Struggling to find the perfect canine companion for your Pokémon team?
In this comprehensive guide, we explore the diverse world of Dog Pokémon, spanning from the fiercely competitive to the adorably fluffy, including a special nod to their close relatives, the fox Pokémon.
With years of expertise in the Pokémon universe, our team has countless hours of playtime, and can help in selecting the ideal Pokémon that aligns with your strategy and style. Our list meticulously categorizes each Dog Pokémon, highlighting their unique strengths and roles in battle.
Discover your ideal Pokémon partner and take your team to the next level with our expertly curated list of all Dog Pokémon!”
All Dog Pokemon: Category Notes
Generation: Each set of games and new Pokémon are released in successive generations. Each dog Pokémon on our list is denoted by the first generation in which it appears. All Pokémon are available in successive generations after their debut, but may not be catchable in the wild in each of those titles. Here are the game versions each generation corresponds with:
Obtainable By: This bullet point describes the methods you can use to obtain each Pokémon in most circumstances. Note that Pokémon may be traded across all generations subsequent to their debut, so you may assume that any given Pokémon may be obtained via trade as long as it exists in your version. Other methods include:
Catchable: These Pokémon may be caught in the wild using a Pokéball.
Evolves from: These Pokémon evolve from other forms by advancing in level. If special requirements must be met to evolve, they will be noted.
Single Spawn Capture: These Pokémon appear as NPC sprites on the map. Upon interacting with them, you’ll enter into battle and have only that single chance to capture it in a Pokéball.
Gift: These Pokémon are received as prizes or gifts from NPCs upon meeting any given set of conditions.
Special Event: These Pokémon are only obtainable (besides trading) by participating in an official event sanctioned by Nintendo/Game freak.
Any unique circumstances for obtaining a specific Pokémon will be described in more detail.
Arcanine
# 59
Type: Fire
Generation: 1
Obtained by: Capture, Evolve from Growlithe (Fire Stone)
The original “Legendary Pokémon” isn’t technically a legendary dog, and doesn’t get much “legendary” use in competition. Evolving from Growlithe, the legendary dog Arcanine has solid base stats and a powerful fire-type moveset, but lacks diversity making it a decent single-player choice in early versions, but a rarely-used choice for tournament play. You may find yourself using Growlithe even more than Arcanine depending on your tournament format.
Boltund
# 836
Type: Electric
Generation: 8
Obtained by: Capture
Truly the doggiest of dogs in the Pokémon universe, Boltund is actually known as, simply, the “dog Pokémon.” As if this plain description isn’t enough to tip you off, Boltund is more of a collector’s piece than a competitor, with poor base stats and a very shallow moveset. Tournament players, stay away!
Electrike
# 309
Type: Electric
Generation: 3
Obtained by: Capture, Poke Pelago Gift (Ultra Moon)
The “lightning Pokémon” Electrike is the base stage of Manectric with a solid move set of its own, but is limited mostly to electric and normal-type attacks. This Little Cup contender doesn’t get much competitive use, but in single-player, it’s a decent addition to an early lineup that’s missing electric-type power.
Furfrou
# 676
Type: Normal
Generation: 6
Obtained by: Capture
Known as the “Poodle Pokémon,” Furfrou has moderate base stats, but it also has a relatively weak moveset of normal-type moves that don’t dish out much damage. Furfrou is an untiered Pokémon, meaning it almost never appears in competitive play, and it has limited use in single-player campaigns, too.
Granbull
# 210
Type: Fairy
Generation: 2
Obtained by: Evolve from Snubbull
You might not be able to tell from its looks, but Granbull is known as the “Fairy Pokémon.” While Granbull packs a punch with a powerful attack stat, its other base stats are notably weak. It does have some strong dark and normal-type moves in its pool, but somehow, only a couple of fairy-type attacks. Granbull is a poor choice for competitive play in all generations, so catch this dog Pokémon for Pokedex completion and then put it away.
Growlithe
# 58
Type: Fire
Generation: 1
Obtained by: Capture
The “Puppy Pokémon” Growlithe is a dog with solid stats for a base-stage Pokémon, and has resistance to fire, grass, ice, bug, steel, and fairy-type foes. Growlithe also features a diverse moveset of fire, fighting, normal, and dark-type Pokémon attacks that make Growlithe a decent contender in Little Cup play and a great companion in single-player games.
