Every US States favorite dog breed
- Written by Joshua Gordon
- Last updated
In this article
The most popular dog breeds by US State
As the annual top US dog breed lists are announced for 2022 we set out to dig a little deeper to find the most popular dog breeds by US state. Thepetjourney’s study looked at a mix of Google search data allowing us to compare the online interest in the top 15 dog breeds by State over the last 12 months.
Take a look at the most popular dog breeds across the US.
1st: German Shepherd
Topping the list in a whopping 24 states (48% of US States), the German Shepherd is the US’ most popular dog breed according to Google search.
German Shepherds are loyal, alert dogs that are extremely intelligent and possess a willingness to protect their people like no other breed. This makes them excellent guard dogs and for many families, also a treasured family pet.
German Shepherd’s winning States:
| # | State | Most popular breed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | German Shepherd |
| 2 | Alaska | German Shepherd |
| 3 | Arizona | German Shepherd |
| 4 | Colorado | German Shepherd |
| 5 | Georgia | German Shepherd |
| 6 | Illinois | German Shepherd |
| 7 | Indiana | German Shepherd |
| 8 | Kentucky | German Shepherd |
| 9 | Michigan | German Shepherd |
| 10 | Missouri | German Shepherd |
| 11 | New Jersey | German Shepherd |
| 12 | New York | German Shepherd |
| 13 | North Carolina | German Shepherd |
| 14 | Ohio | German Shepherd |
| 15 | Oregon | German Shepherd |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | German Shepherd |
| 17 | Rhode Island | German Shepherd |
| 18 | South Dakota | German Shepherd |
| 19 | Tennessee | German Shepherd |
| 20 | Texas | German Shepherd |
| 21 | Utah | German Shepherd |
| 22 | Virginia | German Shepherd |
| 23 | Washington | German Shepherd |
| 24 | West Virginia | German Shepherd |
2nd: Labrador Retriever
Earning the top spot in 12 states (24% of US States) the Labrador Retriever comes in at 2nd. A friendly, family dog and trusted service dog this breed have long been a favorite in US topping the American Kennel Club’s 2021 rankings.
Labrador Retriever’s winning states:
| # | State | Most popular breed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | Labrador Retriever |
| 2 | Iowa | Labrador Retriever |
| 3 | Maine | Labrador Retriever |
| 4 | Massachusetts | Labrador Retriever |
| 5 | Minnesota | Labrador Retriever |
| 6 | Montana | Labrador Retriever |
| 7 | Nebraska | Labrador Retriever |
| 8 | New Hampshire | Labrador Retriever |
| 9 | North Dakota | Labrador Retriever |
| 10 | Vermont | Labrador Retriever |
| 11 | Wisconsin | Labrador Retriever |
| 12 | Wyoming | Labrador Retriever |
3rd: Rottweiler
Claiming the top spot in 9 states (18% of US States) the Rottweiler comes in 3rd on our list. Loyal, loving and packed with protective instincts this breed reached peak popularity in the 90s and is now seeing another surge in demand across the US.
Rottweiler’s winning states:
| # | State | Most Popular Breed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | Rottweiler |
| 2 | Delaware | Rottweiler |
| 3 | Kansas | Rottweiler |
| 4 | Louisiana | Rottweiler |
| 5 | Maryland | Rottweiler |
| 6 | Mississippi | Rottweiler |
| 7 | New Mexico | Rottweiler |
| 8 | Oklahoma | Rottweiler |
| 9 | South Carolina | Rottweiler |
Most popular dog breed by the total US searches in 2022
Using ahrefs search data, we looked at the most searched dog breeds in the United Stated to find the most popular pooch according to Google.
Does your favorite dog make the top 25?
| Rank | Dog Breed | US Monthly Searches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cane Corso | 1,170,000 |
| 2 | French Bulldog | 849,000 |
| 3 | Australian Shepherd | 809,000 |
| 4 | Golden Retriever | 683,000 |
| 5 | German Shepherd | 654,000 |
| 6 | Rottweiler | 630,000 |
| 7 | Pomeranian | 507,000 |
| 8 | Shih Tzu | 472,000 |
| 9 | Border Collie | 466,000 |
| 10 | Bernese Mountain Dog | 457,000 |
| 11 | Chihuahua | 456,000 |
| 12 | Great Pyrenees | 451,000 |
| 13 | Great Dane | 441,000 |
| 14 | Tibetan Mastiff | 435,000 |
| 15 | Belgian Malinois | 426,000 |
| 16 | Labradoodle | 403,000 |
| 17 | Cavapoo | 369,000 |
| 18 | Chow Chow | 360,000 |
| 19 | Pug | 348,000 |
| 20 | Beagle | 338,000 |
| 21 | Maltipoo | 338,000 |
| 22 | Dachshund | 334,000 |
| 23 | Boston Terrier | 333,000 |
| 24 | Bulldog | 327,000 |
| 25 | Goldendoodle | 316,000 |
Most popular dog breed by US searches: Cane Corso
The most searched dog breed in the US, a surprise entry the Cane Corso owned the highest total US search volume across all the dog breeds included in our study. 1,170,000 average searches per month made it a clear winner on the list.
An Italian breed of mastiff historically kept as a guard dog, the Cane Corsos are powerful dogs that may seem intimidating to some. However, these gentle giants are often misunderstood gaining big followings on social media platforms such as Instagram.
2nd most popular dog breed by US searches: French Bulldog
Receiving an average 849,000 monthly searches over the last 12 months and featuring twice in this study the French Bulldog came in 2nd place. Loving, fashionable and low maintenance this breed has been a celebrity’s choice and a the “IT” breed of the decade in the US.
3rd most popular dog breed by US searches: Australian Shepherd
With a striking coat and penetrating eyes in the 3rd place the Australian Shepherd received an average 809,000 monthly searches over the last 12 months. Originally used as a rancher’s herding dog, the Australian Shepherd is known for its intelligence and good temperament making it one of the most popular companion dog breeds in North America.
Methodology
- An analysis of US average monthly search data was taken using ahrefs keyword explorer.
- 392 dog breeds were analysed in ahrefs, using the top 15 as the cohort for comparing popularity by each state using Google trends.
- The last 12 months of Google trends data was compared over each state using a control term to normalize the results.
- Please contact us at support@thepetjourney.com to request the full data sets.
