Looking for the best family dogs in the UK? The honest answer is that the right dog is the one whose size, energy and grooming fit your home and your week. This guide compares nine Royal Kennel Club breeds and one popular cross, the Cockapoo, that UK families often consider.
Everything here comes from UK sources: breed information from the Royal Kennel Club, lifespan research from Dogs Trust, family advice from Dogs Trust and the vet charity PDSA, and health research from the Royal Veterinary College. The dogs are grouped by size, so you can go straight to the ones that fit your home.
Before you choose: Dogs Trust says claims that a breed is good with children should be treated with caution, because it depends on the individual dog. Meet the dog first, and if it’s a puppy, meet its mother too.
Quick picks:
Flat or smaller home: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the one breed here the Royal Kennel Club lists as suited to a flat.
Smaller home, short coat: Staffordshire Bull Terrier or Beagle.
Active family: English Springer Spaniel, which needs more than two hours of exercise a day.
Larger home and garden: Labrador Retriever or Golden Retriever.
Older children only: Border Collie, which PDSA doesn’t recommend for families with smaller children.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How we chose these 10 breeds
We looked for dogs that UK families often consider and that UK sources cover well. Each one was checked against four things:
- Royal Kennel Club breed information: size, daily exercise, grooming, the size of home and garden, and whether the breed sheds.
- UK lifespan data: the median age at death from Dogs Trust’s 2024 study of UK dogs.
- Family advice from UK charities: what PDSA and Dogs Trust say about each breed with children, time alone and exercise.
- Health tests: the tests the Royal Kennel Club recommends breeders carry out, so you know what to ask for.
We haven’t owned any of these ten dogs, so we don’t add our own impressions. Where UK sources say nothing about a dog (the Cockapoo has no UK breed standard), we say so rather than filling the gap.
The 10 breeds at a glance
| Breed | Size (RKC) | Daily exercise | Grooming (RKC) | Home (RKC) | Typical lifespan (UK median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Small | At least 1 hour (PDSA) | More than once a week | Flat or apartment | 11.8 years |
| Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Small | At least 1 hour (PDSA) | Once a week | Small house | 12.0 years |
| Cocker Spaniel | Small | Up to 1 hour (RKC) | Every day | Small house | 13.3 years |
| Beagle | Small | Up to 1 hour (RKC) | Once a week | Small house | 12.5 years |
| English Springer Spaniel | Medium | More than 2 hours (RKC) | More than once a week | Small house | 13.5 years |
| Border Collie | Medium | More than 2 hours (RKC) | More than once a week | Small house | 13.1 years |
| Labrador Retriever | Large | More than 2 hours (RKC) | Once a week | Large house | 13.1 years |
| Golden Retriever | Large | More than 2 hours (RKC) | More than once a week | Large house | 13.2 years |
| Hungarian Vizsla | Large | More than 2 hours (RKC) | Once a week | Large house | 13.5 years |
| Cockapoo (cross) | No UK breed standard | No UK guidance | No UK guidance | No UK guidance | No UK data |
The lifespans are medians from Dogs Trust’s 2024 study, so half the dogs of each breed lived longer and half lived less long. For the Staffy and the Cavalier we’ve used PDSA’s daily minimum, because PDSA asks for more exercise than the Royal Kennel Club’s panel suggests.
Best small family dogs
The Royal Kennel Club lists these four breeds as small. Small doesn’t mean low effort: two of them need daily grooming or plenty of exercise. If you bring a puppy home, our guide to the best small breed puppy food covers what they need while they grow.
1. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
A Cavalier suits a flat or a smaller home, as long as someone is around for most of the day.
- Size: Small (Royal Kennel Club)
- Daily exercise: At least an hour, split into two walks (PDSA)
- Grooming: More than once a week (Royal Kennel Club)
- Home and garden: Flat or apartment; small or medium garden
- Sheds: Yes
- Typical lifespan: 11.8 years (UK median, Dogs Trust)
Why families choose it: The Royal Kennel Club standard describes a friendly dog that isn’t aggressive and has no tendency to nervousness. PDSA says Cavaliers are popular family dogs because of their size and their love of people.
Think twice if: Nobody is home for long stretches. PDSA says Cavaliers need constant company and advises never leaving one alone for more than four hours. PDSA also calls heart conditions, most often mitral valve disease, a big problem for the breed, and lists syringomyelia among its conditions. Dogs Trust adds that Cavaliers may not manage long walks or hill hikes and are at higher risk of heat stroke. Its median lifespan is the shortest of the nine breeds here with UK data.
