Bichon Frise
The Bichon Frise looks like a cumulus cloud was given legs and a charming social agenda. It is one of the most consistently cheerful breeds you can keep in a flat, low-shedding by…
Breeds
Dog breeds for Singapore life
Filter by HDB eligibility (HDB's approved breed list), size, energy, heat tolerance and the bills. Every guide is written for someone walking a dog in this heat, in this housing.
HDB approved ADORE route
Energy: Medium
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Lifestyle
Apartment-friendly Beginner friendly Project ADORE eligibleShedding
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Under S$3,000 S$3,000 to S$4,500 S$4,500 to S$6,000 Over S$6,000 
Boston Terrier
The Boston Terrier was created in 1870s Boston by crossing an English Bulldog with a now-extinct White English Terrier, and the resulting "American Gentleman" became the first…
Brussels Griffon
The Brussels Griffon is the dog most people meet first on a screen and assume must be a CGI character. The face is genuinely striking: a flat muzzle, large dark forward-set eyes…
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is the closest the dog world gets to a default-friendly setting. It is gentle with children, soft with strangers, polite with other dogs, and…
Cavapoo
The Cavapoo is the deliberate cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Miniature or Toy Poodle, developed from the 1990s onwards (initially in the United States and…
Bernedoodle
The Bernedoodle is a Bernese Mountain Dog and Poodle cross known for its calm temperament and distinctive tricolour coat. Well established in Singapore through AVS-licensed importers, it requires experienced owner management for its grooming demands and special attention to heat in our climate.
Chihuahua
The Chihuahua is the world's smallest recognised dog breed, descended from the ancient Techichi companions of pre-Columbian Mexico, named after the Mexican state where 1800s…
Coton de Tuléar
The Coton de Tuléar is the dog people meet at a friend's flat and ask about for the next three weekends. It is small, white, low-shedding, and built around a temperament so…
Standard Dachshund
The Standard Dachshund is a working badger hound, and that sentence is the entire argument of this guide. The breed was developed in 17th century Germany to track, corner, and…
Havanese
The Havanese is the national dog of Cuba, the only dog breed native to the country, and one of a small handful of pedigree breeds developed specifically for the role of being…
Italian Greyhound
The Italian Greyhound is what happens when a full-size sighthound is shrunk by two thousand years of selective breeding into the lap of a Renaissance noblewoman. It is small…
Japanese Spitz
The Japanese Spitz is one of the most photographed dogs in Singapore, and once you have lived next to one you understand why. It is a brilliant small white cloud with black eyes…
Maltese
The Maltese is the dog that has outlived most empires. It has been sitting on Mediterranean laps for at least two thousand years, and the breed standard has barely changed in that…
Maltipoo
The Maltipoo is a Maltese crossed with a Toy or Miniature Poodle, sold under one name but delivered in roughly seven different coat patterns. It is not recognised by the AKC, the…
Miniature Dachshund
The Miniature Dachshund is a scenthound shortened, lowered, and miniaturised to chase badgers underground in 19th-century Germany. None of those words describe a typical HDB…
Mongrel
The word "mongrel" arrived in English as an insult and has spent most of its history doing damage. In Singapore today it is being slowly reclaimed, and the reason is sitting on a…
Pomeranian
The Pomeranian is what happens when a sled-pulling spitz from northern Europe gets bred down for several centuries until it can fit in a handbag. Underneath the fluff is still a…
Shih-Poo
The Shih-Poo is a Shih Tzu crossed with a Toy or Miniature Poodle, and the result is the small, soft, low-shedding apartment dog that a growing number of first-time HDB owners…
Yorkshire Terrier
The Yorkshire Terrier started its working life in Victorian Yorkshire mills, killing rats for the textile foremen. It has since been bred down by roughly 70 percent and now lives…
Affenpinscher
A serious-faced, monkey-eyebrowed small terrier with opinions about everything. Apartment-sized, but built for an experienced owner who finds a dog with a chip on its shoulder funny.
Australian Silky Terrier
A small, silky-coated terrier that looks like a Yorkie's slightly sturdier Australian cousin. Spirited, low-shedding, opinionated, and well-suited to HDB living.
Chinese Crested Dog
An elegant, near-hairless small dog that does surprisingly well in tropical climates. Affectionate, low-shedding, and easier on the lungs than fur-coated breeds, but the skin needs daily attention.
Tibetan Spaniel
An ancient small companion dog from Tibetan monasteries with the silhouette of a small lion and the bearing of something much older than its 7 kg suggests.
A breed we don't cover yet?
We add new breed guides every week or two. If you're looking for one we haven't written up, tell us. It bumps the queue and helps us prioritise what Singapore owners are actually asking about.
Suggest a breed →How we rate these breeds
Every breed guide on this site is written for the version of dog ownership that actually happens in Singapore. That means HDB approval is the first question, not a footnote. The approved breed list comes from HDB, the ownership limits from AVS guidance, and Project ADORE eligibility for local mixed-breeds is treated the same way the regulator treats it. Check the official rules and any additional conditions for Specified Dogs before committing.
Cost bands are editorial planning estimates, not a verified market survey or provider quotes. Check current food, grooming and veterinary prices for the individual dog, then adjust the cost calculator. Allow for acquisition, home preparation, routine care and unexpected costs separately. Insurance has exclusions, limits and co-payments, so it does not replace accessible emergency savings.
Trait ratings are editorial comparisons of typical breed tendencies. They are not a validated behavioural assessment, a documented community survey, or a prediction for an individual dog. Read each profile's source and uncertainty notes. Discuss the dog's behaviour, health and care needs with its rescue, breeder and veterinarian.
Directory filters and labels use the information recorded in each breed profile. Missing or unresolved evidence should not be read as approval. A housing label concerns eligibility; it does not promise quiet behaviour, safety around children, or suitability for every first-time owner. Project ADORE partners assess the individual rescue dog.
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