Every US states favorite dog breed

Every US States favorite dog breed

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.

Every US states favorite dog breed v2

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.

Most popular dog breed in the US - German shepherd

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:

#StateMost popular breed
1AlabamaGerman Shepherd
2AlaskaGerman Shepherd
3ArizonaGerman Shepherd
4ColoradoGerman Shepherd
5GeorgiaGerman Shepherd
6IllinoisGerman Shepherd
7IndianaGerman Shepherd
8KentuckyGerman Shepherd
9MichiganGerman Shepherd
10MissouriGerman Shepherd
11New JerseyGerman Shepherd
12New YorkGerman Shepherd
13North CarolinaGerman Shepherd
14OhioGerman Shepherd
15OregonGerman Shepherd
16PennsylvaniaGerman Shepherd
17Rhode IslandGerman Shepherd
18South DakotaGerman Shepherd
19TennesseeGerman Shepherd
20TexasGerman Shepherd
21UtahGerman Shepherd
22VirginiaGerman Shepherd
23WashingtonGerman Shepherd
24West VirginiaGerman 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.

2nd most popular dog Labrador retriever

Labrador Retriever’s winning states:

#StateMost popular breed
1IdahoLabrador Retriever
2IowaLabrador Retriever
3MaineLabrador Retriever
4MassachusettsLabrador Retriever
5MinnesotaLabrador Retriever
6MontanaLabrador Retriever
7NebraskaLabrador Retriever
8New HampshireLabrador Retriever
9North DakotaLabrador Retriever
10VermontLabrador Retriever
11WisconsinLabrador Retriever
12WyomingLabrador 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 3rd most popular breed

Rottweiler’s winning states:

#StateMost Popular Breed
1ArkansasRottweiler
2DelawareRottweiler
3KansasRottweiler
4LouisianaRottweiler
5MarylandRottweiler
6MississippiRottweiler
7New MexicoRottweiler
8OklahomaRottweiler
9South CarolinaRottweiler

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?

RankDog BreedUS Monthly Searches
1Cane Corso1,170,000
2French Bulldog849,000
3Australian Shepherd809,000
4Golden Retriever683,000
5German Shepherd654,000
6Rottweiler630,000
7Pomeranian507,000
8Shih Tzu472,000
9Border Collie466,000
10Bernese Mountain Dog457,000
11Chihuahua456,000
12Great Pyrenees451,000
13Great Dane441,000
14Tibetan Mastiff435,000
15Belgian Malinois426,000
16Labradoodle403,000
17Cavapoo369,000
18Chow Chow360,000
19Pug348,000
20Beagle338,000
21Maltipoo338,000
22Dachshund334,000
23Boston Terrier333,000
24Bulldog327,000
25Goldendoodle316,000

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.

Cane corso

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.

French bulldog

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.

Australian Shepherd

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.