12 Best Dogs for First-Time Owners — our top picks
Golden Retriever
Golden Retriever: very high trainability, very high friendliness and very high adaptability — forgiving of the mistakes every first-time owner makes. Beautiful, gentle retriever with flowing coat. Outstanding family companion with high intelligence and eagerness to please. Worth knowing before you commit: the coat is real work — the Golden Retriever needs frequent brushing and regular professional trims.
Labrador Retriever
Labrador Retriever: very high trainability, very high friendliness and very high adaptability — forgiving of the mistakes every first-time owner makes. Most popular family dog worldwide. Excellent retriever with gentle mouth, high intelligence, and outstanding temperament. Worth knowing before you commit: the Labrador Retriever sheds heavily enough that cleaning becomes a daily routine.
Goldendoodle
Goldendoodle: very high trainability, very high friendliness and very high adaptability — forgiving of the mistakes every first-time owner makes. Golden Retriever and Poodle cross combining best traits of both breeds. Popular family companion. Worth knowing before you commit: the coat is real work — the Goldendoodle needs frequent brushing and regular professional trims.
Labradoodle
Labradoodle: very high trainability, very high friendliness and very high adaptability. Labrador Retriever and Poodle cross bred for service work. Intelligent and friendly with variable coat. Worth knowing before you commit: the Labradoodle needs serious daily exercise, and gets destructive without it.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: high trainability, very high friendliness and very high adaptability. Gentle toy spaniel with silky coat and sweet expression. Perfect family companion with sporting dog heritage. Worth knowing before you commit: the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel does badly left alone all day.
Vizsla
Vizsla: very high trainability, very high friendliness and high adaptability. Elegant Hungarian pointer known as the "Velcro dog" for their close bond with owners. Athletic and affectionate. Worth knowing before you commit: the Vizsla needs serious daily exercise, and gets destructive without it.
Brittany
Brittany: very high trainability, very high friendliness and high adaptability. Compact, athletic gundog with boundless energy. Eager to please and excellent family companion when properly exercised. Worth knowing before you commit: the Brittany needs serious daily exercise, and gets destructive without it.
English Springer Spaniel
English Springer Spaniel: very high trainability, very high friendliness and high adaptability. Athletic, medium-sized spaniel with excellent flushing ability. Energetic and devoted family companion. Worth knowing before you commit: the English Springer Spaniel needs serious daily exercise, and gets destructive without it.
Standard Poodle
Standard Poodle: very high trainability, high friendliness and very high adaptability. Intelligent, athletic, and hypoallergenic. The original Poodle size, bred for water retrieval with exceptional trainability. Worth knowing before you commit: the coat is real work — the Standard Poodle needs frequent brushing and regular professional trims.
Miniature Poodle
Miniature Poodle: very high trainability, high friendliness and very high adaptability. Medium-sized Poodle with all the intelligence and athleticism in a more manageable size. Excellent family companion. Worth knowing before you commit: the coat is real work — the Miniature Poodle needs frequent brushing and regular professional trims.
Toy Poodle
Toy Poodle: very high trainability, high friendliness and very high adaptability. Smallest variety of Poodle with intelligence and athleticism in a tiny package. Hypoallergenic and highly trainable. Worth knowing before you commit: the coat is real work — the Toy Poodle needs frequent brushing and regular professional trims.
Havanese
Havanese: high trainability, very high friendliness and very high adaptability. Cuban toy breed with silky coat and cheerful disposition. Adaptable and social companion dog. Worth knowing before you commit: the coat is real work — the Havanese needs frequent brushing and regular professional trims.
How this ranking works: each of DoggyQ's 321 breeds is scored on the traits that decide this particular question — the same trait ratings shown on each breed's own guide page, so you can check the reasoning rather than take a ranking on faith. Read more about our methodology, or take the free quiz for a ranking based on your own answers.
Popular breeds that are a poor fit for first-time owners
Shiba Inu
The Shiba Inu is a popular choice, but low trainability and low friendliness put it at odds with first-time owners. On top of that, the Shiba Inu sheds heavily enough that cleaning becomes a daily routine.
English Mastiff
The English Mastiff is a popular choice, but low adaptability put it at odds with first-time owners. On top of that, the English Mastiff drools enough to notice.
Chihuahua (Long Coat)
The Chihuahua (Long Coat) is a popular choice, but its trait profile pulls against first-time owners. On top of that, the coat is real work — the Chihuahua (Long Coat) needs frequent brushing and regular professional trims.
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Find your perfect matchFrequently asked questions
- What is the best dog for first-time owners?
- Based on temperament and care needs, the Golden Retriever ranks as the top choice for first-time owners, followed by the Labrador Retriever and Goldendoodle.
- How was this list of dogs for first-time owners chosen?
- Each breed is scored on the traits that matter most for first-time owners — such as energy, size, grooming and temperament — using DoggyQ's breed database. For a recommendation tailored to your exact situation, take the free quiz.
- Which popular breeds are a poor fit for first-time owners?
- The Shiba Inu, The English Mastiff, The Chihuahua (Long Coat) all rank near the bottom for first-time owners despite being widely chosen — usually because the traits that make them appealing elsewhere work against them here.