Statistics
Most Popular Dog Breeds in the UK 2026: The Labrador Is Still Top Dog
The Labrador Retriever is the UK's most popular dog breed in 2026 on every measure of dogs owned. Our own analysis of 36 sources ranks the breeds across four measures and finds which have the most searches for every puppy advertised.
What this guide covers
The Labrador Retriever is the UK's most popular dog breed, and it isn't close. Labradors made up 18.5% of all Royal Kennel Club registrations in 2025 and 8% of all dogs in the 2026 National Dog Survey, ahead of the Cocker Spaniel on both. Below them the order is changing: the Golden Retriever has climbed from 8th to 3rd in ten years, and the French Bulldog has slipped to 6th so far in 2026. Our own analysis adds three things no single source shows: a consensus ranking across four measures, the breeds advertised far more often than they are registered (20 Jack Russell puppies on one site for every one registered), and the breed with the most searches for every puppy advertised, the Golden Retriever, at about 63 to 1. Figures come from 36 sources we checked.
29,919
Labrador Retrievers registered with the Kennel Club in 2025, more than any other breed
[1]
20 to 1
Jack Russell puppies advertised on Pets4Homes in 2025 for every one registered with the Kennel Club (our calculation)
[1][5]
8%
of dogs in the 2026 National Dog Survey are Labradors, still the most common breed
[2]
42%
of dogs in the 2025 National Dog Survey were crossbreeds, which never appear in Kennel Club tables
[3]
+10.1%
rise in Golden Retriever registrations in the first nine months of 2026
[4]
63
monthly searches for every Golden Retriever puppy advertised each month, the widest demand gap of any breed we checked (our calculation)
[5][13]
What is the most popular dog breed in the UK?
The Labrador Retriever. It is the most registered breed with the Royal Kennel Club, with 29,919 registrations in 2025, and the most common breed in owner surveys, vet records and the UK dog population model [1][2][6][7].
Its lead is large. Labradors made up 18.5% of the Kennel Club's 161,901 registrations in 2025, and together with the Cocker Spaniel (21,618) they accounted for 31.8% (our calculation) [1]. The top ten breeds together made up 62.1% of all registrations (our calculation) [1].
The Labrador has held the top spot in the Kennel Club table in every year since 2016 except one: in 2018 the French Bulldog edged ahead, with 36,785 registrations to the Labrador's 36,526 [1].
| Measure | Most popular | Second | Third | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennel Club registrations [1] | Labrador Retriever | Cocker Spaniel | Golden Retriever | 2025 |
| Dogs owned, National Dog Survey [8] | Labrador Retriever | Cockapoo | Cocker Spaniel | 2025 |
| Dogs under vet care, VetCompass [6] | Labrador Retriever | Jack Russell Terrier | English Cocker Spaniel | 2019 |
| Pedigree population model [7] | Labrador Retriever | Cocker Spaniel | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | 2019 |
| Puppies advertised, Pets4Homes [5] | Miniature Dachshund | Cocker Spaniel | French Bulldog | 2025 |
Survey and vet-record rankings leave out mixed-breed groups, which would otherwise top both: unknown mixes were 9% of dogs in the 2025 National Dog Survey and non-designer crossbreeds 24.0% of dogs under vet care in 2019 [8][6].
What are the top 20 most popular dog breeds in the UK by Kennel Club registrations?
The Kennel Club registered 161,901 puppies in 2025 [4]. These are the 20 breeds with the most registrations.