Herdier
# 507
Type: Normal
Generation: 5
Obtained by: Evolve from Lillipup, Capture (Black/White + B2/W2)
The “Loyal Dog Pokémon” Herdier is the first stage evolution from Lillipup. It uses a combination of Intimidate and Sand Rush to weaken its foe’s attack stat while boosting its own speed. Herdier’s base stats are poor, but it redeems itself with a decent lineup of normal-type moves.
Still, Herdier’s limited move types and low stats make it a touch choice for competitive play. If you’re using a Herdier in single-player, your best bet is to level it quickly to evolve into the mighty Stoutland. Herdier has no type advantages, sadly, but still suffers weaknesses against fighting and ghost-type Pokémon.
Houndoom
# 229
Type: Dark/Fire
Generation: 2
Obtained by: Evolve from Houndour
Houndoom, the “Dark Pokémon,” can boost its fire-type moves using the Flash Fire ability while resisting sleep effects thanks to its Early Bird ability. It has decent offensive stats, but its low HP and defense render it vulnerable to heavy damage, and it suffers a disadvantage against water, fighting, ground, and rock-type Pokémon.
Houndoom is a poor choice for competitive play and is rarely seen on the tournament battlefield. However, Houndoom’s deep fire & dark-type moveset can help balance out a single-player lineup meaning this difficult Pokémon to obtain may still be worth a spot in your rotation.
Houndour
# 228
Type: Dark/Fire
Generation: 2
Obtained by: Capture
Houndoom’s base-stage Pokémon is also, rather uncreatively, known as the “Dark Pokémon” and features a guard dog-like appearance. You can tell from its poor stats and weak move pool that Game freak rushed their way through planning this dark-type Pokémon, and it shows in its competitive uselessness, too.
Cool as Houndour looks, and tricky as it can be to catch in Generation II and other versions, it simply doesn’t add much to your lineup even in single-player campaigns. It suffers greatly against priority moves, and if it can’t KO the Pokémon right in front of it, Houndour will be chased out of battle quickly.
Generation V’s most adorable starter dog by far is the “Puppy Pokémon” Lillipup. However, being cute isn’t the same as being a contender in battle. Lillipup suffers from poor base stats, though its physical attack stat is comparable to some first-stage evolutions. If left unevolved, Lillipup can learn some powerful moves like Take Down and Giga Impact prior to level 50, but most players will choose to evolve to Herdier quickly.
Lillipup is so infrequently used in the Little Cup that there’s little strategic advice available for it. Your best bet is to evolve Lillipup quickly and surround it by typed Pokémon with deeper special movesets to build a balanced team early in the game.
Lucario
# 448
Type: Fighting/Steel
Generation: 4
Obtained by: Evolve from Riolu, Tower of Mastery Gift (X/Y), Capture (Sun/Moon + US/UM)
The “Aura Pokémon” Lucario comes with a strange combination of Steadfast, which boosts its speed when flinched, and Inner Focus which prevents flinching. Whichever ability your Lucario comes with, however, it won’t see much use as flinching is relatively rare even among highly-used attacks.
Lucario packs a powerful punch with strong physical attacks like Meteor Mash and Bone Rush. It has a diverse move pool including fighting, steel, normal, dragon, and psychic attacks, and solid base stats, but sadly there are too many strong competitive alternatives to Lucario that leave it in the dust as a rarely-used choice in tournament play. For single-player games, however, Lucario is practically a must-have.
Lycanroc
# 745
Type: Rock
Variants: Midday Form, Midnight Form, Dusk Form
Generation:7
Obtained by: Capture
The “Wolf Pokémon” Lycanroc comes in three forms depending on how you influence it with Solgaleo, Lunala, or a special Rockruff. Lycanroc has great attack power and speed, but its low special atk/def stats leave it rarely used in competitive battles. Still, in single-player games, Lycanroc’s powerful rock-type moves give it an edge making it a decent addition to your lineup.
