancestors.

FAQs

What Is the Most British Dog of All Time?

According to Purina, the Corgi.

What Is the National Dog of England?

The wrinkly British Bulldog is the national dog. It triumphed over the many English dog breeds for that honor.

What Are the Characteristics of English Dogs?

Most English dog breeds are energetic and were bred as a hunting dog or to engage in another blood sport.

Wrap-up  

Many of the English dog breeds began as hunting dogs and bloodsport canines. Now, many are just family members.

Most terrier breeds originated in England, except the miniature schnauzer.

Three English breeds are in the top 10 American Kennel Club’s most popular dogs: Bulldog, Beagle, and Yorkies. We love our English poochie imports. Cheers.