| Rank 2025 | Breed | Registrations 2025 | Change on 2024 | Rank 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labrador Retriever | 29,919 | −12.4% | 1 |
| 2 | Cocker Spaniel | 21,618 | −6.7% | 2 |
| 3 | Golden Retriever | 9,976 | −2.2% | 8 |
| 4 | Dachshund (Miniature Smooth Haired) | 8,908 | −23.6% | 11 |
| 5 | French Bulldog | 7,750 | −43.8% | 3 |
| 6 | English Springer Spaniel | 5,845 | −10.4% | 5 |
| 7 | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | 5,375 | −1.3% | 12 |
| 8 | German Shepherd Dog | 4,278 | −11.2% | 7 |
| 9 | Dachshund (Miniature Long Haired) | 3,694 | +7.1% | 42 |
| 10 | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | 3,224 | +2.9% | 13 |
| 11 | Whippet | 3,218 | −11.7% | 17 |
| 12 | Border Terrier | 3,181 | −13.4% | 10 |
| 13 | Miniature Schnauzer | 2,956 | −20.0% | 9 |
| 14 | Bulldog | 2,711 | −29.9% | 6 |
| 15 | Boxer | 1,959 | −19.3% | 14 |
| 16 | Rottweiler | 1,958 | −11.4% | 27 |
| 17 | Poodle (Toy) | 1,880 | −6.6% | 31 |
| 18 | Hungarian Vizsla | 1,636 | −14.0% | 19 |
| 19 | Pomeranian | 1,541 | −15.9% | 39 |
| 20 | Border Collie | 1,292 | −11.7% | 22 |
Source: Royal Kennel Club 10-yearly registration tables [1]; ranks and changes are our calculation. Registered pedigrees only.
Only two of the top 20, the Miniature Long Haired Dachshund and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, registered more puppies in 2025 than in 2024 [1]. The Golden Retriever's 3rd place is its highest in the ten years of tables, and the French Bulldog's 5th is its lowest [1].
- Labrador Retriever
- Cocker Spaniel
- French Bulldog
- Golden Retriever
Source: Royal Kennel Club [1]
Registered pedigrees only. 2021 was the pandemic peak for registrations.
Show the data
| Labrador Retriever | Cocker Spaniel | French Bulldog | Golden Retriever | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 33,856 | 21,854 | 21,470 | 7,232 |
| 2017 | 35,068 | 23,317 | 30,887 | 7,846 |
| 2018 | 36,526 | 23,927 | 36,785 | 7,794 |
| 2019 | 35,347 | 21,663 | 33,661 | 8,422 |
| 2020 | 39,905 | 25,565 | 39,266 | 8,653 |
| 2021 | 61,559 | 38,910 | 54,074 | 11,808 |
| 2022 | 44,311 | 29,491 | 42,538 | 11,075 |
| 2023 | 38,074 | 26,239 | 26,704 | 10,447 |
| 2024 | 34,141 | 23,177 | 13,789 | 10,201 |
| 2025 | 29,919 | 21,618 | 7,750 | 9,976 |
The Cocker Spaniel took 2nd place from the French Bulldog in 2024, closing the gap on the Labrador [9]. The fastest climber into the top 20 over the decade is the Miniature Long Haired Dachshund, from 42nd in 2016 to 9th, followed by the Pomeranian, from 39th to 19th (our calculation) [1]. It is one of the clearest climbers in our ten-year analysis of rising and declining dog breeds, where the French Bulldog is among the breeds in decline.
Is the Labrador Retriever pulling further ahead of other breeds?
Ahead of the field, yes; ahead of the Cocker Spaniel, no. Registrations have more than halved since the 2021 peak, and Labradors have fallen slightly less than the total (down 51.4% against 53.6%), largely because the French Bulldog fell 85.7% (our calculation) [1]. The Labrador's share of all registrations rose from 14.9% in 2016 to 18.5% in 2025, its highest in the ten years of tables (our calculation) [1]. But the Cocker Spaniel's share rose faster, from 9.6% to 13.4%, so the gap between the top two narrowed from 12,002 registrations in 2016 to 8,301 in 2025 (our calculation) [1]. The top ten's share rose from 57.4% in 2016 to a peak of 66.9% in 2021, and has eased to 62.1% as the French Bulldog fell away (our calculation) [1].
- Top ten breeds
- Labrador Retriever
Source: Royal Kennel Club [1]
Our calculation, as a share of the summed breed totals in each year's tables.
