Traditional dogs fall out of favour in UK
Following on from the news that the Alaskan Malamute has experienced the sharpest increase in popularity amongst dog owners in the UK, the Kennel Club has revealed that several more traditional breeds are falling out of favour also.
According to the latest figures released by the established authority on dogs within Britain, the number of West Highland Terrier pups that were registered in the UK last year fell by over 50 per cent to just 5,890.
The numbers of Yorkshire terriers registered slumped 44 per cent to just 3,767, with the golden retriever not far behind with a drop of 39 per cent to 7,804 pups.
The UK’s biggest breeds also saw a decline in numbers, with the popularity of the Irish Wolfhound floundering. The last year saw numbers of the dogs, once used to hunt wolves, fall from 601 to 323. The Great Dane, one of the world’s tallest breeds, saw their numbers fall by just over 600 to 1,306.
The Alaskan malamute is not the only breed of dog to have experienced a surge in popularity with UK owners. The whippet, which bears a strong physical resemblance to the greyhound, nearly doubled its numbers in the past year, with the Kennel Club showing the number of registered dogs as 3,246. Beagles are also becoming more popular, with a rise from 956 to 2,592, along with the pug, whose number stands at 4,769, an increase from 861.
The bulldog also saw a rise in demand, increasing 114 per cent to 4,217.
Hot on the heels of the malamute is the Coton de Tuléar. Rumoured to have been favoured amongst pirates, the popularity of this small dog has grown just shy of the malamute’s from just two dogs registered in 2000.
