What Drives Breed Popularity?

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312 – July, 2023

By Caroline Coile

With about 200 AKC breeds to choose from, why are the vast majority of registrations confined to the top 15 or so breeds? In 2003, for example, the top 15 breeds accounted for 64% of new registrations (584,041 dogs) while the bottom 15 breeds together accounted for only 0.1% of registrations (1,077 dogs). Why is the Beagle ranked #7 and the Harrier #188? Is there really 180 ranking spots difference between them? What’s so much better about a German Shepherd (#4) than a Canaan Dog (#187)? Why is the Bulldog–not the easiest dog to care for, nor the most likely to participate in outdoor or athletic activities–ranked #8? What accounts for the French Bulldog’s meteoric rise to #2?

A recent article in The Economist (What makes certain dogs popular in certain countries) looked at factors influencing dog breed popularity. I’m not sure I agree with all their conclusions, mainly because the data aren’t accessible, but the graphs alone are worth checking it out. The authors examined historical data on 86 million dog breed registrations in nine countries: United States, Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and Sweden. What they found:

• Some countries tend to be “nationalistic,” favoring home-bred breeds. Germany leads the way with breeds of German origin making up 83% of registration in the top 10 breeds over the past decade.

• Colonialism also plays a role with countries founded by England, such as New Zealand and South Africa, disproportionately preferring British breeds.

• Some countries are more influenced by practicality, especially size. Japan, with its limited space, exemplifies this, with the (Toy) Poodle, Chihuahua and Dachshund making up half of registrations there.

They claim that cultural influences drive popularity in other countries, including America, where they say movie exposure and Westminster winners have an undue influence. According to them, winning Westminster increases the odds of new registrations for the winning breed by 67% that year and 93% two years later. However, they don’t cite any actual data in support. In contrast, an earlier study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association found no such association. Specifically, they found that the slope of the curve for number of new registrations per year for the 5 years prior to a breed winning Westminster was not significantly different from the slope of the curve for the 5 years after winning. And the annual percentage change in new registrations for that breed was not significantly different from that for matched non-winning breeds. (Herzog H. and Elias S. 2004. Effects of winning the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on breed popularity. JAVMA, 225, pp 365-367).

Movie exposure may have an effect, but…it’s complicated.

Movies, Media and Popularity

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312 – July, 2023

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Posted by AnthonyA on Jul 24 2023. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.