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Dog and Cat Breed Groups

What each group was bred to do, and what that tells you about the coat

Dogs and cats from a range of breed groups at a grooming salon

Breed groups sort dogs by the job the breed was developed for. It is how most people think about dogs, and it is a weaker guide to a grooming appointment than the coat is.

Sometimes the job and the coat line up. The herding breeds really do all carry a weather resistant double coat, because that is what a dog standing out in weather all day needs. Just as often they do not. The Hound Group holds both the lowest maintenance coat in dogs and one of the highest, and the Non-Sporting Group is openly the drawer everything else went into.

Cats are grouped differently, and they have to be. No registry sorts cats by the job they were bred for, because with a handful of exceptions they were not bred for one. Forcing them into a Sporting or Working category would be an invention. So the five cat groups below sort by coat and build, which is both how cats are actually browsed and how they are actually groomed.

The Seven AKC Dog Groups

The seven American Kennel Club groups, which sort dogs by the job the breed was developed for, plus crossbreeds.

A Golden Retriever, a Springer Spaniel and an Irish Setter, all carrying the feathering that mats first

Sporting Group

Retrievers, spaniels, setters and pointers bred to work with a gun.

Grooming Sporting breeds
A Beagle, an Afghan Hound and a Dachshund, a group that splits between almost no grooming and the most of any breed

Hound Group

Scent and sight hounds bred to track and chase.

Grooming Hounds breeds
A Newfoundland, a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Husky, heavy double coats on large frames

Working Group

Guardians, haulers and rescue dogs bred for size and strength.

Grooming Working breeds
A Schnauzer, a Westie and an Airedale, the home of the hand stripped wire coat

Terrier Group

Earth dogs bred to go to ground after vermin.

Grooming Terriers breeds
A Pomeranian, a Yorkshire Terrier, a Maltese and a Chihuahua, all under about fifteen pounds

Toy Group

Companion breeds under about fifteen pounds.

Grooming Toy breeds
A Bichon, a Poodle, a Bulldog and a Dalmatian, the group with no single coat type

Non-Sporting Group

The group that holds everything the other six do not.

Grooming Non-Sporting breeds
A Border Collie, an Australian Shepherd, a Rough Collie and a Corgi, weather-resistant coats built to sit outdoors

Herding Group

Breeds that move livestock.

Grooming Herding breeds
A Goldendoodle, a Cockapoo and a Bernedoodle, the highest maintenance coats in grooming

Crossbreeds and Designer Dogs

Deliberate crosses such as the Goldendoodle, Cockapoo and Puggle.

Grooming Crossbreeds breeds

The Five Cat Groups

Sorted by coat and build rather than by job, because no registry groups cats by what they were bred to do.

A Persian, a Maine Coon and a Ragdoll, the cats that genuinely need a professional groomer

Longhaired Cats

Persians, Maine Coons, Ragdolls and the other full-coated breeds.

Grooming Longhair cats
A British, an American and an Exotic Shorthair, dense plush coats that shed heavily and rarely mat

Shorthaired Cats

British, American and Exotic Shorthairs and the domestic short coat.

Grooming Shorthair cats
A Sphynx, a Devon Rex and a Cornish Rex, skin care rather than coat care

Rex and Hairless Cats

Sphynx, Devon Rex, Cornish Rex, Peterbald and the other coat mutations.

Grooming Rex and Hairless cats
A Bengal and a Savannah, short pelted coats where handling is the real skill

Hybrid and Wildcat-Descended Cats

Bengals, Savannahs, Chausies and other breeds with recent wild ancestry.

Grooming Hybrids cats
A Siamese, an Oriental Shorthair and a Burmese, fine close coats over a lean frame

Oriental and Asian Cats

Siamese, Oriental Shorthair, Burmese, Tonkinese and the Balinese.

Grooming Oriental cats
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