Choosing a Dog Breed Is Often a Matter of Fashion

Choosing a breed is often fashion, not a careful assessment of a dog’s needs

The popularity of dog breeds changes over time in a way that looks more like fashion cycles than calm, rational decision-making. Some breeds remain moderately popular for years. Others suddenly become highly desirable, only to fall out of favour just as quickly. A good example is the Irish Setter: in the United States, the number of puppies of this breed registered with the American Kennel Club rose from about 2,500 in 1961 to more than 60,000 in 1974, and then dropped to about 3,000 by 1986. That does not look like a gradual increase in interest after people discovered that this breed was exceptionally well suited to family life. It looks like a wave of popularity.

And this is not just one striking example. Data from the American Kennel Club from 1926–2005, covering more than 50 million dogs from around 150 breeds, show something rather uncomfortable: breed popularity was not clearly related to the traits that should, in theory, matter when choosing a dog to live with humans.

There was no meaningful relationship between a breed’s popularity and its lifespan. Nor was there a clear relationship between popularity and behaviour assessed through C-BARQ, including trainability, fearfulness, aggression, excitability, separation-related problems, touch sensitivity, or the tendency to chase animals.

If breed choice were mainly a practical decision, we might expect healthier, longer-lived, easier-to-manage, less fearful, less aggressive breeds, or breeds less burdened with typical behavioural problems, to become more popular. But that pattern did not appear.

This does not mean that people never choose dogs thoughtfully. Of course they do. Nor does it mean that every popular breed is a “bad choice”. That would be far too simple.

It means, rather, that at the population level, breed popularity cannot be well explained by a breed’s functionality as a family or companion dog.

A breed functions not only as a set of biological and behavioural traits. It also functions as an image. An image of a family dog. An active dog. An elegant dog. An intelligent dog. A dog for children. A city dog. An “easy” dog. A dog that fits a certain idea of life.

And that image can be stronger than real questions about health, temperament, arousal, exercise needs, sensitivity, selection history, or the limitations of a particular type of dog.

The most uncomfortable finding concerns health. More popular breeds had more inherited disorders. In the analysed data, the median was 32.5 inherited disorders per breed, and 25% of breeds had 45 or more such disorders. This shows that health was not the main filter shaping popularity. Breeds could become highly desirable despite a significant health burden.

Only toward the end of the analysed period was there some sign of change: breeds more burdened with inherited disorders began to lose a little popularity. But the effect was small — the number of inherited disorders explained only about 10% of the variation in popularity change.

This captures a tension that is still visible today. We know more and more about breed health. We know more about the consequences of selecting for appearance. We know more about the needs of working, herding, hunting, brachycephalic, miniature, or highly aroused dogs.

And yet fashion still works.

A wave of popularity on social media, a film, a series, a celebrity, a few striking photos, or a fixed breed stereotype can be enough for many people to start dreaming about the same dog.

But people often dream about the image of a breed, not about the real dog.

A Border Collie is not just “a genius dog that understands everything”.An Australian Shepherd is not just a beautiful companion for an active life.A French Bulldog is not just an adorable city dog.A Cavalier is not just a gentle family pet.A Labrador is not automatically the perfect dog for children.A small dog is not automatically an easy dog.

Each of these breeds can be a wonderful dog in the right home. But each also comes with specific needs, limitations, and risks.

The problem begins when the image of the breed moves ahead of knowledge about the breed.

The dog was supposed to be “intelligent”, but turns out to be easily frustrated and constantly ready for action.The dog was supposed to be “active”, but cannot switch off in an urban environment.The dog was supposed to be “family-friendly”, but struggles with chaos, children, or visitors.The dog was supposed to be “a couch dog”, but their body has real problems with breathing, the spine, or thermoregulation.The dog was supposed to be “small and convenient”, but is vigilant, fearful, reactive, and overwhelmed.

This is not the dog’s fault. It is often the result of a choice in which an attractive image was clearer than the question of what life would actually be like for this animal.

That is why, when choosing a breed, the question “what kind of dog do I like?” is too small.

We need questions that are less romantic, but much more honest: What was this breed selected for? What health problems are typical for this breed? What behaviours are common in this breed? What are this dog’s likely arousal level, sensitivity, and need for activity? Will this dog be able to rest in my environment? Does my life really fit this dog’s needs? Am I choosing a dog — or an idea of a dog?

Fashion around a breed may pass. The dog remains — with a body, emotions, temperament, and needs that cannot be cancelled once the trend is over.

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Źródło:Ghirlanda, S., Acerbi, A., Herzog, H., & Serpell, J. A. (2013). Fashion vs. Function in Cultural Evolution: The Case of Dog Breed Popularity. PLOS ONE, 8(9), e74770. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0074770