Dogs of the United Kingdom
When looking at the dogs of the United Kingdom this page refrences those from England, Scotland, and Wales. For information on the dogs of Ireland, please reference our Ireland page instead of the United Kingdom.
There are approximately 35 dog breeds that are from England, about half of this number are or where primarily used for hunting. These hunting breeds range from terriers to hounds, and are still largely used for sport in their homeland. Other dog types from England include breeds that where once used to control vermin, herding dogs, and breeds once used for dog fights or the baiting of other animals.
From Scotland we have around a dozen dog breeds; about half of these dogs are used for livestock herding, including the various Collie breeds and the small Shetland Sheepdog. The other half is comprised of the Deerhound, the Setter breeds, and various terriers, such as the Skye, Scottish, and Dandie Dinmont Terriers. Each of the dogs from Scotland originally had a purpose suited to their abilities, although today many of them are simply companion breeds.
Wales is the home of only half the number of breeds compared to Scotland. They include the Sealyham Terrier, Welsh Springer Spaniel, Welsh Terrier, and the two Welsh Corgis, the Pembroke and Cardigan. The little Corgis were used for herding sheep and cattle, despite their size. “Corgi” literally means dwarf dog in Welsh.
There are also two breeds that hail from both England and Scotland, being developed on the border lands between the two countries. These breeds are the Border Collie and Border Terrier. The Border Collie, like many United Kingdom breeds, was used for herding livestock, while the Border Terrier controlled the vermin in this region.