Lycanroc has advantages against normal, flying, poison, and fire-type Pokémon, but suffers against water, grass, fighting, and ground-types. While its unique abilities make it an attractive capture, Lycanroc isn’t quite as powerful as it seems and may hinder your progress in later stages of the game.
Manectric
# 310
Type: Electric
Generation: 3
Obtained by: Evolve from Electrike, Capture
Like its base stage Electrike, Manectric, the “Discharge Pokémon” is a dog with poor base stats and few type advantages making it a rare sight to see in competitive battles. Manectric is one of those Pokémon you’ll find yourself catching to complete your Pokedex, but as far as your lineup is concerned, give this dog Pokémon a pass.
Manectric has a limited pool of mostly electric-type attacks with a few normal-type moves mixed in. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t pack much of a punch, and its moderately low HP leaves it vulnerable to a quick exit against foes with higher attack stats.
Mightyena
# 262
Type: Dark
Generation: 3
Obtained by: Evolve from Poochyena, Capture
The “Bite Pokémon” Mightyena is the evolved form of the dog Poochyena, first appearing in the third generation. Regrettably, like many cat and dog Pokemon, Mightyena doesn’t evolve further and has moderately weak base stats that keep it from standing out in battle.
Mightyena sees less and less competitive use with each generation. Its move pool leaves a lot to be desired, with few power attacks and little combinative use that make it a poor choice for most lineups even in single-player games. Like Manectric, you’d do yourself a favor to catch a Mightyena for Pokedex completion and then putting it away for good.
Nickit
# 827
Type: Dark
Generation: 8
Obtained by: Capture
Nickit, the “Fox Pokémon,” has a cute and cool aesthetic that makes it a fun collectible in Sword & Shield. Its dark-type moves pack a decent punch, though overall its move pool is pretty shallow. Its base stats, too, are rather weak, reducing that move pool’s effectiveness and rendering it a poor choice for Little Cup competition.
Your single-player campaign won’t be well-served with a Nickit (or its evolved form, Thievul) in your lineup, as it also falters against fighting, bug, and fairy-type Pokémon with few type advantages of its own. Catch yourself a Nickit to build out your Pokedex, but don’t be tempted to include it in your primary rotation.
Ninetales
# 38
Type: Fire
Variant: Alolan Ninetails (Ice/Fairy) – Evolve from Vulpix (Ice Stone)
Generation: 1
Obtained by: Evolve from Vulpix (Fire Stone),
Ninetales is truly the original “Fox Pokémon” from all the way back in generation I with an updated Alolan variant to give it an ice-type flair. Its base stats are middling, although it makes up for its lower HP/atk/def stats with high sp. defense and speed.
Ninetales has a diverse move pool of normal, fire, ghost, and psychic attacks, but overall, it rarely sees the battlefield in tournament play. In single-player games, Ninetales is much more useful, with powerful fire-type attacks that have their place in gym battles like Celadon City and Veridian City.
Poochyena
# 261
Type: Dark
Generation: 3
Obtained by: Capture, Breed Mightyena
Poochyena is a dark-type dog from generation III, and if our comments about Mightyena weren’t enough of a hint, it doesn’t have much of a role in competition. Its base stats are rather low and its move pool is littered with status-effect attacks that don’t play well with others in your lineup and cause little harm to your foes. It doesn’t start dealing much damage until it learns Take Down at level 40, by which point most trainers will have evolved it anyway.
Evolve your Poochyena as fast as possible and then keep it on the sideline. It doesn’t offer enough of an advantage to merit a spot in your primary rotation.
Riolu
# 447
Type: Fighting
Generation: 4
Obtained by: Capture, Iron Island Gift (Diamond/Pearl)
The “Emanation Pokémon” Riolu is a dog who was introduced as a base-stage to Lucario in generation IV but doesn’t have much of a place in competitive play or even single-player campaigns. Riolu’s weak base stats leave it incredibly vulnerable against even a moderately challenging foe, and while it does learn some damage-dealing moves at early levels, it’s not going to pack a wallop before evolving into Lucario
Not quite a dog Pokemon, but closer to Pokémon dogs than any other kind of animal, Riolu is a cute collectible that you’ll need to pick up to complete the Pokedex. Once you do, you might as well forget you ever captured one.
