Shiba inu, Akita inu, Husky... For several years, primitive dogs have been fashionable in France.
From 8,815 primitive dogs registered in the LOF 10 years ago in our country, there are now 20,035 to be listed.
Some of these dogs even appear in the ranking of the French's favorite dog breeds.
This is the case of the Siberian Husky and the German Spitz, which are present in the top 20 in 2023.
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Primitive dogs in a few figures
Other so-called primitive breeds have also gained popularity in recent years.
Like the Shiba: from 559 registrations in 2013, we increased to 3124 in 2023. We observe the same phenomenon with the Akita (649 registered in 2013, 1251 in 2023) the Eurasier (680 in 2013, 2369 in 2023), the Samoyed (759 in 2013, 1465 in 2023) or the Chow Chow (from 565 to 744).
Note also that at that time, there was only one Finnish Lapland dog registered, compared to 825 last year, only one Laika compared to 379 in 2023 and no Pharaoh's dog (19 in 2023) or Hokkaido (2 in 2023).
According to the LOF, in 2023, there were 20,035 registrations of group V dogs (spitz and primitive type dogs), including:
Breeds |
Registrations in 2023 |
Siberian Husky |
3876 |
German Spitz |
3412 |
Shiba |
3124 |
Eurasier |
2369 |
Samoyed |
1465 |
Akita |
1251 |
Finnish Lapland Dog |
825 |
Chow chow |
744 |
Alaskan Malamute |
506 |
Source: Statistics 2023 - Centrale Canine
Why this current fashion for primitive dogs?
The role of celebrities: YouTubers, actors...
So-called primitive dogs have been popularized recently by YouTubers, such as Squeezie (who has 18.7 million subscribers).
In 2017, he adopted a Shiba inu puppy, named Natsu.
Their relationship featured on social media became very popular.
The videographer has also created Natsu accounts on Instagram and X. Some young people now do not talk about the Shiba when they see this animal but
“Squeezie’s dog!”
.
Other YouTubers have followed suit by adopting primitive dogs, like Inox Tag.
He is the master of an Akita, named Ace.
But before them, the general public was able to discover these dog breeds thanks to actors like Catherine Deneuve, photographed with Jack, her Shiba inu.
Or Fabrice Luchini and his dog Shiba, named Ilia or even Alain Delon and his Akita.
Popularized by films
Cinema may also have played a role in the popularity of certain breeds, when a dog figures prominently.
Several films, often based on true stories, highlighting sled dogs, including huskies, have made them better known to the general public:
White Hell
in 1994, directed by Charles Haid, tells the story of Albert Campbell participating in the sled race from Winnipeg in Canada to Saint Paul in the United States.
Snow
dogs in 2002
,
from Walt Disney Picture
Antartica, Prisoners of the Cold,
Disney's 2006 adaptation of the remake of the Japanese film
Antarctica
directed in 1983 by Koreyoshi Kurahara, with a pack of huskies in Antarctica.
The Great Alone
(2015), documentary film recounting the life of Lance Mackey, a musher who became a sled dog racing champion in 2013.
Togo
, a 2019 Disney film starring Diesel, a Siberian Husky in the title role.
But other so-called primitive dogs have also been honored by the 7th Art.
This is particularly the case for the Akita, thanks to the true Japanese story of Hachi - pronounced Hatchi.
In the 1920s, this dog accompanied his master, a professor at Tokyo Imperial University, to Shibuya Station in Tokyo every day.
And in the evening, he went back there to wait for her when she returned from work.
Unfortunately his owner died one day during one of his lessons and therefore never returned.
Yet his faithful dog kept coming to wait for him every evening at the station for 10 years.
This moving story was immortalized on screen in 2009 in the film
Hatchi
.
Three dogs were used in the filming and Richard Gere played the role of the master.
Did you know ?
Hachiko (affectionate form of Hachi), Japan's most famous dog, has a statue of him at Shibuya Station, saluting his loyalty to his master.
Japanese culture, manga
The current fashion for Shibas, for example, can be explained by the strong manga culture in France.
These dogs are very present in these Japanese comics and it may therefore seem more natural to us to have them.
But the Shiba is also very present in Japanese culture in general.
Could video games also have played a role?
The Nintendog, dating from the 2000s, with a Shiba, may also have contributed to making this dog known.
Physical appearance
So-called primitive dogs also have a certain success with the French because of their beauty and their pleasant aesthetics.
The appeal also comes from their plush appearance which melts more than one person.
Some dogs are reminiscent of wolves, others resemble foxes, like the Atika, the dog of Canaan.
They attract and fascinate...
“The practicality of the Shiba”
For Abdel Najib, dog trainer and specialist in primitive dogs, the craze for the Shiba can be explained in particular by its practicality and beauty.
“
He is popular because he is a
small dog
but he doesn't look 'motherly'.
He looks like
a big
dog
.
He tolerates
solitude
,
can live in an apartment
.
He is independent
.”
But, warns the dog trainer, if he is left alone for 10 hours a day, he can attack objects and furniture: he needs to be released outside.
Margaux Rieu, Primitif Addict dog trainer, explains that the Shiba is a dog-cat.
“He
's an indoor dog.
He
sleeps a lot like a cat,
isn't completely crazy.
He is very discreet.
He is not clingy, does not seek contact.
But he needs to exert himself fully once a week: you have to let him go in a wood, a forest
..."