Goldendoodles the UK’s most popular dog, figures suggest

Goldendoodles have become the UK’s most popular dog, just ahead of the golden retriever and the Maltipoo, figures suggest.

Ads for goldendoodles attracted 886 viewers per puppy on the Pets4Homes re-homing website this year, followed by 701 views for golden retrievers and 697 for Maltipoos.

English bulldogs are the most expensive breed, selling for £1,704 each on average but closely followed by chow chows at £1,694 and golden retrievers at £1,494.

The figures, based on data from two million weekly visitors to the site, suggest a return to normality for the market, with both the number of buyers and availability of puppies and kittens decreasing to pre-Covid levels.

But the number of buyers per pet remains stable, meaning prices have stabilised above pre-pandemic levels, and there is no sign of ‘pandemic puppies’ being given up for adoption, Pets4Homes said.

The figures also suggest brachycephalic – or shortened head – breeds are in decline, with the number of French bulldogs re-homed in the first half of 2023 down by 47.6% on the first half of last year.

Similarly, the number of English bulldogs being re-homed has fallen by 49.6%.

Pets4Homes said the fall could be the result of more owners researching the health issues associated with these breeds before re-homing them.

Breeds most in need of homes and “over-represented” in shelters include retired racing greyhounds, Staffordshire bull terriers and German shepherds.

Pets4Homes chief executive Axel Lagercrantz said: “After the instability seen across the pet market in the years after lockdown, these figures from our latest Industry Report indicate that we have now reached a ‘new normal’ in the pet sector.

“Supply and demand for pets have realigned and pet prices are starting to rise for the first time since 2021, after reaching a peak of £2,237 during lockdown.

“The state of animal welfare in the re-homing process is also seeing further improvements, as technology such as bank-grade ID Verification and image analysis helps our trust and safety team to catch suspicious adverts.

“This means we have seen a 27% reduction in animal welfare reports from users on our platform in the first half of 2023, when compared with the same period last year.

“I look forward to seeing this trend continue, as innovation and improving user knowledge continue to make the re-homing process safer for animals.”