Health tests to ask about: heart screening under the Kennel Club heart scheme, eye testing, and DNA tests for curly coat/dry eye and episodic falling.
2. Staffordshire Bull Terrier
A Staffy suits a family in a smaller home with time for at least an hour’s exercise every day.
- Size: Small (Royal Kennel Club)
- Daily exercise: At least an hour, split into a few walks (PDSA)
- Grooming: Once a week (Royal Kennel Club)
- Home and garden: Small house; small or medium garden
- Sheds: Yes
- Typical lifespan: 12.0 years (UK median, Dogs Trust)
Why families choose it: The Royal Kennel Club standard describes the Staffy as highly intelligent and “affectionate especially with children”. The short coat is easy to look after: Dogs Trust says it only needs an occasional brush.
Think twice if: You’re not ready for a dog that loves to chew. PDSA notes that many Staffies want to chew anything they can, and advises sturdy toys suited to the breed; our guide to dog enrichment toys has ideas. Like every dog on this list, a Staffy needs its exercise every day.
Health tests to ask about: elbow testing, eye testing, and the DNA test for hereditary cataracts.
3. Cocker Spaniel
A Cocker Spaniel suits a smaller home, as long as you can groom it every day.
- Size: Small (Royal Kennel Club)
- Daily exercise: Up to an hour (Royal Kennel Club)
- Grooming: Every day (Royal Kennel Club)
- Home and garden: Small house; small or medium garden
- Sheds: Yes
- Typical lifespan: 13.3 years (UK median, Dogs Trust)
Why families choose it: The Royal Kennel Club standard describes the Cocker as gentle and affectionate, but full of life. It’s also one of the two parent breeds of the Cockapoo, covered at the end of this list.
Think twice if: Daily brushing doesn’t fit your routine. The Royal Kennel Club puts the Cocker’s grooming at every day, the most of any breed here.
Health tests to ask about: eye and hip testing, and DNA tests for acral mutilation syndrome, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) and familial nephropathy.
4. Beagle
A Beagle suits a family in a smaller home that enjoys daily walks and games.
- Size: Small (Royal Kennel Club)
- Daily exercise: Up to an hour (Royal Kennel Club)
- Grooming: Once a week (Royal Kennel Club)
- Home and garden: Small house; small or medium garden
- Sheds: Yes
- Typical lifespan: 12.5 years (UK median, Dogs Trust)
Why families choose it: The Royal Kennel Club standard describes the Beagle as friendly and alert, with no aggression or timidity. Dogs Trust says lots of Beagles enjoy scent games, which makes them easy to play with at home.
Think twice if: You want a quiet, low-energy dog. Dogs Trust describes Beagles as typically high-energy dogs that need lots of exercise, and the Royal Kennel Club standard describes a hound bred to hunt hare by following a scent. Our Beagle vs Labrador guide compares the two in detail.
Health tests to ask about: DNA tests for Lafora disease and neonatal cerebellar cortical degeneration (NCCD), plus Factor VII deficiency.
Best medium-sized family dogs
The Royal Kennel Club lists both of these breeds as medium-sized and puts their exercise at more than two hours a day. They suit families who are out walking every day, whatever the weather.
5. English Springer Spaniel
A Springer suits an active family with time for long walks every day.
- Size: Medium (Royal Kennel Club)
- Daily exercise: More than 2 hours (Royal Kennel Club)
- Grooming: More than once a week (Royal Kennel Club)
- Home and garden: Small house; large garden
- Sheds: Yes
- Typical lifespan: 13.5 years (UK median, Dogs Trust)
Why families choose it: The Royal Kennel Club standard describes a friendly, happy dog that’s easy to train. PDSA says Springers make good family dogs: they’re well behaved, love being involved in family activities and get on well with children and other pets.
Think twice if: You can’t commit to the exercise and the coat care. PDSA puts the Springer’s minimum exercise at two hours a day, with grooming once or twice a week and clipping about every three months.
Health tests to ask about: hip, elbow and eye testing, and DNA tests including acral mutilation syndrome, fucosidosis and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).
6. Border Collie
A Border Collie suits a family with older children and plenty of time for exercise and training. It isn’t the right choice with toddlers.
