A dog is one of the most popular pets in India that can be seen from urban cities to villages. Being ubiquitous and a popular domestic animal worldwide, the dog has lived with humans for more than 12,000 years as a protector, hunting companion, friend and as for adoration. Many popular Indian dog breeds can be seen having their own unique characteristics and behavioural patterns. Although most of the people prefer buying foreign dog breed, we bet after looking at our list, you will find Indian dog breeds more interesting as they have every exotic feature required in a pet dog.
15 Popular Indian Dog Breeds
1. Kanni
Body features
Height: 22-25 inches
Weight: 35-48 lbs
Life Span: 14-16 years
Special highlights
- Loyal, independent and trainable
- Best suited for singles and hunters
- Defender of its own territory being territorial
Kanni, also known as Maiden’s Beastmaster is a rare Indian dog breed which is mostly found in Southern parts of India. In Tamil, Kanni means ‘pure’ and since this dog breed is popular for its loyalty and purity, it has been named Kanni. The Kanni dogs have five colours including brown, brindle, tan, cream and black. The tan and black coloured breed are known as Kanni while the rest are known as Chappiparai. The head of the dog stands straight, have a long muzzle and chest looks like a cheetah. Kanni have a muscular and flexible spine with a lean body. They have a very sharp sense of smell and vision besides they run very fast up to 60km/hr to chase its prey.
2. Rampur Greyhound
Body Features
Height: 22-30 inches
Weight: 27-30 kg
Life Span: 12-14 years
Special highlights
- Perfect of hunting
- Adaptable to every weather types
- Less grooming required
Rampur Greyhound is one of the Indian dog breeds which is native of Rampur region located between Bareilly and Delhi in the Northern parts of India. Rampur Greyhound was developed by the erstwhile kings who lived in Rampur many years ago and since this dog looks like Greyhound, it was given the name Rampur Greyhound. This dog breed is popular for its strength and speed and is widely used by rich classes to hunt wild boars and jackals.
3. Indian Spitz Dog
Body features
Height: 22-25 cm
Weight: 5-7 kg
Life Span: 10-12 years
Special highlights
- Loyal, watchful and playful
- Easy to train
- Good with children due to low biting potential
Indian Spitz dog is an Indian dog breed which belongs to utility dog category. This breed was introduced to India by Britishers after breeding from a stock of German Spitzes. The dog can adapt to humid and hot climate present in various parts of India and looks similar to German Spitz and Samoyeds. This dog breed is loved by many since Indian Spitz is full of energy and enthusiasm. They bark on seeing strangers and hence proves to be a good watchdog. Their head is small with a tapered muzzle, short legs, small and triangular eyes as compared to the body. The dog is covered with a thick fur coat that can be white, black or brown in colour. Indian Spitz further comes in two sizes, large and small known as greater Indian Spitz and small Indian Spitz respectively.
4. German Shephard
Body features
Height: 24-26 inches (male) and 22-24 inches (female)
Weight: 25-35 kgs
Life Span: 9-13 years
Special highlights
- Courageous, loyal and affectionate
- Learns tricks very quickly with 5 repetitions only
- Faster growth rates
German Shephard is also regarded as an all-purpose worker dog breed. This Indian dog breed remains curious to learn new things, is loyal and very intelligent to keep it like a pet dog. The dogs love their owners so much that they can put their life at stake for protecting their family. German Shepherds are popular since they are agile and active besides conducting various physical activities daily. However, this dog breed shed heavily and are required regular brushing and grooming.
5. Dachshunds
Body features
Height: 8-9 inches (small) and 13-16 inches (standard)
Weight: 7-14 kg
Life Span: 10-14 years
Special highlights
- Clever, courageous, stubborn and lively
- Have longer lifespan making this Indian dog breed one of the longest living dog breeds
- Great watchdogs and will alert you while finding a slightest of suspicion.
Dachshunds are an Indian dog breed who is full of energy filled in a small body. They are popular for their alert-expression and barks loudly when suspicious. This dog breed can be seen in two sizes, small or miniature and standard. Dachshunds can live as long as 15 years unlike other dog breeds worldwide. They have very small digestive tracks yet requires high protein intake.
6. Mudhol Hound
Body features
Height: 26-30 inches
Weight: 22-30 kg
Life Span: 13-14 years
Special highlights
- Suitable for Indian weather
- Usually good with other dog breeds
- Easy to train and groom
This Indian dog breed is known by several names like Maratha Hound, Caravan Hound, Pashmi Hound and Kathewar Dog. They have features similar to Greyhounds and are popular for guarding and hunting abilities. Mudhol Hounds is most commonly found in Mudhol town of Karnataka and regions surrounding it. The dogs have very sharp vision and have tapered muzzle with a long elongated skull. The legs are long, muscular and straight while their coat is short, smooth and colourful.
7. Rajapalayam Dog
Body features
Height: 20-24 inches
Weight: 25-32kgs
Life Span: 10-12 years
Special highlights
- Low biting potential
- Excellent guard dog
- Good hunter
Also known as Poligar Hound, Rajapalayam dogs are mostly found in Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu. This dog has a smooth, short coat which is pure white in colour. Their legs are long and straight while the waist is narrow with heavy head. This Indian dog breed is popular for its association with rich and royal classes in south India. Rajapalayam is an old and rare dog breed that was developed as boar hunting dogs and are widely used by hunters like a guard dog.
