Best in show: knit your own dog

The basset hound is a very low-slung dog - in fact the name derives from bas meaning 'low' in French. They have extremely long ears and droopy eyes, which make them prone to numerous ailments. Although bred to hunt, they are friendly and child loving. They live for food and are champion beggars and stealers. Well-known basset hounds include the stars of the Hush Puppies advertisements and Fred Basset from the cartoon strip Photograph: Holly Joliffe

Prized for their honesty, intelligence, integrity and loyalty, the border collie is a working dog and likes to be kept busy. They are always on the go, traditionally herding sheep, but will also spend hours retrieving sticks and generally playing. Exercise is essential for this most relentless and eager of breeds. Famous border collies include Flye and Rex from the film Babe Photograph: Holly Joliffe

Loyal, friendly and particularly fond of children, the English bulldog is an instantly recognizable breed that is not as miserable as the face implies. Although prone to drooling and snoring, the English bulldog has a devoted following. It has become a mascot for England and is closely associated with Winston Churchill, who never owned one but did rather resemble one. Originally bred for bullbaiting, the bulldog is mentioned in Shakespeare’s Henry VI. Famous Bulldogs are Spike in Tom and Jerry and Bulldog Drummond, the popular and hair-raisingly non-PC detective of the 1920s Photograph: Holly Joliffe

This large, bear-like dog is the ideal pet if you enjoy grooming. Instantly recognizable, the old English sheepdog has been the face of Dulux paints in the UK for years. The most famous Dulux dog, Fernville Lord Digby, was treated like a star, chauffeured to filmsets and trained by Barbara Woodhouse. Paul McCartney’s old English sheepdog, Martha, was immortalized in the song Martha My Dear on The White Album Photograph: Holly Joliffe

The Jack Russell is a big dog in a small dog's body. They are sturdy and tough, intelligent and brave with large personalities and they can be willful. Jack Russells are primarily working dogs and enjoy learning tricks, but they do need to be kept occupied and well exercised. Nipper the HMV dog is reputed to be a Jack Russell, but that's debatable. Prince Charles, Goldie Hawn and Serena Williams all own Jack Russells Photograph: Holly Joliffe

The epitome of French chic, the poodle is both elegant and highly intelligent. They are a versatile breed and would suit most owners: toy poodles for apartment dwellers who prefer to carry their dogs; miniature poodles for families and standard poodles for people who like to be noticed. Poodle crosses are popular as they produce hypoallergenic dogs with comical names, suck as the cockapoo and the labradoodle. Winston Churchill and Marilyn Monroe were poodle owners. Growing up we both owned poodles called: Pastis, Pernod, Puddle, Pin, Bognor, Friday, Twinkle Toes, Sadie (a very bad-tempered dog) and Jonah Photograph: Holly Joliffe

It's fair to say that nobody had paid much attention to the Portuguese water dog until the arrival of Bo Obama at the White House. PWDs have been around since the 12th century, but in the 1960s were listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the rarest breed of pedigree dog. Originally bred to help fishermen, they herded the catch, retrieved anything that fell in the water and carried messages from ship to shore. Bo, the Obama's PWD, was given to them by Ted Kennedy, whose own PWD, Splash, was another of the numerous dogs to have written his memoirs of life in Washington Photograph: Holly Joliffe

Irrepressibly perky, the West Highland terrier is easily identified by its white coat that was developed in Argyll by Colonel Edward Donald Malcolm after his red terrier was mistaken for a fox and shot. As well as being the emblem for Black & White Whisky and Cesar dog food, westies are the rather surprisingly pet of choice of the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah Photograph: Holly Joliffe