Identify a dog breed from a photo

Choose a photo of your dog and get its most likely breed in seconds, free and without an account. Then see how to take the photo that gives the clearest answer.

Drop a photo here, or tap to choose one

A clear shot of the face and body works best. JPG, PNG or HEIC.

How the identifier reads a photo

First it checks that the photo shows a dog. Then a vision model trained on 357 breeds compares what it sees with each of them and ranks the closest matches.

Three outcomes are possible. A clear match names one breed. A close call shows the leading candidates for you to confirm. A photo that gives too little to go on gets an honest “not sure” instead of a guess.

The photo that works best

Most uncertain results come from the photo, not the dog. These habits help most:

Daylight, or a bright room. Flash flattens coat colour and hides texture.
The whole dog, side-on, standing. Leg length, back line and tail carriage carry much of the breed signal.
One dog per photo, filling most of the frame.
Camera at the dog’s eye level, not from above, so the head and ears keep their real proportions.
A dry dog. A wet coat looks darker, flatter and shorter than it is.

Puppies, seniors and clipped coats

Puppies under about four months share a round head and soft coat across many breeds, so results are broader. A fresh clip can hide a curly or long coat, and a grey muzzle can lighten the face. If the result looks off, try a second photo from another angle or another day.

After the result

Every confident result comes with the health traits that breed is known for, so you know what is worth discussing at the next check-up. Save it to your dog’s profile in Petus and it becomes part of their record.

Breed guides with photo tips

Questions owners ask

Does it work for mixed-breed dogs?: It shows the pure breeds your dog most resembles. That is useful, but it is resemblance rather than ancestry; a DNA test gives percentages.
Can it identify cats or other pets?: The breed identifier is trained on dogs. It will tell you if the photo shows another animal rather than invent a dog breed.
Do I need an account?: No. You can run the check without signing up, and create a free profile afterwards if you want to keep the result.

Keep exploring

How the identifier reads a photo

First it checks that the photo shows a dog. Then a vision model trained on 357 breeds compares what it sees with each of them and ranks the closest matches.

The photo that works best

Most uncertain results come from the photo, not the dog. These habits help most:

Daylight, or a bright room. Flash flattens coat colour and hides texture.
The whole dog, side-on, standing. Leg length, back line and tail carriage carry much of the breed signal.
One dog per photo, filling most of the frame.
Camera at the dog’s eye level, not from above, so the head and ears keep their real proportions.
A dry dog. A wet coat looks darker, flatter and shorter than it is.

Questions owners ask

Does it work for mixed-breed dogs?: It shows the pure breeds your dog most resembles. That is useful, but it is resemblance rather than ancestry; a DNA test gives percentages.
Can it identify cats or other pets?: The breed identifier is trained on dogs. It will tell you if the photo shows another animal rather than invent a dog breed.
Do I need an account?: No. You can run the check without signing up, and create a free profile afterwards if you want to keep the result.