Rockruff
# 744
Type: Rock
Variant: Own Tempo Rockruff (Ultra Sun/Moon)
Generation: 7
Obtained by: Capture
The generation VII “Puppy Dog Pokémon” Rockruff starts off with respectable base attack and speed stats, though beware its low special attack/defense numbers. Depending on how you progress your Rockruff, it can evolve into one of three different forms of Lycanroc.
Rockruff offers a decent moveset including classics like Double Team, Rock Throw, and Bite at relatively low levels. It’s not the most common competitor in Little Cup Play, but you’ll see it on occasion for its ability to dole out some real damage. In your single-player game, you’ll want a good Rockruff as soon as you can find one to evolve it into Lycanroc who can help you through the mid-game gym battles and story events.
Shaymin
# 492
Type: Grass (Land Form), Grass/Flying (Sky Form)
Generation: 4
Obtained by: Single Spawn Capture
The mystical dog Shaymin has some of the best base stats of any basic-stage Pokémon in the game with 100s across the board from the start. However, on the competitive scene, you’ll quickly find that the Land Form Shaymin is practically unusable while the Sky Form Shaymin is an uber-tier competitor featured in many tournament lineups.
Shaymin’s powerful grass attacks are super-accurate and inflict lots of damage. It’s particularly powerful against water, fighting, and other grass-type Pokémon, but beware ice types which can inflict up to 4 times base damage on the Grass/Flying form of Shaymin.
Silvally
# 773
Type: Normal
Generation: 7
Obtained by: Evolve Type: Null
Silvally has impressive base stats on its own, and it has the unique ability to transform into any other Pokémon type depending on the item it holds. While this sounds like an impressive feat, it doesn’t exactly have much use in competitive play. Depending on the Silvally form, this Pokémon appears on different NU or PU lists, with only its fairy-type form seeing any significant tournament play (though still a “rarely-used” Pokémon).
Silvally has a powerful move pool of normal-type attacks that inflict strong physical damage with near-perfect accuracy, and it can learn from a huge list of TMs and TRs. However, it doesn’t offer much in the way of status-effect damage. It may not be the best choice for competitive play, but Silvally is a powerful ally to take on your single-player journey.
Smeargle
# 235
Type: Normal
Generation: 2
Obtained by: Capture
The hilariously French-style dog “Painter Pokémon” Smeargle has terrible physical and special attack stats, but its unique Sketch move renders those stats unnecessary. Smeargle is the only Pokémon in any generation that can use this move which allows it to copy the last move used by its foe for Smeargle itself to use.
For this reason, Smeargle is a common choice in Diamond & Pearl competitions, though it becomes less effective in later generations. Smeargle is truly an oddity in the Pokémon universe akin to Ditto in its ability to offer you practically any move under the sun. In single-player, you can’t miss out on the opportunity to bring Smeargle along for the fun.
Snubbull
# 209
Type: Fairy
Generation: 2
Obtained by: Capture, Poke Pelago Gift (Ultra Sun/Moon)
Appearing in the very first Pokémon film and debuting in generation II of the video games, the “Fairy Pokémon” Snubbull has dog-like features that aren’t very fairy-like at all. This Pokemon dog has a packed lineup of damage-dealing normal and dark-type moves (despite its “fairy” designation) that make it great for quickly whittling away at even high-HP opponents.
Its first stage evolution, the dog Granbull, isn’t well-known for competitive use, but in single-player, raising a Snubbull can help you proceed through the mid-game cities when combined with a diverse lineup.
Stoutland
# 508
Type: Normal
Generation: 5
Obtained by: Evolve from Herdier, Capture (Black/White + B2/W2)
Stoutland the dog is the final form of Lillipup and Herdier, a dog-like Pokémon from generation V with an impressive dog-stache. However, you may not be surprised to learn that, like its younger stages, Stoutland isn’t all it’s cracked up to be in competitive battles. Stoutland is untiered, meaning it’s widely considered so useless it’s not worth putting into the lineup for any format of tournament play.
This dog can deal decent damage with its physical attacks, and while its base attack stat is on the high end, its low HP and special attack stats drag its usefulness back down. It has no type advantages but struggles in combat against fighting and ghost types.
