Most popular dog breeds in Australia in 2020

Compiled by Pet Insurance Australia, the list of most popular dog breeds in Australia is a veritable who’s who of well-known breeds.

Interestingly, though, almost half of those to make the top 20 list are crosses, suggesting that they are now on a fairly even keel with pure breeds.

“These designer breeds have certainly taken off over the past 10years and are proving very popular with pet owners around the globe,” the insurer’s Nadia Crighton says.

“That is no surprise, considering their lovely natures and beautiful looks.”

COVID-19 has seen dog ownership and pet adoption rates soar this year, both in Australia and worldwide.

“It will be interesting to see if this affects the breeds mentioned in our Top 20 Dog Breeds [for] 2021,” Ms Crighton adds.

Australia’s most popular dog breeds in 2020

The full list of Australia’s most popular dog breeds, according to the pet insurer, looks something like this:

How does this compare to last year?

In 2019, Pet Insurance Australia’s list of most popular dog breeds only went to 10, rather than this year’s 20.

For the most part, it was very similar to 2020, with most breeds coming in the same or similar ranking.

There was change at the very top of the list, with the Maltese Cross and Cavoodle jostling for the top two spots. In 2020, the Maltese Cross came out ahead of the Cavoodle – a reversal of last year’s ranking.

But two new breeds made an appearance this year. The French bulldog, renowned for its beautiful big ears, came in eighth spot. Meanwhile, the Labradoodle came in tenth spot. Neither breed appeared on the list at all a year ago.

Australia’s 10 most popular dog breeds of 2019, according to the insurer, went like this: