The Australian Shepherd remains the favorite dog of the French

The Australian Shepherd remains the darling of the French.

As every year since 2018, he once again ranks number 1 in the ranking of the favorite pedigree dogs of the French, announced Thursday the Centrale canine company which manages the LOF (Book of French origins).

The Australian Shepherd, native to the American West, with almond-shaped brown, blue, green or amber eyes, is reputed to be intelligent, affectionate and active.

With 20,449 lof registrations, an increase of +22% compared to 2020 (16,782 registrations) "these figures reflect the vitality and diversity of French dog breeding, but also its reliability, an essential element for the acquisition of 'a pet these days,' commented Canine Central.

France loves pedigree dogs

Absent from the podium since 2016, the golden retriever is making a comeback by occupying the 2nd step of the podium with 14,444 registrations at the LOF, an increase of + 20% compared to 2020 (12,060 registrations).

He takes the place in the hearts of the French Staffordshire bull terrier or "staffie", who therefore leaves the leading trio for the first time since 2018, arriving in 4th place with 13,324 registrations.

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As for the Belgian shepherd, he retains his 3rd position with 13,542 registrations in the LOF, up by + 12% (12,144 registrations in 2020).

And according to the Canine Central, for the first time since the creation of the LOF in 1885, the level of 250,000 purebred puppy registrations was crossed in 2021 with 276,506 registrations at the LOF of 298 different breeds, an increase of + 13 % against 245,553 registrations in 2020.

With a herd estimated at around 2.5 million individuals, France is the 3rd country in the world with the most pedigree dogs on its territory, behind Russia No. 1 and Japan No. 2.