Show the data
| Top ten breeds | Labrador Retriever | |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 57.4% | 14.9% |
| 2017 | 60.1% | 14.4% |
| 2018 | 62% | 14.6% |
| 2019 | 62.2% | 15.2% |
| 2020 | 64.9% | 15.9% |
| 2021 | 66.9% | 17.6% |
| 2022 | 65.9% | 16% |
| 2023 | 64.4% | 16.8% |
| 2024 | 62.5% | 18.2% |
| 2025 | 62.1% | 18.5% |
The names in the top ten have changed more than the shares suggest. Only six of the 2016 top ten were still there in 2025. The Pug, Bulldog, Miniature Schnauzer and Border Terrier dropped out; the two miniature Dachshunds, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel replaced them (our calculation) [1].
Which are the most popular dog breeds in 2026 so far?
The top three haven't moved, but the French Bulldog has dropped to 6th, behind the English Springer Spaniel, in the first nine months of 2026 [4]. After four years of falling registrations, the total is almost level: 119,898 from January to September 2026, against 120,905 a year earlier, down 0.8% (our calculation) [4].
| Rank Jan to Sep 2026 | Breed | Jan to Sep 2026 | Jan to Sep 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labrador Retriever | 23,192 | 22,816 | +1.6% |
| 2 | Cocker Spaniel | 16,260 | 16,091 | +1.1% |
| 3 | Golden Retriever | 8,139 | 7,394 | +10.1% |
| 4 | Dachshund (Miniature Smooth Haired) | 5,744 | 6,569 | −12.6% |
| 5 | English Springer Spaniel | 4,789 | 4,645 | +3.1% |
| 6 | French Bulldog | 3,899 | 5,952 | −34.5% |
| 7 | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | 3,625 | 3,978 | −8.9% |
| 8 | German Shepherd Dog | 3,237 | 3,126 | +3.6% |
| 9 | Dachshund (Miniature Long Haired) | 3,084 | 2,731 | +12.9% |
| 10 | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | 2,506 | 2,316 | +8.2% |
Source: Royal Kennel Club quarterly registration tables [4]; totals and changes are our calculation.
The third quarter of 2026 was the busiest in the Kennel Club's 2025 and 2026 tables: 44,352 registrations, up 10.9% on the same quarter of 2025 (our calculation) [4]. The Kennel Club said in May that the top ten was unchanged in the first quarter and that the Whippet had moved into the top fifteen [10]; by September the Whippet was 11th, up 8.4% on 2025 (our calculation) [4].
Which dog breeds do UK owners actually have?
Kennel Club figures count new pedigree puppies, not the dogs already in UK homes. Surveys of UK dog owners and vet records count those, and they show the same leader with a very different supporting cast, because crossbreeds are included.
In the 2025 National Dog Survey, 42% of dogs were crossbreeds [3]. The most common identifiable crossbreeds were the Cockapoo (5.8% of dogs), the Cavapoo (1.5%) and the Labradoodle (1.3%) [3].
| Rank | Breed or type | Share of dogs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unknown mix of breeds | 9% |
| 2 | Labrador Retriever | 8% |
| 3 | Cockapoo | 6% |
| 4 | Cocker Spaniel | 6% |
| 5 | Border Collie | 3% |
| 6 | Jack Russell Terrier | 2% |
Source: Dogs Trust National Dog Survey 2025, a self-selected survey of 423,175 dogs [8]
The 2026 survey of about 180,000 people found the top five unchanged for the third year running, with Labradors at 8% and Cocker Spaniels, Cockapoos and Golden Retrievers in the top five [2]. The Greyhound rose to 6th, from 15th in 2023 [2]. In 2024 the Cocker Spaniel and Border Collie were the second and third most common pure breeds [11].
Vet records give a very large sample: 2.24 million dogs under vet care in 2019 [6].
| Rank | Breed | Share of dogs under vet care |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Non-designer crossbreed | 24.0% |
| 2 | Labrador Retriever | 6.9% |
| 3 | Jack Russell Terrier | 4.5% |
| 4 | English Cocker Spaniel | 4.3% |
| 5 | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | 4.2% |
| 6 | Chihuahua | 3.6% |
| 7 | Cockapoo | 3.3% |
| 8 | Shih-tzu | 3.0% |
| 9 | French Bulldog | 3.0% |
| 10 | Border Collie | 2.8% |
Source: O'Neill et al. 2023, VetCompass records for 2019 [6]
A 2024 model of the whole UK dog population, built mainly from Kennel Club, vet and insurer records, also puts the Labrador first, at 10.2% of pedigree dogs in 2019, ahead of the Cocker Spaniel (6.9%) and Staffordshire Bull Terrier (4.7%) [7].
