The Australian shepherd was the favorite dog of the French in 2018, dethroning the Belgian shepherd who is satisfied with the second place in front of the "staffie" or staffordshire bull terrier, announced Wednesday the Central Canine Society (SCC).
The German Shepherd leaves the podium. Among the significant changes in the ranking of the 20 main dog breeds in France: the German Shepherd leaves for the first time since 1946 the top trio, and is in 5th position.
With 12,906 entries in the French Book of Origins (LOF), the Australian Shepherd, who despite his name is an American breed, is on the top step of the podium, for the first time. 11,729 Belgian shepherds and 10,983 "staffies" found a master last year.
A dog with a playful character. The Australian Shepherd, robust because it is primarily a working dog, of medium size, with an attractive dress and playful character, was recognized by the International Cynological Federation (FCI) only in 1996, although its breeding in France has started since the 80s. The rating of this dog, which can have eyes black eyes (eyes of different colors) and eyes (several colors in the same eye), has grown steadily since his arrival on the territory French.
The "Staffie" climbs him for the first time on the podium, the French bulldog goes from 10th to 8th place ahead of the king Charles, 9th, and the 10th chihuahua.
Purebred dogs are popular. And breed dogs are more and more numerous in French homes. 234,073 purebred dogs were registered in the LOF in 2018, against 162,698 in 2002, an increase of more than 40%, reports the SCC.