National Dog Survey 2026

“Pickles, you’re getting muck everywhere. What’ve you found? Oh my word– it’s the National Dog Survey results!”

Yes, the wait is finally over.  

This year, the dog-loving community – aka 180,000 of you lovely lot – united to answer more of our nosy questions. From pampered pups to picking up poo, you delivered the details we craved.  

And now, your hard work has paid off as you’ve helped to create the most recent, comprehensive overview of dogs in the UK.  

A huge thank you to everyone who had their say in this year’s survey. You told us about your furry loved ones’ silly quirks, and the ways you commit to them every day – even if they don’t always make it easy.  

Whether you have a dog, or just adore them, you’re part of a community that truly appreciates the joy they bring to our lives.

And the best part? By having a voice, you’ve helped us better understand the joys and challenges of dog ownership. And with that, we can shape our services to support the real needs of dogs and owners.

So, without further ado, come and see what this year’s survey dug up… 

The headline is that dogs are just as important to us as ever – phew – with 90% of owners saying they treat their pooch as part of the family. In fact, nearly three quarters (72%) of owners see owning a dog as a key part of their identity. 

As for how owners refer to their furry family members, you’re just as likely to hear someone use ‘fur-baby’ or ‘fur-child’ as you are ‘best friend’. A whopping 32% of owners are using these modern terms to describe their dogs.  

This close familial bond is also shown in the way people celebrate and prioritise their dogs. More than 8 in 10 owners (81%) said they buy their dog a Christmas present, and nearly three quarters (74%) celebrate their ‘gotcha’ days. Pawsecco, anyone?

So, what are people shouting across the nation’s parks? If there’s one thing to learn about the nation’s favourite dog names, it’s that they’re pretty consistent.  

Once again, Poppy topped the charts for female dogs, while Milo overtook Teddy to gain top spot for males.  

But while the top 10 has largely stayed the same, this year’s results show a comeback for traditional names given to newly named dogs. This has led to names like Winnie and Mabel soaring in popularity in recent years.  

These names tend to mirror baby name trends, possibly demonstrating how we, as a nation, see dogs as family. 

This year, the UK’s love for its favourite breeds remained a constant too, with the top five unchanged for the third year running. Marvellous mixes were once again top of the pups with 10% of all dogs in the survey being an unknown mix of breeds. 

As for single breeds, Labradors held onto their ‘most popular’ title with 8%. Other fan favourites like Cocker Spaniels, Cockapoos and Golden Retrievers all made the top five again.  

The ‘noteworthy breed trend of the year’ award went to Greyhounds. Those long boys and girls continued their lolloping climb up the popularity rankings to sixth place, after coming 15th as recently as 2023. Wow, we knew they were speedy but holy moly.  

The results also highlight just how committed people are to their dogs.  

More than a third of owners (36%) say they’ve opted for staycations over a holiday abroad because of their dog. A similar proportion (35%) have cancelled social plans to stay home with them.  

Nearly 15% have changed jobs or working patterns for their pooch, showing just how much they influence people’s lives and decisions.  

But what’s the impact of that on owners? While 45% agree that owning a dog is hard work, 96% say having a dog is good for their mental health.  

The social side of dog ownership 

The results also highlight something many of us see every day – that dogs help people connect with one another. How many times have you stopped for a chat because of a dog?  

• 82% of owners surveyed said they’d experienced more positive social interactions with people they don’t know because of their dog.
• 85% agreed that dogs play an important role in bringing people together in society.  
• 87% agreed that they can help bridge social gaps between people from different backgrounds.

And these benefits aren’t limited to dog owners. Most non-owners who took our survey (79%) said that they enjoy meeting dog owners in their community, even though they don’t have a dog themselves.  

And we’re still digging…

These are just the first fetch of results. So, sit tight while our researchers dig up more furry facts and figures.  

Next up, we’ll be finding out about shared owner experiences, pooch behaviour, and plenty more doggy data. Soon to be unleashed…