A dog may be for life, not just for Christmas, but the fashions are changing all the time. A few years ago designer hybrid dogs were all the rage and would sell for ten grand a pop, but after a spate of dog nappings in Covid, sensible folk went for less glamorous breeds. Some dogs have always had an air of regality to them. Churchill had a beloved poodle called Rufus, while Prince Albert had sculptures and paintings made of his greyhound, Eos. But who are today’s poshest pooches, trotting down the corridors of Buckingham Palace and nestling up in their third homes?
Jack Russell
Waddle aside, corgis, it’s the Jack Russell’s turn to be the poshest pooch in the land. Queen Camilla has two called Moley and Bluebell who she rescued from Battersea Dogs Home.
Saluki
Incredibly chic Persian hound famed for its haughty demeanour and enviably silky, freshly blow dried looking fur.
Cocker Spaniel
Found curled up by the Aga in country houses aplenty, the cocker spaniel is a classic posh dog. Kate and Wills have one called Orla, and the Duke of Richmond has two.
Whippet
Very Ozempic coded, looks wise. Emily Maitlis runs around Hyde Park with hers every morning and Mayfair club magnate Robin Birley lets his whippets roam free in 5 Hertford Street.
Labrador
Every posh family seems to have an aged, overweight chocolate lab called Monty who trails after them on walks and smells terrible, but in a grand way.
Miniature Dachshund
Sausage dogs are like Mini Coopers: quite nice but a bit obvious. They also get terrible back problems and their vet bills end up costing a bomb.
Cockapoo
Cockapoos have transcended their ghastly name and are everywhere. Famously needy, proudly hypoallergenic and generally of a bubbly disposition, they’re insufferable.
Any poodle cross
Labradoodles, cavapoos, goldendoodles, maltipoos… the list goes on. Symptomatic of the twee-ification of society. Make it stop.
French Bulldog
Had a big moment in the mid-2010s, now often to be found at the end of a reality star’s bejazzled leash or in the front seat of a sports car.
Chihuahua
Vicious, yappy little things always baring their teeth in a way that their owners find bizarrely endearing. Ridiculously small. Just get a guinea pig.