- Size: Medium (Royal Kennel Club)
- Daily exercise: More than 2 hours (Royal Kennel Club)
- Grooming: More than once a week (Royal Kennel Club)
- Home and garden: Small house; large garden
- Sheds: Yes
- Typical lifespan: 13.1 years (UK median, Dogs Trust)
Why families choose it: The Royal Kennel Club standard describes the Border Collie as keen, alert, responsive and intelligent, and neither nervous nor aggressive. Our guide to the most intelligent dog breeds explains what that means day to day.
Think twice if: Your children are small. PDSA says a well-socialised Collie is likely to get on well with children, but its strong herding instinct can mean bumping into them and knocking them over, so PDSA wouldn’t recommend a Collie for families with smaller children.
Health tests to ask about: eye, elbow and hip testing, and DNA tests including collie eye anomaly, ceroid lipofuscinosis and trapped neutrophil syndrome.
Best large family dogs
The Royal Kennel Club lists these three breeds as large, suited to a large house and garden, with more than two hours of exercise a day. Large-breed puppies grow for longer, so our guide to the best large breed puppy food is worth a look early on.
7. Labrador Retriever
A Labrador suits a family with a larger home, a garden and time for more than two hours of exercise a day.
- Size: Large (Royal Kennel Club)
- Daily exercise: More than 2 hours (Royal Kennel Club)
- Grooming: Once a week (Royal Kennel Club)
- Home and garden: Large house; large garden
- Sheds: Yes
- Typical lifespan: 13.1 years (UK median, Dogs Trust)
Why families choose it: The Royal Kennel Club standard describes the Labrador as intelligent, keen and eager to please, with a kindly nature, and calls it an adaptable, devoted companion.
Think twice if: You can’t give it lots of exercise. Dogs Trust describes Labradors as typically high-energy dogs that need lots of exercise to stay healthy in body and mind. If you’re deciding between the two retrievers, our Golden Retriever vs Labrador guide sets them side by side.
Health tests to ask about: hip, elbow and eye testing, and DNA tests including centronuclear myopathy, exercise-induced collapse and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).
8. Golden Retriever
A Golden Retriever suits a family with space, time for long walks and time for regular grooming.
- Size: Large (Royal Kennel Club)
- Daily exercise: More than 2 hours (Royal Kennel Club)
- Grooming: More than once a week (Royal Kennel Club)
- Home and garden: Large house; large garden
- Sheds: Yes
- Typical lifespan: 13.2 years (UK median, Dogs Trust)
Why families choose it: The Royal Kennel Club standard describes the Golden as kindly, friendly and confident.
Think twice if: You’d rather not deal with dog hair. Dogs Trust says Golden Retrievers shed, need brushing a few times a week, and are likely to need professional grooming too.
Health tests to ask about: hip, elbow and eye testing, and DNA tests for progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) and ichthyosis.
9. Hungarian Vizsla
A Vizsla suits an outdoorsy family with a larger home and plenty of time to spend with it.
- Size: Large (Royal Kennel Club)
- Daily exercise: More than 2 hours (Royal Kennel Club)
- Grooming: Once a week (Royal Kennel Club)
- Home and garden: Large house; large garden
- Sheds: Yes
- Typical lifespan: 13.5 years (UK median, Dogs Trust)
Why families choose it: The Royal Kennel Club standard describes the Vizsla as sensitive, very affectionate and easily trained. Dogs Trust says that if you love spending active time outdoors, this breed could be a great match.
Think twice if: Your days are short on time. The Royal Kennel Club puts the Vizsla’s exercise at more than two hours a day, and it needs a large house and garden.
Health tests to ask about: hip, elbow and eye testing.
What about the Cockapoo?
10. Cockapoo
The Cockapoo is a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle. It’s very popular in the UK, but it has no UK breed standard, so you’re judging the individual puppy and its parents rather than a breed.
- Size: No UK breed standard
- Daily exercise: No UK guidance
- Grooming: No UK guidance
- Home and garden: No UK guidance
- Typical lifespan: No UK data (Dogs Trust’s study has no Cockapoo figure)
What UK research says: A Royal Veterinary College study of UK owners, published in 2024, compared Cockapoos under five with their parent breeds. It found their overall health was largely similar to the Cocker Spaniel’s and the Poodle’s, with more itchy-skin problems than either parent breed. The researchers advise choosing on breeding conditions, temperament, body shape and the health of the parents, rather than on the idea that a cross is healthier.
Think twice if: You’re choosing a Cockapoo because you’ve heard crosses are healthier or better for allergies. No UK source we use supports either claim.
