CanadaPups has analyzed dog license data[1] to find the most popular breeds in Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton and to estimate for Canada based on that data. In the charts below we show the top 30 dog breeds.
Most top 10 lists in the media are often based on Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) data[2] which consists only of registered purebred dogs. Our data includes registered, non-registered and mixed breed dogs. We find that the CKC data is skewed towards sporting and working dogs, whereas dog license data is more representative of the pet population.
It is no surprise that the Labrador Retriever is the top dog in Canada, but it is not commonly known that the lovable Shih Tzu is the second most popular dog breed - even ahead of the German Shepard and Golden Retriever.
Another popular dog that is missing from many lists is the Bichon Frise. It is the sixth most popular dog in Canada and the second in Calgary. Along with the Shih Tzu, these cheerful companion dogs may not be registered but they rank high in our hearts. Other notable mentions are the romantic Cocker Spaniel, the highly intelligent Border Collie and the fierce Chihuahua :) which are included in our top 10.
| Breed | Canada | Toronto | Calgary | Edmonton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labrador Retriever | ||||
| Shih Tzu | ||||
| Golden Retriever | ||||
| German Shepherd | ||||
| Poodle | ||||
| Bichon Frise | ||||
| Border Collie | ||||
| Yorkshire Terrier | ||||
| Cocker Spaniel | ||||
| Chihuahua | ||||
| Schnauzer | ||||
| Jack Russel Terrier | 1.8% | 1.7% | ||
| Maltese | 1.8% | |||
| Husky | ||||
| Beagle | 1.7% | 1.8% | ||
| Dachshund | 1.8% | 1.5% | ||
| Pug | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.8% |
| Pomeranian | 1.8% | 1.6% | 1.7% | |
| Pit Bull | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.4% | |
| Boxer | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.5% |
| Rottweiler | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 1.4% |
| Boston Terrier | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.3% |
| Australian Shepherd | 1.2% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.1% |
| Shetland Sheepdog | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 0.9% |
| Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier | 1.1% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Havanese | 1.0% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.6% |
| West Highland White Terrier | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| Lhasa Apso | 0.9% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| English Bulldog | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.5% | 1.0% |
| Terrier | 0.8% | 0.3% | 1.2% | 1.8% |
Footnotes:
[1] Data Sources:
1. City of Toronto, Open Data
2. City of Calgary, Open Data
3. City of Edmonton, Open Data
[2] Canadian Kennel Club Top 10