Learning about the different classes of small dogs can help focus the selection process for a new dog. The AKC (American Kennel Club), which is the principle breed registry in the US, divides dog breeds into 7 categories, with the addition of the miscellaneous category. The category] is for those breeds who are in the process of becoming AKC registered, but are yet tobe recognized as official breeds due to some requirements for membership having not yet been met.

The seven types of American Kennel Club recognized dog breeds are:

•  sporting
•  hound
•  working
•  terrier
•  toy
•  non-sporting
•  herding

Most of the small dog breeds are in the toy category, but there are also a lot in the terrier group, and some in the herding, sporting, hound, and non-sporting groups. There are no official American Kennel Club recognized small dogs in the working class.

What Do These Classes Mean?

The dogs in most groups share some defining common characteristics. Some are in these groups because of particular talents like a great herding or hunting ability, (in the herding and hound groups). Others are there because of their size (toy dogs), or ancestry (terriers). The sporting and working dogs are a bit like the medley racers in Olympic swimming – they are all-rounders, either at doggy sports, or excelling in the many skills working dogs need. The non-sporting group don’t seem to have much at all in common however. This is the most diverse group of dog breeds.

Breed Types

Sporting Dogs

Sporting dogs are good at hunting, although they make excellent pets to the right owners. Sporting dogs were bred to hunt all types of small game, including birds, and they can hunt either on land or in the water. This group covers twenty-seven breeds, including the English cocker spaniel dog breed, a type of small spaniel. There are other larger spaniels in here as well, plus retrievers, setters, and pointers. Sporting dogs are very alert, and do need exercise on a regular basis.

Hound Dogs

Dogs in the hound dog classification have historically helped humans in the hunt. And they were bred to take advantage of particular talents each breed had. Some hounds use sight, others speed or smell, to track their prey. There are twenty-three breeds in this group, which includes 3 small dog breeds – the whippet, basenji, and dachshund.

Working Dogs

Working dogs can be kept as pets, but the reason they are called working dogs is because they provide some function for people, whether it be herding livestock, as a guide dog, or part of a paid entertainment act.

The AKC uses the definition another way. It puts breeds in the working dog category when they have been bred to perform a task which can’t be properly categorized in one of the other existing categories. There aren’t any small dog breeds in this category.