How to choose the right family dog
PDSA’s advice is to be honest about how much time you have alongside a busy family, and to choose a dog whose exercise needs, mental stimulation and adult size you can meet.
Dogs Trust suggests asking two questions. If your children are primary school age or younger, would they feel comfortable with a large dog? And would a bouncy dog suit your family, or a calmer one? If you get a puppy, Dogs Trust says you’ll need to give them a lot of time in their first year. Every dog also needs a den where it can rest undisturbed by adults and children.
Safety first: PDSA’s rule is never to leave children unattended with a dog, even for a few minutes, and to let a resting or sleeping dog be. Its guide to children and dogs shows how to teach children to approach a dog safely.
Buying a puppy or rescuing in the UK
The law in England: GOV.UK says commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens have been banned in England since 6 April 2020, so you buy directly from the breeder or from a rehoming centre.
Dogs Trust says it’s illegal to sell a puppy under eight weeks old away from the place where it was bred. See the puppy with its mother, check that she’s relaxed and healthy, and walk away if anything feels wrong. You can report a seller you’re worried about to Trading Standards.
Ask the breeder for the parents’ health test results. The tests listed under each breed above are the ones the Royal Kennel Club recommends.
If you’d rather rescue, Dogs Trust’s adoption fee is £300 in England, Wales and Scotland and £287.50 in Northern Ireland. At its rehoming centres, Dogs Trust arranges a supervised meeting between your family and the dog before you adopt, where that suits the dog.
Whichever route you take, GOV.UK says every dog must be microchipped and registered on an approved database by the time it’s 8 weeks old, and you can be fined up to £500 if it isn’t. PDSA reminds owners that a collar and tag are a legal requirement in the UK too.
What a family dog costs each month
| Dog size | Minimum monthly cost | Minimum lifetime cost |
|---|---|---|
| Small | £69 | £6,200 to £12,000 |
| Medium | £83 | £9,000 to £14,000 |
| Large | £116 | £8,200 to £18,800 |
These are PDSA’s minimum estimates, worked out at 2024 prices. They cover food, insurance, yearly check-ups and boosters, flea and worm treatment, toys, poo bags and toothpaste. They don’t include buying the dog, vet bills if it becomes ill or injured, grooming, or training, so budget extra for those. Breeds that need grooming often may need the right brush too: our guide to the different types of brushes for dogs explains which coat needs which.
Final thoughts: which family dog suits your home?
- If you live in a flat: the Cavalier is the one breed here the Royal Kennel Club lists as suited to a flat.
- If you want a smaller dog with a short coat: look at the Staffy or the Beagle.
- If daily brushing doesn’t put you off: the Cocker Spaniel.
- If you’re out walking for hours every day: the Springer or the Vizsla.
- If your children are older and you want a dog to train: the Border Collie.
- If you have a big house and garden: the Labrador or the Golden Retriever.
Whichever you choose, meet the dog first, ask about health tests, and go back to the checklist in “How to choose the right family dog” before you commit.
Frequently asked questions about family dogs
What’s the single best family dog breed in the UK?
There isn’t one. The best dog for your family is the one whose size, exercise and grooming fit your home and your time. Dogs Trust advises caution about claims that any breed is good with children, because it depends on the individual dog.
What’s a good small dog for a family?
The Royal Kennel Club lists the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Cocker Spaniel and Beagle as small. Of those, the Cavalier is the one it lists as suited to a flat.
Which family dogs don’t shed?
All ten dogs in this guide shed: the Royal Kennel Club lists all nine breeds as shedding, and the Cockapoo has no UK standard. The Royal Kennel Club does list some breeds, like the Standard Poodle, as not shedding, but no UK source we use rates any dog as safe for people with allergies.
Is a Border Collie a good dog for a family with young children?
Usually not. PDSA says a well-socialised Collie is likely to get on well with children, but its herding instinct can mean bumping into them and knocking them over, so PDSA doesn’t recommend one with smaller children.
Do Cockapoos make good family pets?
They can, but judge the individual puppy, its parents and the breeder. A Royal Veterinary College study found Cockapoos under five were about as healthy overall as their parent breeds, so being a cross doesn’t make them healthier.
How much does a family dog cost per month in the UK?
At least £69 a month for a small dog, £83 for a medium dog and £116 for a large dog, according to PDSA’s minimum estimates at 2024 prices. That doesn’t include buying the dog, vet bills for illness, grooming or training.
