Result highlights concerning trend for exaggerated body shapes.

New research has revealed that the French bulldog has become the most popular puppy in the UK, despite the serious health conditions associated with the breed.

The study, led by the Royal Veterinary College’s (RVC's) VetCompass programme, investigated the popularity of different dog breeds, body weights, body shapes and sexes in the UK.

The data has been released in an effort to help owners make informed decisions when choosing a dog breed, as well as helping policymakers to protect the health and welfare of dogs and their owners.

This was the biggest epidemiological research sample of UK dogs assembled, consisting of 2,237,105 dogs in first-opinion veterinary care in 2019.

Among the puppies under one year of age in the sample, after crossbreeds (20 per cent), French bulldogs were the most popular (seven per cent) followed by cockapoos (6.2 per cent).

This is of particular concern in the veterinary industry, as it highlights a trend for dogs bred to have extreme body shapes, which can cause substantial harm to the health and welfare of the dog.

The most popular UK puppy breed, French bulldogs, are brachycephalic and are often associated with long-term, serious health conditions including breathing difficulties and eye, skin and spinal problems.

However, researchers suspect that the flat face, short spine and deficient or absent tail that cause these health conditions are popular with the public, who may be unaware of the serious health risks and increased medical costs that accompany this extreme body shape.

Meanwhile designer breeds such as cockapoos are often believed to make better pets, trigger fewer allergic reactions in owners and be easier to look after, which are claims that are not yet substantiated by evidence.

Dr Dan O’Neill, associate professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC, and lead author of the paper, said: “With 800 dog breeds available in the UK, this VetCompass study shows there are still plenty of healthy breeds to choose from that do not suffer from extreme body shapes such as flat faces, skin folds or absent tails. Despite this, many UK owners are still persuaded by social influences and trends into acquiring dogs with extreme body shapes that are likely to result in serious health issues during much of their dogs’ lives.

“The advice is to stop and think before buying a dog with an extreme body shape.”