With more than 200 recognised dog breeds in the UK alone, it can be difficult to figure out which is the right one for you. Things like temperament, energy levels and sociability often play crucial roles when selecting a four-legged companion. This will also depend on your own lifestyle and on factors like whether you have any young children around the house or if you'd rather have a very active and athletic or a more laid-back dog.
However, two UK-based vets have shared some of the dog breeds that they wouldn't own themselves. Between them, Dr. Cat (@cat_the_vet on Instagram) and Ben the Vet (@ben.the.vet) have clocked thousands of hours treating dogs of all shapes, sizes, and temperaments and based on their experiences as vets, they have named eight dog breeds they wouldn't choose to have at home and they agreed on two of them.
Top on veterinarian, Cat's list, is the German Shepherd. While undeniably loyal and intelligent, German Shepherds are often reactive, suspicious, and anxious, traits that can be "really challenging", she said. " data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Getty" data-licensor-name="Getty" />
brachycephalic breeds often suffer from respiratory and anatomical.
Cat said: "Again, absolutely fabulous little dogs but they do not deserve to suffer as much as they do. And I could just absolutely never contribute to that suffering by deliberately owning one."
Ben also agreed with this. He said in a video posted to TikTok: "There are specimens of these dogs that are healthier than others, but they are so prone to so many issues.
"Spinal issues, skin problems, eye problems. The fact that over half of them have to have a caesarean to give birth is enough of an ethical issue for me to never want to have one. If you're OK with that, that's fine but for me personally it's not very fair."
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"But also again lots of health problems and lots of behavioural issues as well.
"Because of their health, they're in pain and discomfort - and that makes them grumpy."
Ben also stressed how they often suffer from skin and eye issues due to their wrinkly skin.
He said: "They're so wrinkly they have to have their eyelids tacked in place, so the hair on them doesn't get into their eyes. They're always getting skin issues and they've got tiny, narrow ear canals. At the vets, they're often trying to bite the faces off all of the staff."
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"I had a client once tell me that she had slobber on her ceilings."
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"That can range from just pain to complete paralysis. This frequently means they have to have spinal surgery, which is obviously a massive undertaking that has a really long recovery period. Too much potential for heartbreak."
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"They suffer quite commonly with eye problems and their purple tongues are a bit unnerving."
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