Which puppies are most in demand?
Among puppies, the order shifts towards smaller dogs and crossbreeds. On the classified site Pets4Homes, the Miniature Dachshund was the most advertised puppy in 2025, ending the French Bulldog's decade at the top [5][12].
| Rank | Breed | Puppies advertised 2025 | Change on 2024 | Views per advert |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miniature Dachshund | 33,695 | +19.4% | 416 |
| 2 | Cocker Spaniel | 32,182 | −9.1% | 691 |
| 3 | French Bulldog | 31,943 | −22.3% | 319 |
| 4 | Cockapoo | 28,873 | −11.7% | 687 |
| 5 | Labrador Retriever | 26,603 | −12.3% | 579 |
| 6 | Dachshund | 16,118 | −7.3% | 613 |
| 7 | German Shepherd | 14,351 | −14.4% | 702 |
| 8 | Chihuahua | 12,940 | −11.1% | 556 |
| 9 | Cavapoo | 12,043 | −0.7% | 879 |
| 10 | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | 11,561 | −22.4% | 682 |
Source: Pets4Homes UK Pet Industry Report Vol.10 [5]
Adverts measure what breeders are selling as much as what buyers want. Views per advert are a better guide to demand: within the Pets4Homes top 20, the Golden Retriever drew the most, at 901 views per advert, and was one of only three top-20 breeds with more puppies advertised in 2025 than in 2024 [5].
Searches point the same way. Over the 12 months to September 2026, "golden retriever puppies" was searched about 49,500 times a month in the UK, more than any other breed we checked [13].
| Search | Average UK searches a month |
|---|---|
| golden retriever puppies | 49,500 |
| cockapoo puppies | 33,100 |
| cavapoo puppies | 27,100 |
| labrador puppies | 22,200 |
| dachshund puppies | 22,200 |
| german shepherd puppies | 22,200 |
| springer spaniel puppies | 12,100 |
| cocker spaniel puppies | 9,900 |
| french bulldog puppies | 9,900 |
Source: Google Ads keyword data via DataForSEO, October 2025 to September 2026 [13]; our analysis of one search phrase per breed, in Google's rounded bands.
Vet records from 2019 show how quickly the puppy picture can turn. French Bulldogs were then 6.98% of puppies under vet care, second only to non-designer crossbreeds, with Cockapoos at 6.24% and Labradors at 5.79% [6]. By 2025, the National Dog Survey found French Bulldogs at 17th among new puppies and the Miniature Smooth Haired Dachshund at 2.5% of puppies, against 9% for Labradors [8].
Which breeds are advertised far more than they are registered?
We set each breed's puppies advertised on Pets4Homes in 2025 against its Kennel Club registrations for the same year. The gap suggests which popular breeds are most often sold without Kennel Club papers [1][5].
Only two breeds in the Pets4Homes top 20, the Labrador and the Golden Retriever, had more puppies registered than advertised on that one site. At the other end, 20 Jack Russell puppies were advertised for every one registered, and 4.1 French Bulldogs (our calculation) [1][5].
| Breed | Puppies advertised on Pets4Homes, 2025 | Kennel Club registrations, 2025 | Adverts per registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Russell Terrier | 10,280 | 503 | 20.4 |
| Yorkshire Terrier | 5,788 | 385 | 15.0 |
| Dachshund (standard varieties) | 16,118 | 1,360 | 11.9 |
| Chihuahua | 12,940 | 1,692 | 7.6 |
| Border Collie | 9,251 | 1,292 | 7.2 |
| French Bulldog | 31,943 | 7,750 | 4.1 |
| Miniature Dachshund | 33,695 | 13,298 | 2.5 |
| Staffordshire Bull Terrier | 11,561 | 5,375 | 2.2 |
| Cocker Spaniel | 32,182 | 21,618 | 1.5 |
| Golden Retriever | 9,398 | 9,976 | 0.9 |
| Labrador Retriever | 26,603 | 29,919 | 0.9 |
Source: Pets4Homes UK Pet Industry Report Vol.10 [5]; Royal Kennel Club [1]. Ratios are our calculation; Dachshund and Chihuahua registrations are our sums of the Kennel Club's separate varieties.
