Spaniels replace 'unhealthy' French bulldogs as UK's favourite dog breed
But they have finally been knocked off the top spot – with the Prince and Princess of Wales ' favoured breed, the cocker spaniel, coming up as top dog.
A Pets4Homes report looked into 7.5million pets which have been rehomed in the past six years and found 'flat-faced' breeds such as the French bulldog, which are expensive and can have health problems, are less popular.
In contrast, cocker spaniels have rocketed up to take the crown. William and Kate got their spaniel Orla in 2020 after Lupo, also a cocker, died.
Also popular is the miniature dachshund – beloved by celebrities including Prince Harry 's ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas and Game Of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke – which has made it into the top three for the first time.
The number of people investing in a new pet rose sharply during the pandemic as families spent more time at home.
This was followed by a slump in the market as over-supply, rising living costs and adoption fatigue took its toll. But demand was up 33 per cent last year, which caused puppy prices to jump 14.3 per cent.
While cockers are the bestsellers, goldendoodles – a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle – are the most sought-after, with the greatest number of enquiries per dog on Pet4Homes website.
They had around 900 interested buyers per listing, followed closely by maltipoos – a Maltese and a poodle – on 802, and then golden retrievers on 771.
The most expensive pets are English bulldogs, which sell for an average of £1,544 – up by a quarter on last year.
Meanwhile, cavalier King Charles spaniels cost £1,528, up by more than a quarter, golden retrievers are £1,521 on average – up 15.8 per cent – and boxers come in at £1,472, up 17.2 per cent.
Axel Lagercrantz, chief executive of Pets4Homes, said: 'French bulldogs being dethroned as the number one bred dog reflects a wider societal turning away from dogs that appear to be unhealthy, as well as a wider diminishing popularity of bulldogs.
'Bulldogs also tend to be very expensive – the English bulldog being the most expensive dog breed, according to our report – which means as the costs of keeping a pet rise, the appetite for very expensive dogs decreases.'
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