8. Cocker Spaniel
Body feature
Height: 13-16 inches
Weight: 25-35 kgs
Life Span: 10-14 years
Special highlights
- Smart, gentle and happy
- Sensitive to a reaction like approving or disapproving of their owners
- Requires quality meal with some necessary ingredients
This Indian dog breed looks like a medium-sized dog having almond-shaped eyes. Cocker Spaniel has a litter size with an average of 5 puppies. Their body is covered with a silky coat which is either flat or slight wavy. They come mostly in black colour with tan, partly-coloured and merle. Cocker Spaniel requires regular grooming due to fur coat as avoiding it may tangle them.
9. Kumaon Mastiff Dog
Body Features
Height: 76-86 cm
Weight: 67-80 kgs
Life Span: 7-12 years
Special highlights
- Best for first-time dog owners
- Less grooming required
- Protective, loyal and friendly
Also known as Cypro Kukur, Kumaon Mastiff Dog is one of the rare Indian dog breeds which was originally used as a watchdog in Kumaon region in Uttarakhand. Although this dog breed is aggressive at times, they are very protective, loyal and friendly. This dog breed is good for first-time dog owners as they adapt to their surrounding lifestyle very easily and never get panicked when left alone for a long time. They are playful with children and cats. Physically, they are large with strong neck and braid head, almond-shaped eyes with hanging ears. Their coat is soft and is of various colours like white, black and bridle.
10. Jonangi
Body features
Height: 17-21 inches
Weight: 28-48 pounds
Life Span: 10-14 years
Special highlights
- Trained easily
- Suitable for large farm guarding
- Can travel long distances
The Jonangi Jagilam, also known as Kolleti Jagilam is one of the Indian dog breeds found mostly in Andhra Pradesh and other parts of Karnataka along with West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Jonangi is not popular for its hunting skills only but also for herding the livestock. Which means, they easily co-exist with farm animals such as sheep, goat and poultry. The dogs love to dig ditches in the ground and stays there. Some of the physical characteristics include short and smooth hair which separates Jonangi from other Indian dog breeds. They can make yodelling sound and can be seen in many colours from black to brown and white with dark patches or biscuit and chocolate shades.
11. Beagles
Body features
Height: 13-15 inches
Weight: 20-25 kgs
Life Span: 12-15 years
Special highlights
- Merry, friendly and curious
- Very intelligent and friendly
- One of the most preferred pet dogs worldwide
Beagles can be seen in small and medium sizes. This Indian dog breed is used as a sniffer dog at airports due to their strong sense of smell. They are usually tri-coloured or white combined with tan and black and brown spots. The dogs have short hair and a hard coat. Beagles tend to eat anything that comes in their way and thus requires strict monitoring. Training them might require a year. Although they are not as good as a guard dog, they can be very friendly and cheerful.
12. Indian Pariah dog
Body Features
Height: 18-26 inches
Weight: 20-30 kg
Life Span: 13-14 years
Special highlights
- Suitable for Indian weather
- Healthy dog breed
- Well-mannered and highly social
This Indian dog breed is also known as InDogs or Desi Dogs and South Asian Pye Dog. This kind of dog is popular because of their social skills and good manners which makes them easily adaptable to the cultural environment. Indian Pariah loves to mix with other dog breeds and people belonging to their family. They are usually kept as guard and police dogs. Physically, they are medium-sized with erect ears. Long tail, and wedge-shaped head. Their coat is thick and is of various colours like reddish-brown, pale-yellow, tan and brown. They do not fall sick easily and hence are the healthiest Indian dog breed.
13. Gull Terrier
Body Features
Height: 20-26 inches
Weight: 35-45 kg
Life Span: 10-12 years
Special highlights
- Easy to groom
- Fearless, loyal and friendly
- Energetic and can be trained easily
Gull Terrier is an Indian dog breed which is also known as Gull Terr and belongs to Punjab region of India. This dog breed is widely used for guarding, hunting and fighting. Gull Terrier looks like Bull Terrier of Britain and was originally developed by Britishers when they ruled India. This dog breed is intelligent and is very protective of their owner and surrounding territory. They can fight until their last breath but are good with kids. Gull Terrier is fearless and hence requires an experienced master to control them and train appropriately. They need to be socialized when young so that they can be controlled in later years. They look tall, huge and have an egg-shaped head. Their chest is broad, legs are muscular and strong with erect ears.
14. Vikhan Sheepdog
Body features
Height: 26-28 inches
Weight: 25-40 kg
Life Span: 10-12 years
Special highlights
- Perfect as a watchdog
- Quick learner and intelligent
- Warns predators with aggression and loud barking
Vikhan Sheepdog, also known as Vikham or Vikham Dog is an Indian Dog breed which was originated from the North-West subcontinent of India in Himachal Pradesh beside Pakistan. This Indian dog breed is mostly used as a guard dog for livestock and herd to protect them from predators such as leopards. They are kept with the livestock from a very young age to make the dogs friendly with livestock and to guard them rest of their lives. These dogs have a lean and muscular body with large heads and short muzzle.
15. Bakharwal Dog
Body features
Height: 24-30 inches
Weight: 40-45 kg
Life Span: 10-12 years
Special Highlights
- Independent, loyal and aggressive
- Affectionate and playful
- Good guard dog and easily trained
This Indian fog breed is found in northern parts of India and is the ancient breed of Himalayan dog. They are popularly known as Gujjar dog, Kashmir Sheepdog and Kashmir Mastiff. They are very courageous and are kept to protect livestock from predators. Unlike many other dog breeds, Bakharwal does not consume meat and feeds mostly on bread, milk and dairy products. They are heavy boned, with large heads and short muzzle with a muscular body and medium-sized ears. Their thick coat protects them from cold weather in mountains and cold areas.
