Breed library · 209 breeds
What a dog was bred for explains most of what they do.
Size, energy, how they take to training and what living with one is actually like. Written by an Akita owner, for owners of dogs that think before they obey.
Not sure what you have? Identify a breed from a photo. Choosing a dog? See which breeds suit your life.
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The breeds the daily plan was written for
American Akita
Helen Keller brought the first Akita to America in 1937, long before the American type became a separate breed.
German Shepherd
Before police work and film fame, this breed was created with a different goal: the ideal herding dog.
Rottweiler
Before guarding homes, Rottweilers drove livestock and pulled carts in the German town that gave them their name.
Cane Corso
This Italian farm guardian nearly vanished by the 1970s before enthusiasts worked to revive it.
Belgian Malinois
Before military and police work, the Malinois was a herding dog named after the Belgian city of Malines.
Mastiff
After the Second World War, dogs from America helped rebuild the Mastiff population in Britain.
Siberian Husky
These sled dogs helped carry lifesaving medicine to Nome in Alaska during the famous 1925 serum run.
Doberman Pinscher
This breed carries its creator’s name: Louis Dobermann developed it for personal protection in Germany.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
This compact terrier’s roots lie in the industrial Black Country of England, where Bulldogs were crossed with terriers.
Alaskan Malamute
A sled dog built for freight: the Malamute was developed to haul heavy loads over long distances.
Akita Inu
Japan declared this mountain hunting dog a National Natural Monument in 1931.
Shiba Inu
This Japanese mountain hunting breed nearly disappeared after the Second World War.
All breeds
Affenpinscher
Its monkey-like face explains the name, but its original job was catching rats in German kitchens and stables.
Toy · Toy
Afghan Hound
That flowing coat had a practical purpose: protection against the harsh mountain climate of Afghanistan.
Large · Hound
Airedale Terrier
During the First World War, Airedales worked as messengers, sentries and Red Cross dogs.
Large · Terrier
Akita Inu
Japan declared this mountain hunting dog a National Natural Monument in 1931.
Large · Utility
Alaskan Malamute
A sled dog built for freight: the Malamute was developed to haul heavy loads over long distances.
Large · Working
American Akita
Helen Keller brought the first Akita to America in 1937, long before the American type became a separate breed.
Large · Utility
American Cocker Spaniel
Its small frame had a hunting advantage: Cockers could push into the dense shrubs where game birds hid.
Small · Gundog
American Eskimo Dog
Despite its name, this breed descends from German Spitz dogs and became famous in American circuses.
Small · Utility
American Foxhound
George Washington bred these hounds, giving this American breed a connection to the country’s first president.
Large · Hound
American Hairless Terrier
The breed began with a hairless puppy born into a Louisiana Rat Terrier litter in 1972.
Small · Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Petey, the dog from the Our Gang films later known as The Little Rascals, helped make this breed a screen star.
Medium · Terrier
American Water Spaniel
This Great Lakes hunting dog was developed to work from small boats and became Wisconsin’s state dog.
Medium · Gundog
Anatolian Shepherd Dog
Its traditional job is to stay with a flock and deter predators, rather than move sheep like a herding dog.
Giant · Pastoral
Australian Cattle Dog
Dingoes are part of this cattle dog’s ancestry, alongside imported herding dogs.
Medium · Pastoral
Australian Shepherd
The name is misleading: the Australian Shepherd was developed in the western United States.
Medium · Pastoral
Australian Terrier
British terrier ancestry met Australian working life in a dog used against rodents and snakes.
Small · Terrier
Azawakh
A sighthound with a second job: Tuareg communities used the Azawakh for guarding as well as hunting.
Large · Hound
Basenji
The Basenji is famous for a yodel-like call rather than a typical bark. Quiet-looking does not mean silent.
Small · Hound
Basset Hound
“Basset” comes from the French word for low: this scent hound was developed to hunt close to the ground.
Medium · Hound
Beagle
The white tip on many Beagles’ tails helped hunters spot them while their noses were down following a trail.
Small · Hound
Bearded Collie
A post-war revival helped save this shaggy Scottish cattle and sheep herder from disappearing.
Medium · Pastoral
Bedlington Terrier
The lamb-like appearance hides the history of a working terrier from a Northumberland mining town.
Small · Terrier
Belgian Laekenois
One of its early guarding jobs was watching over linen left drying in Belgian fields.
Large · Pastoral
Belgian Malinois
Before military and police work, the Malinois was a herding dog named after the Belgian city of Malines.
Large · Pastoral
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The app
Whatever the breed, the plan is the same: five to fifteen minutes a day.
Tell the app your dog's breed, age and where they came from, and it builds a daily plan around what that dog actually needs, one step at a time.
Free to start. iPhone. No card needed.
Photos of Atlas and the pack by Dami Randle. Other breed photos via Pexels; tell us if one shows the wrong breed and we will change it.