Dog Breed Guide
Every Waggle & Ink design starts with one of our own breed illustrations. They're friendly, flat-style portraits of a breed and coat colour, not a likeness of an individual dog, so this guide is here to help you choose the one that looks most like yours. If you're still not sure, email a photo to hello@waggleandink.co.uk and we'll suggest the closest match.
Jump to: Cockapoo · Labrador · French Bulldog · Cocker Spaniel · Dachshund · Coming soon
How to choose the right portrait
- Go by the face. Our portraits are head-and-ears illustrations, so choose the coat colour that covers most of your dog's face and ears.
- Crossbreeds: pick the parent breed your dog most resembles, or the crossbreed portrait if we have it (Cockapoo now; Cavapoo and Labradoodle coming soon).
- Markings: our illustrations don't include individual markings, patches or scars. That's what keeps them clean and consistent, and it's why they work so well with a name.
- Size doesn't matter on a head portrait. A miniature and a standard Dachshund look the same here.
Breeds available now
Cockapoo
Coats: apricot, black, chocolate, cream
A cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle, so a crossbreed rather than a breed with a Royal Kennel Club standard. Coats run from loose waves to tight curls, and Cockapoos are famously sociable, bouncy and people-focused.
Portrait notes: A curly topknot, long fluffy ears and a soft, slightly scruffy outline. Apricot is our warmest coat; cream suits pale and "champagne" Cockapoos; black and chocolate are solid colours. Parti or merle Cockapoo? Choose the colour that covers most of the face.
Labrador
Coats: yellow, black, chocolate
Part of the Gundog group, the Labrador traces back to the St John's dogs of Newfoundland. The Royal Kennel Club calls it "the most popular of all pedigree breeds", and recognised breed-standard colours include black, chocolate/liver and yellow.
Portrait notes: A broad, kind head, short dense coat and soft drop ears. Our yellow is a warm mid-tone, so it works for most yellow Labs from cream to fox red. Black and chocolate are solid.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Shop Labrador gifts
French Bulldog
Coats: fawn, cream, black pied
A Utility group breed with Toy Bulldog roots in 1850s England, developed in France and recognised by The Kennel Club in 1906. Best known for big "bat ears" and a flat (brachycephalic) face.
Portrait notes: Tall bat ears with pink insides, a short muzzle and gentle wrinkles. Black pied is mostly white with dark patches over one eye and ear. Brindle Frenchies usually look best as fawn or black pied, depending on how dark the coat is.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Shop French Bulldog gifts
Cocker Spaniel
Coats: golden, black, chocolate
A Gundog group spaniel originally used to flush woodcock, which gave the breed its name. Known as "the merry cocker" for that ever-wagging tail, it was recognised as a separate breed in 1893.
Portrait notes: Long, silky, wavy ears that frame the face, a domed head and big soft eyes. Golden covers red and gold Cockers. Roan or parti-colour? Pick the colour of the ears.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Shop Cocker Spaniel gifts
Dachshund
Coats: red, black and tan, chocolate and tan
A Hound group breed from Germany, where the name means "badger dog". In the UK there are two sizes (standard and miniature) and three coats (smooth, long-haired and wire-haired), making six varieties.
Portrait notes: A smooth-coated head with long, soft ears and the classic long muzzle. Tan points sit above the eyes and on the muzzle for black and tan and chocolate and tan. It's a head portrait, so it suits standard and miniature Dachshunds alike. Long-haired and wire-haired owners usually choose the colour match.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Shop Dachshund gifts
Coming soon: twelve more breeds
We're drawing twelve more of the UK's best-loved breeds and crossbreeds. They'll appear in every product's breed menu as they launch. Want yours next? Tell us, as requests genuinely decide what we draw first.
Cavapoo
Coats: apricot, red, cream, black
A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel crossed with a Poodle. A crossbreed with no breed standard, usually small, with a soft wavy or curly coat.
Portrait notes: A rounded, fluffy face with curly ears, a little smaller and softer-featured than our Cockapoo.
Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
Labradoodle
Coats: apricot, cream, chocolate, black
A Labrador crossed with a Poodle. Size and coat vary a lot with the Poodle parent.
Portrait notes: A curly, teddy-bear face and long curly ears, with a broader head than our Cockapoo.
Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
Golden Retriever
Coats: light golden, golden, dark golden
A Gundog group retriever with a dense, water-resistant, feathered coat.
Portrait notes: Soft feathered ears, a gentle expression and three shades of gold, from pale cream to deep red-gold.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
English Springer Spaniel
Coats: liver and white, black and white
A Gundog group spaniel and a tireless working dog, larger and leggier than the Cocker.
Portrait notes: A white blaze down the face, freckled muzzle and long wavy ears in liver or black.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
Border Collie
Coats: black and white, red and white
A Pastoral group sheepdog, famous for intelligence, focus and a need for plenty of exercise and mental work.
Portrait notes: Semi-erect ears, a white blaze and a bright, alert expression.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
Jack Russell Terrier
Coats: tricolour, white and tan
A Terrier group breed: small, bold and energetic, with a predominantly white coat.
Portrait notes: A mostly white face with tan (or black and tan) patches over the eyes and ears, folded button ears. The closest we have to Inkwell.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Coats: brindle, red, blue, black and white
A Terrier group breed, muscular and famously affectionate with its people.
Portrait notes: A broad head, rose ears and the big Staffie grin.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Coats: Blenheim, tricolour, ruby, black and tan
A Toy group spaniel. "Blenheim" (chestnut and white) takes its name from Blenheim Palace, home of the first Duke of Marlborough.
Portrait notes: Long, feathered ears, large dark eyes and, for Blenheims, the little chestnut spot on the top of the head.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
Pug
Coats: fawn, black
A Toy group breed with a flat (brachycephalic) face, a curled tail and a big personality.
Portrait notes: Round face, forehead wrinkles, a dark mask on fawn coats and little folded ears.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
Shih Tzu
Coats: gold and white, black and white
A Utility group breed with a long, flowing double coat, often kept in a shorter "puppy cut" at home.
Portrait notes: A white blaze, long ears and a little topknot bow. Yes, the bow is optional in real life.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
Miniature Schnauzer
Coats: salt and pepper, black and silver, black
A Utility group breed with a wiry coat, bushy eyebrows and a beard.
Portrait notes: The famous eyebrows and moustache, with folded ears.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
Beagle
Coats: tricolour, lemon and white
A Hound group scent hound: merry, food-driven and led by the nose.
Portrait notes: Long, soft drop ears, a white blaze and muzzle, and warm brown eyes.
Royal Kennel Club breed profile · Coming soon. Email us to hear when it arrives.
A note on breed facts
We're illustrators, not vets or breeders. Breed groups and history on this page come from The Royal Kennel Club's Breeds A to Z. If you're thinking of getting a dog, Dogs Trust's breed advice is a great place to start, and every dog is an individual whatever its breed.
Looking for gift ideas by breed? Read our guides to gifts for Cockapoo owners, Dachshund gifts, Labrador personality traits and French Bulldog facts.