Sources

A short, honest account of what sits behind the pages on this site — including the parts we cannot cite.

Breed trait ratings

The twelve trait ratings on every breed page were written in-house. They draw on published breed descriptions and the temperament language used in breed standards, interpreted into a consistent five-point scale so that breeds can be compared against each other at all.

They are not derived from a licensed dataset, a national registry's data, a peer-reviewed study or any measurement programme, and we do not present them as such. Anywhere on this site that a number looks precise, treat it as a comparative judgement rather than a finding.

Breed photographs

Photographs are sourced from Wikimedia Commons under their stated free licences. Each photograph carries the photographer's name and licence on the breed page, linking back to the file page on Commons where the full licence terms and the original file live.

Some breeds — mostly recent designer crossbreeds — have no freely licensed photograph available anywhere. Those pages say so rather than showing a stand-in: a photograph of a parent breed on a crossbreed's page would misrepresent the animal, and an image travels without its caption once it is in a search result.

Cost estimates

The first-year cost breakdown in the quiz report is calculated from the breed's own size, coat and grooming ratings, and is given as a range with its assumptions stated alongside it. It excludes the price of the dog and any emergency treatment. Where you live moves these figures more than anything else — city vets and groomers sit at the top of every range.

What we do not have

No veterinary review. No health-outcome data. No lifespan study behind the typical-lifespan figures, which are the commonly published ranges rather than our own analysis. No data on how DoggyQ users actually got on with the dogs they chose — if we ever publish that, it will be from real anonymised outcomes and clearly labelled as such.

We would rather list the gaps than let the confident layout imply they are filled.

Corrections

If something here is wrong, email support@doggyq.com. Corrections from breeders, trainers, rescues and vets are the most useful kind. See also the methodology page for how the scoring itself works.

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Frequently asked questions

Are DoggyQ breed photos properly licensed?
Breed photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under their stated free licences, and each one credits the photographer and links to the original file page where the licence terms are set out.
Why do some DoggyQ breed pages have no photo?
Because no freely licensed photograph of that breed exists — this affects mostly recent designer crossbreeds. Those pages say so rather than substituting a parent breed's photo, which would misrepresent the animal.

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