What are France’s top 10 favourite dog breeds? Two lists disagree

The Australian Shepherd tops both rankings…but what about the rest?

The Australian Shepherd has won out in two recent lists of France’s favourite dog
Published

The Australian Shepherd is unquestionably France’s favourite dog breed, two new rankings show, but the rest of the top 10 is not quite so clear, with big differences between the two lists.

The Société Centrale Canine (SCC) and I-CAD (the national identification register for dogs and cats) have both published lists of the ‘most popular dog breeds’ in France for the year 2024.

I-CAD uses data based on the number of dogs registered with a microchip on its database, while the SCC registers births and LOF applications (Livre des Origines Français, similar to the Kennel Club in the UK).

The Australian Shepherd wins out for both lists, with 33,548 and 15,664 registrations respectively last year.

However, from that point, the lists diverge quite significantly.

Read also: French phrases that feature dogs (and some cats) 

Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Daschunds make both lists, but in different positions. The rest of the rankings are filled with a much wider variety of breeds.

I-CAD also noted that the Chihuahua was the most commonly identified dog in all the departments of the Mediterranean coast - from the Pyrénées-Orientales to the Alpes-Maritimes.

Read more: Fines for owners of dogs found out alone in south-west France
Read also: You will soon have to keep dog on lead if walking in forest in France 

It also said that 2024 was the ‘Year of the V-name’ when it came to dogs, with all 10 of the most-used names nationwide starting with that letter. They were:

  • Vanille, with 13,374 dogs identified

  • Vicky, (12,376)

  • Venus (10,896)

The final top seven names were Volt, Vasco, Vegas, Voyou, Vaya, Violette, and Venom.