Working with Breeds
List and search dog breed information.
List all breeds
curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR-API-KEY" https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/breeds
Search breeds
curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR-API-KEY" "https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/breeds/search?q=terrier"
Filter breeds by breed group
Many of the breed-focused endpoints allow you to target specific breed groups by supplying either the breed_groups or exclude_breed_groups query parameters (both accept comma-separated lists and are case-insensitive). This makes it easy to build curated lists or remove certain groups from a response without client-side filtering.
| Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|
GET /v1/breeds | Include/exclude groups when listing every breed. |
GET /v1/breeds/search | Combine full text search with group filters. |
Filtering examples
Fetch only Toy or Working group breeds:
curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR-API-KEY" "https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/breeds?breed_groups=Toy,Working"
To return only the Pure breeds and no mixed/cross breeds then use the exclude_breed_groups filter like this:
curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR-API-KEY" "https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/breeds/search?q=terrier&exclude_breed_groups=Mixed"
The same query parameters can be appended to the other endpoints in the table to perform breed-group-aware filtering wherever you are working with breed data.
Get breed details
curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR-API-KEY" https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/breeds/{BREED_ID}
Example Basic Breed Response:
curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR-API-KEY" https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/breeds/1
{
"weight": {
"imperial": "6 - 13",
"metric": "3 - 6"
},
"height": {
"imperial": "9 - 11.5",
"metric": "23 - 29"
},
"id": 1,
"name": "Affenpinscher",
"bred_for": "Small rodent hunting, lapdog",
"breed_group": "Toy",
"life_span": "10 - 12 years",
"temperament": "Stubborn, Curious, Playful, Adventurous, Active, Fun-loving",
"origin": "Germany, France",
"reference_image_id": "BJa4kxc4X",
"image": {
"id": "BJa4kxc4X",
"width": 1600,
"height": 1199,
"url": "https://cdn2.thedogapi.com/images/BJa4kxc4X.jpg"
}
}
Premium Breed example
{
"id": "1",
"name": "Affenpinscher",
"species_id": "2",
"life_span": "12-15",
"temperament": "Confident, alert, playful, loyal, courageous",
"origin": "Germany",
"country_code": "DE",
"description": "Small, sturdy toy breed with a distinctive monkey-like expression and shaggy, wiry coat. Known for its confident, terrier-like personality despite its small size.",
"bred_for": null,
"perfect_for": null,
"breed_group": "Toy",
"history": "Originating in 17th-century Germany, bred down from larger terriers to be skilled ratters in homes, kitchens and stables. Refined in Munich and Berlin, recognized by AKC in 1936. Name translates to 'monkey-like terrier'.",
"alt_names": null,
"wikipedia_url": null,
"reference_image_id": null,
"male_height_inches": "9-11.5",
"male_height_cm": "23-29",
"female_height_inches": "9-11.5",
"female_height_cm": "23-29",
"male_weight_pounds": "7-10",
"male_weight_kg": "3.2-4.5",
"female_weight_pounds": "7-10",
"female_weight_kg": "3.2-4.5",
"family_friendly": "Better with older, considerate children due to small size and feisty terrier nature. It's not recommended to leave children unsupervised with dogs.",
"good_with_other_dogs_score": 3,
"good_with_other_dogs_context": "Generally friendly with other dogs but can be bossy, territorial, or assertive despite small size. Early socialization is crucial.",
"shedding_score": 2,
"shedding_reason": "Low-shedding wiry coat with minimal hair loss, considered hypoallergenic by some",
"grooming_score": 3,
"grooming_type": "Regular brushing 2-3 times weekly. Professional grooming every 6-16 weeks recommended. Facial hair may require tidying to maintain appearance.",
"daily_exercise_time_minutes": "30",
"exercise_type": "Short walks, indoor play, mental stimulation",
"bidability_score": 3,
"bidability_characteristics": "Moderately trainable but independent and can be stubborn. Requires patience and consistency due to terrier nature.",
"prey_drive_score": 4,
"prey_drive_reason": "High prey drive from ratting background, bred to hunt rats, mice and small vermin, retains strong instinct to chase",
"barking_score": 3,
"barking_characteristics": "Alert barker and excellent watchdog. Will sound alarm for strangers or unusual noises but generally not yappy.",
"language": "EN",
"breed_name_translation_reason": null,
"reference_image_id": "BJa4kxc4X",
"image": {
"id": "BJa4kxc4X",
"width": 1600,
"height": 1199,
"url": "https://cdn2.thedogapi.com/images/BJa4kxc4X.jpg"
}
}
Localisation and Translation
For Premium accounts the Breed data is localised using the name of the Dog breed in the primary language country, with any text fields being translated.