The Cane Corso, 17th on Pets4Homes with 6,660 puppies advertised, does not appear in the Kennel Club's registration tables at all [1][5]. The ratio is a guide, not a count: Pets4Homes is one site among many, sellers choose the breed label, and breeders on it self-report that only 22% of pedigree litters are or will be Kennel Club registered, down from 38% in 2018 [5].
Which breeds have the most searches for every puppy advertised?
To find where demand outruns supply, we divided each breed's average monthly UK searches for its name plus "puppies", such as "golden retriever puppies", by the number of its puppies advertised on Pets4Homes each month [5][13]. The Golden Retriever stands out: about 63 searches for every puppy advertised, more than twice any other breed we checked (our calculation).
| Breed | Monthly searches | Puppies advertised a month | Searches per puppy advertised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Retriever | 49,500 | 783 | 63.2 |
| Cavapoo | 27,100 | 1,004 | 27.0 |
| Shih Tzu | 12,100 | 621 | 19.5 |
| German Shepherd | 22,200 | 1,196 | 18.6 |
| Cockapoo | 33,100 | 2,406 | 13.8 |
| Labrador Retriever | 22,200 | 2,217 | 10.0 |
| Dachshund (all varieties) | 22,200 | 4,151 | 5.3 |
| French Bulldog | 9,900 | 2,662 | 3.7 |
| Cocker Spaniel | 9,900 | 2,682 | 3.7 |
Source: Google Ads keyword data via DataForSEO, October 2025 to September 2026 [13]; Pets4Homes 2025 adverts divided by 12 [5]. Ratios are our calculation; one search phrase per breed, so treat them as a guide rather than an exact measure.
Other signals point the same way for the Golden Retriever. Its puppies drew the most views per advert of any top-20 breed (901) [5], its registrations rose 10.1% in the first nine months of 2026, far faster than the Labrador (1.6%) or Cocker Spaniel (1.1%) [4], and at an average of £1,436 it was the second most expensive puppy on Pets4Homes in 2025 [5]. The French Bulldog and Cocker Spaniel sit at the opposite end, with fewer than four searches for each puppy advertised. One caution: more Golden Retrievers were registered than advertised on Pets4Homes in 2025, so some of the gap may reflect breeders selling through other channels rather than a shortage of puppies [1][5].
For breeders deciding where to sell puppies, a gap like this means an honest advert for a breed buyers are searching for is likely to be seen.
Which breeds are popular on every measure?
No single source can say which breeds are popular everywhere, so we combined four. For each pedigree breed we took its rank in Kennel Club registrations (2025), dogs under vet care (VetCompass, 2019), puppies advertised (Pets4Homes, 2025) and the population model (2019), and averaged them [1][5][6][7].
| Consensus rank | Breed | Kennel Club | Vet records | Puppies advertised | Population model | Average rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labrador Retriever | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2.0 |
| 2 | Cocker Spaniel | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.3 |
| 3 | French Bulldog | 5 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 5.5 |
| 4 | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | 7 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 6.0 |
| 5 | German Shepherd Dog | 8 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 8.0 |
| 6 | Miniature Dachshund | 3 | 18 | 1 | 16 | 9.5 |
| 7 | Golden Retriever | 4 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 10.0 |
| 8 | English Springer Spaniel | 6 | 11 | 21 | 4 | 10.5 |
| 9 | Chihuahua | 17 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 11.5 |
| 10 | Shih Tzu | 22 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 13.8 |
Source: Royal Kennel Club [1], Pets4Homes [5], O'Neill et al. [6], McMillan et al. [7]. Ranks and averages are our calculation.
Only the Labrador and Cocker Spaniel are in the top five on every measure. The ranking also shows breeds pulling in different directions: the Miniature Dachshund leads the puppy market but sits much lower among dogs already in homes, while the Shih Tzu and Chihuahua are far more common in vet records than in registrations [1][5][6].