Thievul
# 828
Type: Dark
Generation: 8
Obtained by: Evolve from Nickit, Capture
The final form of Nickit, the Fox Pokémon Thievul, first appearing in Pokémon Shield and Sword, is sadly rather unhelpful in battle. Its attack, special attack, and HP stats are weak, but it relies on these stats for its pool of damage-dealing attacks.
If you need some dark-type damage in your lineup, Thievul may be of occasional use, but beyond that specific need, you’re better off leaving Thievul in storage after you capture it to fill out your Pokedex.
Vulpix
# 037
Type: Fire
Variant: Alolan Vulpix (Ice Type)
Generation: 1
Obtained by: Capture
Vulpix is the generation I Fox Pokémon appearing all the way back in R/B/Y featuring an impressive lineup of fire-type moves. With classic attacks like Fire Spin and more recent moves like Fire Blast, Vulpix can hit hard and burn through grass types and ice types with ease.
Vulpix is a little bit limited when it comes to the Little Cup, but it’s a great companion on your early single-player journey, especially since it can learn ghost-type attacks before level 20. Vulpix evolves into Ninetales by use of a fire stone, and its Alolan variant can evolve through the use of an ice stone.
Yamper
# 835
Type: Electric
Generation: 8
Obtained by: Capture
Pokémon Shield and Sword introduced us to Yamper, the basic stage Puppy Dog Pokémon that later evolves into Boltund. If you remember reading about Boltund above, you’ll recall that, sadly, this Pokémon is pretty much useless in competitive play.
Capture a Yamper and evolve it to add to your Pokedex, but don’t expect it to be very much help even in single-player campaigns. There are simply too many superior electric-type Pokémon to choose from to waste space in your lineup with this pathetic dog.
Zacian
# 888
Type: Legendary: Crowned Sword – Fairy/Steel, Hero of Many Battles – Fairy
Generation: 8
Obtained by: Single Spawn Capture
The legendary Pokémon Zacian is an uber-tier competitor in both of its forms, catchable only in Pokémon Sword. Both versions have the same base stats and move pools, meaning that the Steel-type addition to the Crowned Sword variant is the primary difference between these fierce legendaries.
Zamazenta
# 889
Type: Legendary: Crowned Shield – Fighting/Steel, Hero of Many Battles – Fighting
Generation: 8
Obtained by: Single Spawn Capture
Zamazenta is the primary legendary available in Pokémon Shield, and like Zacian its forms share movesets and stats, with the main difference being the Crowned Shield variant featuring a second type (steel). Zamazenta is also an uber-tiered Pokémon in competitive battles and is seeing a lot of play in tournament lineups.
Of course, both of these legendary Pokemon dogs are must-haves to complete your single-player quest, so be prepared to give it all you’ve got when you encounter the dogs in the Tower Summit.
Zoroark
# 571
Type: Dark
Generation: 5
Obtained by: Evolve from Zorua, Capture
Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokémon, appears prior to generation VI. It doesn’t offer much damage-dealing capability, but its base stats are moderately powerful, particularly its special attack.
In your single-player game, Zoroark is a decent addition to your rotation to deal dark and psychic type damage, but you won’t see it much in the competitive arena.
Zorua
# 570
Type: Dark
Generation: 5
Obtained by: Gift (Black/White), Capture, Breed Zoroark
Zoroark’s base stage is the cuter, but still fierce, Tricky Fox Pokémon Zorua. Zorua’s primary problem is that it doesn’t learn any useful or powerful moves until level 40, but you’ll likely evolve it into Zoroark at level 30, anyways.
Catch a Zorua to complete your Pokedex, but don’t bother taking it into battle, whether you’re playing single-player or preparing for a tournament.
In Closing
Which dog-like Pokémon is best for your team? Growlithe? Furfrou? OK, maybe not Furfrou. Whatever you choose, it depends on what game you’re playing and whether you want to take them into the competitive arena.
Be sure to review our recommendations for the best competitive Pokémon, and remember that tournaments aren’t everything. You’ll have to catch ’em all to complete your Pokedex, so go out there and get hunting!
Dane started off gaming at the tender age of 3 with the first Atari console. His favorite video game genres are turn-based RPGs (can I get a shout out for Tactics Ogre?) and fighting games. Read more...
