Dog breeds for a house with a yard
The yard doesn't walk the dog, but it gives it somewhere to burn the engine between walks. These 13 breeds in the directory are medium or larger with energy ≥ 3.
How this list was built
The rule, out in the open
- Energy ≥ 4/5
- Size: medium, large or giant
13 of 30 directory breeds qualify · 17 don't · 0 have no data for a field in the rule (left out, named below)
The numbers come from the Lord Chucho deck: the scale published by the AKC and the books in our library, with a citation on every bar. Where there's no data, there's no breed: we'd rather leave the gap than make it up.
A yard with a dog is a yard with holes, and a dog that lives only in the yard isn't a family dog: the yard is a bonus, not a substitute.
With their bars and their citations
The 13 breeds that qualify
Labrador Retriever
- Size
- large
- Energy5/5couch potatomarathonerSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Guarding instinct3/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Barking3/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
German Shepherd Dog Pastor Alemán
- Size
- large
- Energy5/5couch potatomarathonerSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Guarding instinct5/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Barking3/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
Siberian Husky Husky Siberiano
- Size
- medium
- Energy5/5couch potatomarathonerSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Guarding instinct1/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Barking5/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
Doberman Pinscher Dóberman
- Size
- large
- Energy5/5couch potatomarathonerSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Guarding instinct5/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Barking3/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
Border Collie
- Size
- medium
- Energy5/5couch potatomarathonerSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Guarding instinct3/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: Wikipedia (2006 compilation, secondary source) · confidence medium
- Barking4/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
Weimaraner
- Size
- large
- Energy5/5couch potatomarathonerSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Guarding instinct5/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Barking3/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
Poodle Caniche (French Poodle)
- Size
- very small (toy), small, medium
- Energy4/5couch potatomarathonerSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Guarding instinct5/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Barking4/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
Boxer Bóxer
- Size
- large
- Energy4/5couch potatomarathonerSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Guarding instinct4/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Barking3/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
Belgian Malinois Pastor Belga Malinois
- Size
- large
- Energy4/5couch potatomarathonerSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Guarding instinct4/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Barking3/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
Xoloitzcuintli Xoloitzcuintle
- Size
- very small (toy), small, medium, large
- Energy4/5couch potatomarathonerSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Guarding instinct3/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Barking3/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
Dalmatian Dálmata
- Size
- medium
- Energy4/5couch potatomarathonerSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Guarding instinct4/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Barking3/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
Great Dane Gran Danés
- Size
- giant
- Energy4/5couch potatomarathonerSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Guarding instinct5/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Barking3/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
Akita
- Size
- large
- Energy4/5couch potatomarathonerSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
- Guarding instinct5/5not a guardianborn guardianSource: The New Complete Dog Book, 23rd edition (American Kennel Club) · confidence high
- Barking2/5nearly silentreports everythingSource: akc.org, official breed trait scores · confidence high
And for your life, which one?
A list narrows things down; the recommender crosses your home, your energy, your kids and your neighbors with these same data, in seven questions.
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