Utility group

The Utility Group is made up of a miscellany of breeds that do not fit exactly into the other Group classifications. Many of the Utility breeds are of ancient lineage and were originally developed to be useful and to serve a practical purpose but, through no fault of their own, now have no function as working dogs as, in several cases, advances in technology and changing social mores have made them redundant, for example the Dalmatian (once a carriage dog), the Akita (a hunter), and the Bulldog (once used for bull baiting).

The breeds within the Group are a diverse assortment of sizes, shapes and coat type with little in common apart from the fact they are considered to be ‘non-sporting’ dogs, which is how they were classified prior to 1967. From this Group come some of the most popular breeds with deservedly good reputations as fine companions and outstanding show dogs.