Use the lang Query parameter to set the language to use in the response e.g. "EN" | "IT" etc. This can be done on any of the ./breeds endpoints
https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/breeds?lang=it
https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/breeds/:breed_id?lang=it
{
"weight": {
"imperial": "6 - 13",
"metric": "3 - 6"
},
"height": {
"imperial": "9 - 11.5",
"metric": "23 - 29"
},
"id": "1",
"name": "Affenpinscher",
"bred_for": null,
"breed_group": "Toy",
"life_span": "12-15",
"temperament": "Fiducioso, attento, giocoso, leale, coraggioso",
"origin": "Germany",
"reference_image_id": null,
"species_id": "2",
"country_code": "DE",
"description": "Razza toy piccola e robusta, con una caratteristica espressione da scimmia e un pelo ispido e irsuto. È nota per la sua personalità sicura e simile a quella di un terrier, nonostante le dimensioni ridotte.",
"perfect_for": null,
"history": "Originario della Germania del XVII secolo, è stato allevato da terrier più grandi per essere abili rattificatori nelle case, nelle cucine e nelle stalle. Affinato a Monaco e Berlino, riconosciuto dall'AKC nel 1936. Il nome si traduce in \"terrier scimmiesco\".",
"alt_names": null,
"wikipedia_url": null,
"male_height_inches": "9-11.5",
"male_height_cm": "23-29",
"female_height_inches": "9-11.5",
"female_height_cm": "23-29",
"male_weight_pounds": "7-10",
"male_weight_kg": "3.2-4.5",
"female_weight_pounds": "7-10",
"female_weight_kg": "3.2-4.5",
"family_friendly": "Meglio se con bambini più grandi e premurosi, a causa delle dimensioni ridotte e della natura di terrier esuberante. Non è consigliabile lasciare i bambini senza sorveglianza con i cani.",
"good_with_other_dogs_score": 3,
"good_with_other_dogs_context": "Generalmente amichevole con gli altri cani, ma può essere prepotente, territoriale o assertivo nonostante la piccola taglia. La socializzazione precoce è fondamentale.",
"shedding_score": 2,
"shedding_reason": "Mantello a pelo corto con perdita minima di pelo, considerato ipoallergenico da alcuni.",
"grooming_score": 3,
"grooming_type": "Spazzolatura regolare 2-3 volte alla settimana. Si consiglia una toelettatura professionale ogni 6-16 settimane. I peli del viso possono richiedere una pulizia per mantenere l'aspetto.",
"daily_exercise_time_minutes": "30",
"exercise_type": "Brevi passeggiate, gioco al chiuso, stimolazione mentale",
"bidability_score": 3,
"bidability_characteristics": "Moderatamente addestrabile, ma indipendente e può essere testardo. Richiede pazienza e costanza a causa della natura di terrier.",
"prey_drive_score": 4,
"prey_drive_reason": "L'elevato desiderio di preda deriva da un passato da ratto, allevato per cacciare ratti, topi e piccoli parassiti, conserva un forte istinto di caccia.",
"barking_score": 3,
"barking_characteristics": "Abbaiatore attento ed eccellente cane da guardia. Suona l'allarme in caso di estranei o di rumori insoliti, ma in generale non è un guappo.",
"language": "EN",
"breed_name_translation_reason": "The Affenpinscher is a German breed, not an Italian breed, so there is no Italian translation available in the provided Wikipedia data of Italian dog breeds. The name should remain as 'Affenpinscher' since it is not of Italian origin and has no established Italian equivalent."
}
List facts about a breed
curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR-API-KEY" https://api.thedogapi.com/v1/breeds/{BREED_ID}/facts?limit=5