Which portrait style suits your dog?

The right portrait style for your dog depends mostly on their coat colour and their personality. Dark coats shine on warm, light backgrounds; pale coats glow against deeper colours; and a dog with a big character often suits a bold, graphic design. Every one of our 44 designs works for any breed, so think of this as a guide to what will flatter your dog, not a rule.

Start with the coat

Black and dark coats

Black Labradors, black cocker spaniels, Dobermanns, Rottweilers and dark staffies hold the most detail against a lighter or warmer background. Golden meadow, Gold leaf and Pencil sketch on cream all bring out the shine in a dark coat. Very dark, candlelit designs can swallow a black coat, so choose them for dogs with lighter markings.

White and cream coats

Westies, Bichon Frises, white Labradors, Samoyed crosses and cream cavapoos can vanish into a pale background. They look striking on deeper colour: Old masters, Charcoal on grey or the turquoise of Neon pop art.

Golden, red and fox-coloured coats

Golden retrievers, cockapoos, red setters, Hungarian Vizslas and fox-red Labradors glow in warm, light designs like Golden glow pastel or Soft floral watercolour, and look rich in the classic designs.

Brindle, merle and patterned coats

Brindle staffies, boxers, greyhounds, whippets and lurchers, and merle collies have markings worth showing off. Drawing designs such as Ink etching and Pastel pencil pick out every stripe and patch.

Then think about the face

Flat-faced breeds, such as French Bulldogs, pugs, bulldogs and Shih Tzus, are full of expression and suit designs that put the face front and centre, from Pop art halftone to the cartoon designs. Long-nosed breeds, such as greyhounds, whippets, Border Collies and German Shepherds, have elegant profiles that look wonderful in the classic and drawing designs.

And their personality

A dignified older Labrador or a calm springer spaniel suits a quiet, classic design. A cheeky Jack Russell, a bouncing cocker spaniel or a sausage dog with opinions often looks happiest in something bold: Street art graffiti, Retro synthwave or one of the cartoon designs.

Quick picks for popular UK breeds

• Labrador Retriever (lab): Golden meadow for black labs, Old masters for yellow labs.

• French Bulldog (frenchie): Pop art halftone or Cartoon warm studio.

• Cocker Spaniel: Soft floral watercolour or Pastel pencil.

• Dachshund (sausage dog, doxie): Vintage oval or Mid-century modern.

• Golden Retriever: Golden glow pastel.

• English Springer Spaniel: Impressionist water lily.

• Bulldog: Comic book noir.

• German Shepherd (GSD, alsatian): Gold leaf or Charcoal on grey.

• Staffordshire Bull Terrier (staffy): Street art graffiti or Gold leaf.

• Cockapoo and cavapoo: Floral wreath watercolour or Cartoon sunny park.

• Border Collie: Japanese cherry blossom or Ink etching.

• Miniature Schnauzer: Pencil sketch on cream.

• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: Floral Renaissance.

• Border Terrier and Jack Russell: Vintage bootleg poster or Cartoon sunny park.

• Boxer: Neon pop art.

• Yorkshire Terrier (yorkie) and Shih Tzu: Art Nouveau.

• Pug: Four panel pop art.

• Rottweiler and Dobermann: Golden meadow or Canvas texture.

• Labradoodle: Watercolour splash.

• Whippet, greyhound and lurcher: Ink etching or Minimalist watercolour.

• West Highland White Terrier (westie): Charcoal on grey.

• Pembroke Welsh Corgi: Retro synthwave.

• Hungarian Vizsla and Weimaraner: Grey wash watercolour.

• Beagle and Basset Hound: Vintage oval.

• Chihuahua and Pomeranian: Geometric pop art.

• Poodle and Bichon Frise: Swirling night sky.

• Dalmatian: Black and white pencil.

• Siberian Husky: Cartoon moonlit night.

• Great Dane and Bernese Mountain Dog: Old masters.

• Sprocker and Bull Terrier: Retro bootleg collage.

Still not sure?

Look at the photo each example was made from, shown beside every design, and pick the one whose dog looks most like yours. Then browse all 44 designs. We email you a proof within one working day, so you see your own dog in your chosen design before anything is printed.