What type of dogs are most popular in Wales, and how are they looked after?

Certain dog types are more popular in certain areas of the country than others, and you might fairly expect that breeds that are native to a certain country or region might be much more popular there than dogs of any other type.

However, this isn’t always true in practice, as the Royal Veterinary College found out when they conducted a long term survey of the types of dogs that were most popular in different regions of the UK, and sought to find out how they live and are cared for too.

The results of this study, undertaken by 368 participating veterinary clinics in every region of the UK including Northern Ireland, provides a fascinating snapshot of what type of dogs people in different parts of the country prefer, and how likely they are to have them neutered and insured.

This means that based on the study’s findings, collated over the course of several years and published for the first time in 2013 and 2014, we can tell you the five most popular dog types in Wales as of that point.

Read on to find out the five most popular dog breeds and types in Wales!

The most popular dog type in Wales is the mongrel or crossbreed

Mongrels, mutts or crossbreeds (which includes hybrid dog types like the cockapoo) are the most popular dogs in wales overall, and this is normal as of course mixed breeds and crossbreeds encompass a huge range of different dog types, many of which are recognisable in their own right like the aforementioned cockapoo.

The second most popular dog type in Wales is the Labrador retriever

The Labrador retriever is a large and very intelligent dog that is hugely versatile and popular for both working roles as well as pet life, which means that they’re a great fit for a wide range of different types of homes.

The Labrador retriever is the second most popular dog type in Wales overall, and as the first-placed type is the crossbreed or mongrel, this makes the Lab the most popular pedigree dog breed in Wales.

The third most popular dog type in Wales is the Jack Russell

The small, plucky Jack Russell is a compact but very bold dog breed that can fit comfortably into a wide range of different types of homes. As there are many rural and farming communities in Wales, Jack Russells are a versatile and popular pick as small farm dogs as well as pets, and they suit such environments very well, as the breed is lively, confident, and benefits from spending a lot of time outdoors.

Jack Russells are very typical terriers, and are very useful for helping to keep the local rodent population under control in some areas too!

The fourth most popular dog type in Wales is the Staffordshire bull terrier

The Staffordshire bull terrier is the fourth most popular dog breed in Wales, which might seem something of an anomaly as this is a breed that we best associate with Staffordshire. However, Staffordshire bull terriers are hugely popular all over the UK, and they are great medium sized, middle of the road dogs that are a good fit for a wide range of different types of homes.

The fifth most popular dog type in Wales is the Border collie

In fifth place in terms of Wales’s most popular dogs we have the Border collie, and their popularity in Wales and presence in significant numbers is once more likely to have a strong correlation with the number of rural and farming communities across Wales as a whole.

Border collies are a really clever working herding breed, and another one that benefits greatly from spending lots of time out of doors.

No native Welsh dog breeds...?

The Corgi is of course native to Wales, as are a few other lesser-known dog breeds like the Welsh terrier, and yet these aren’t even listed in the top five! Both of these breeds have quite small populations, and while they are indeed more common in Wales than in other regions, they are still significantly outnumbered by more common and widely spread breeds.

What proportion of dogs in Wales are neutered and insured?

The RVC study also collated information on what percentage of the dogs seen by clinics that took part in their survey and study were neutered and/or insured; and also, microchipped, although this was prior to when microchipping dogs became mandatory and so sharing this latter figure would be somewhat misleading.

Based on the study, just 40% of the dogs seen in clinics during that time were neutered (although you also need to factor in that puppies tend to see the vet more than adult dogs and of course, are too young to neuter up until a certain point.

Only 17% of the dogs seen were insured; whilst uptake rates for pet insurance tend to be much lower than for neutering, this is still a fairly low figure.

If you want to review the RVC study yourself, you can find the results collated in full here.