Pugs and French bulldogs are falling out of favour with the British public – here’s why

Flat-faced dogs have seen their biggest decline in popularity in more than a decade, data shows.

Registrations of newborn pugs, French bulldogs and English bulldogs are down more than a third compared to last year, Kennel Club statistics reveal.

The three breeds are famed for their squashed skulls and wrinkly faces and scientists have long been trying to raise awareness of their health issues.

Brachycephalic dogs, or flat-faced breeds, suffer from a range of health defects caused by this extreme breeding, including breathing issues, eye infections and breeding difficulties.

Warnings about the poor quality of life these dogs face – which can include being unable to sleep, give birth and eat – may finally be getting through to owners, experts say, curbing enthusiasm for the big-eyed puppies.

‘A welcome step’

The French bulldog was the second most popular puppy in 2022 but there were just 1,654 registered in the first three quarters of this year, down 34 per cent from the same time period in 2022.

The pug is down by 42 per cent year on year with 1,654 born so far in 2023. The bulldog has seen a 39 per cent decline in popularity to 5,668 births.

There has been a 17 per cent drop in the number of all dog registrations this year which experts attribute to a post-pandemic drop in demand following the dog-buying mania of lockdown.

But the decline of the brachycephalic breeds is far above average and all three breeds are in the top five for the biggest year-on-year falls in popularity.

Only the Belgian malinois (fifth) and miniature pinscher (third) on par with the pug (first), bulldog (second) and French bulldog (fourth).

Dr Dan O’Neill, the associate professor of companion animal epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College and chair of the Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), hailed the data as a “welcome step in the right direction”.

“We hope this is a sign that more and more puppy buyers, owners and breeders are considering the serious health and welfare implications for flat-faced dogs,” he said.

“This is particularly important if these dogs with extreme body shapes are bought on an impulse because they ‘look cute’ but without proper understanding of their potential health issues or how indiscriminate breeding to meet demand results in poor welfare.”

‘Better informed owners’

Dr O’Neill has published several studies on the health impact of brachycephalic breeds with data from the nationwide VetCompass programme revealing the dogs are more likely to get heat stroke and often need an operation to fix their breathing issues.

Repeated warnings in the past had seemingly done little to dampen appetite for brachycephalic dogs with French bulldogs seeing a 17,000 per cent rise in popularity since the dawn of the 21st century.

Bill Lambert, the spokesperson for The Kennel Club and member of the BWG said: “We encourage all would-be owners to think very carefully about any puppy-buying decision, especially if they are thinking of getting a flat-faced dog.

“We hope the new figures are a sign of this message getting through and that there are now fewer, better-informed owners buying from responsible breeders who are doing all they can to breed healthy puppies.

“A good breeder will health test the parents before they are bred from and will always show buyers the mum, and ideally the dad, so that they can see if they have exaggerated features such as overly short muzzles, partially closed nostrils or excessive skin folds, which are likely to be passed onto the pup and to cause health problems.”

Elisa Allen, PETA’s Vice President of Programmes said: “More and more people are coming to understand that flat-faced breeds are born to suffer – and as a result, the popularity of these dogs among breeders is dwindling.

“PETA hopes fewer dogs will be bred to have unnaturally and extremely flat faces, making it difficult for many of them to breathe – let alone chase a ball – without gasping for air due to their restricted airways.

“And as always, we’re calling on anyone considering bringing a dog into their family never to buy from breeders or pet stores and instead adopt from a local shelter. Dogs don’t care what we look like, and we should show them the same courtesy.”