How we built it: Kennel Club ranks merge the miniature Dachshund varieties and the two Chihuahua coats, to match how the other sources count them. A breed missing from a published list takes the next rank after that list ends. Crossbreeds such as the Cockapoo can't be scored, because the Kennel Club doesn't register them. The Jack Russell Terrier misses the top ten despite being 2nd in vet records, because it is only 47th in Kennel Club registrations [1][6].
Why do the rankings differ?
Each source counts a different set of dogs, so each produces a different top ten.
| Source | What it counts | Strength | Blind spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennel Club registrations [1][4] | Pedigree puppies registered each year | Complete, official, annual | No crossbreeds; many pedigree puppies are never registered |
| National Dog Survey [2][8] | Dogs owned by people who chose to take part | Very large, includes crossbreeds | Self-selected, so shares show direction rather than exact size |
| VetCompass [6] | Dogs under vet care | 2.24 million records, all types | 2019 data, before the French Bulldog fall |
| Population model [7] | Modelled UK dog population | Pools 4.4 million records | 2019; leans on Kennel Club data |
| Pets4Homes [5] | Puppies advertised for sale | Live view of the puppy market | One platform; supply and demand mixed |
| Petplan survey [14] | Breeds people would choose "if money were no object" | Shows preferences | Measures wishes, not dogs |
Preference surveys tell another story again. Asked which breed they would choose if money were no object, 4,000 UK adults in a Petplan survey put the German Shepherd first (8%), ahead of the Labrador (7.5%) and Golden Retriever (6%) [14]. That is a measure of wishes: German Shepherds are 8th in registrations [1].
Is the most popular breed different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
The Labrador leads in England, Scotland and Wales, but not in Northern Ireland, according to the 2019 population model [7].
| Nation | Most common pedigree breed | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Labrador Retriever (10.2%) | Cocker Spaniel (7%) | Staffordshire Bull Terrier (4.8%) |
| Scotland | Labrador Retriever (13.3%) | Cocker Spaniel (8.2%) | Lhasa Apso (4.8%) |
| Wales | Labrador Retriever (7.9%) | French Bulldog (6%) | Cocker Spaniel (5.4%) |
| Northern Ireland | Miniature Schnauzer (8.5%) | Labrador Retriever (8.4%) | Yorkshire Terrier (6.4%) |
Source: McMillan et al. 2024, supplementary data [7]; shares are of each nation's pedigree dogs in 2019.
We found no current breed ranking for each nation from an original publisher, so these 2019 figures are the latest like-for-like comparison.
Which breeds are most common among stray dogs?
The breeds councils most often handle as strays are not the breeds topping the popularity tables. In the Dogs Trust Stray Dog Survey for 2024 to 2025, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier or Staffie cross was the most common stray for 19% of councils that answered, and among the top three for 41% [15].
| Breed or type | Councils naming it the most common stray | Councils naming it in their top three |
|---|---|---|
| Staffordshire Bull Terrier or cross | 19% | 41% |
| Lurcher | 15% | 31% |
| Crossbreed, unknown mix | 14% | 26% |
| Bully mix or type | 12% | 28% |
| Jack Russell | 5% | 21% |
Source: Dogs Trust Stray Dog Survey 2024 to 2025, 216 local authorities [15]
Labradors were the most common stray for just 1% of councils [15].
What this means if you're choosing the right dog breed
A breed being popular tells you lots of people like it, not that it suits you. The figures above point to a few useful checks.
- Don't choose on rank alone. The top ten has changed fast: the French Bulldog went from 1st in 2018 to 6th so far in 2026 [1][4], so today's favourite may simply be today's fashion.
- Expect competition for a Golden Retriever. It has the most searches for each puppy advertised on Pets4Homes of any breed we checked, about 63 to 1 (our calculation) [5][13]. When demand is that high, be patient and take extra care checking the breeder.
- Check whether the puppy is registered. For some popular breeds, far more puppies are advertised than registered: 20 Jack Russells on one site for every registration (our calculation) [1][5]. If a breeder says a puppy is Kennel Club registered, ask to see the paperwork.
- Budget for the breed, not the average. Average monthly insurance quotes vary widely by breed: £10.40 for a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, £12.36 for a Labrador and £20.70 for an English Bulldog [16].
- Look at crossbreeds and rescue dogs too. Crossbreeds were 42% of dogs in the 2025 National Dog Survey [3], and many rescues and rehomers list on Companimal alongside breeders.
- Choose a breeder you can check. Every Companimal listing shows what we've checked against official records, such as a council licence or Kennel Club registration, and says so plainly when we can't confirm something. You can browse Labrador puppies from breeders listed this way.
Methodology, sources and credit
How we compiled these figures
We checked 36 sources across Kennel Club registry data, owner surveys, vet records, a peer-reviewed population model, puppy market data and search data, and opened every figure at its original publisher on 5 November 2026. Kennel Club ranks, shares and changes are our calculations from its published 10-yearly and quarterly tables; our 2025 total matches the Kennel Club's stated 161,901 to within 3 registrations. Search figures are our own pull of Google Ads data. Our three new measures, the consensus ranking, adverts per registration and searches per puppy advertised, combine these sources as described in each section; they compare different years and platforms, so they show relative position rather than exact counts. Kennel Club data covers registered pedigrees only, the National Dog Survey is self-selected, and the vet record and population model figures are from 2019, so we also show each source's own ranking.
Sources (16)
- Royal Kennel Club, Breed registration statistics: 10-yearly tables for all seven breed groups, 2016 to 2025, March 2026
- Dogs Trust, National Dog Survey 2026 results, 2026
- Dogs Trust, National Dog Survey 2025 results, 2025
- Royal Kennel Club, Quarterly breed registration statistics for all seven breed groups, 2025 and 2026, October 2026
- Pets4Homes, The UK Pet Industry Report Vol.10, January 2026
- O'Neill et al., Dog breeds and conformations in the UK in 2019: VetCompass canine demography and some consequent welfare implications, PLOS ONE, 2023
- McMillan et al., Estimation of the size, density, and demographic distribution of the UK pet dog population in 2019, Scientific Reports, 2024
- Dogs Trust, National Dog Survey 2025: State of the nation, February 2026
- The Kennel Club, Arise, the Jack Russell: Royal favourite surges in popularity, May 2025
- Royal Kennel Club, Whippets surge in popularity as UK registrations jump 18% in early 2026, May 2026
- Dogs Trust, The results of the National Dog Survey 2024, February 2025
- Pets4Homes, UK Pet Market 2026: The decisive turning point for pet parents and breeders, March 2026
- Google, Google Ads Keyword Planner data, via DataForSEO, October 2025 to September 2026
- Petplan, Petplan's 2026 Dog Breed Report, January 2026
- Dogs Trust, Stray Dog Survey 2024 to 2025, May 2026
- MoneySuperMarket, Pet insurance facts, trends and statistics, October 2026
Key facts about this page
| What this page is | A cited ranking of the UK's most popular dog breeds in 2026, on five measures |
| Most popular breed | Labrador Retriever: 29,919 Kennel Club registrations in 2025, 18.5% of the total |
| Top three registered breeds, 2025 | Labrador Retriever, Cocker Spaniel, Golden Retriever |
| Most common breed in owner surveys | Labrador Retriever, 8% of dogs (Dogs Trust, 2026) |
| Share of dogs that are crossbreeds | 42% of dogs in the National Dog Survey (Dogs Trust, 2025) |
| Most advertised puppy | Miniature Dachshund, 33,695 adverts in 2025 (Pets4Homes) |
| 2026 so far | Registrations down 0.8% to September; Golden Retriever up 10.1%, French Bulldog down 34.5% |
| Consensus ranking (our analysis) | 1 Labrador Retriever, 2 Cocker Spaniel, 3 French Bulldog, across four measures |
| Most searches per puppy advertised (our analysis) | Golden Retriever, about 63 monthly searches per puppy advertised on Pets4Homes |
| Most adverts per registration (our analysis) | Jack Russell Terrier, 20 puppies advertised on Pets4Homes per Kennel Club registration |
| Sources | 16 cited here, drawn from 36 checked |
Using these figures? Please credit Companimal with a link to this page. It keeps research like this free.
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