Toy Poodles Remain Japan’s Most Popular Dog Breed in 2022
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Toy poodles remained atop the 2022 Popular Dog Breed Ranking in Japan for the thirteenth consecutive year, while Chihuahuas and mixed breeds (weighing under 10 kilograms) ranked second and third, consecutively.
The survey was conducted based on 125,711 pets that were under one year of age at the time of being enrolled in an Anicom pet insurance plan during 2021. Toy poodles made up 25,848 of those pets, or 20.6% of the total, while chihuahuas accounted for 18,112, or 14.4%, and mixed breeds numbered 17,477, or 13.9%. Other top dog breeds included the fourth-ranked Shiba-inu (including the Mameshiba-inu), fifth-ranked miniature dachshund, and sixth-ranked pomeranian.
2022 Popular Dog Breed Ranking
| Rank (2021 Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) | Toy poodle | 20.6% |
| 2 (2) | Chihuahua | 14.4% |
| 3 (3) | Mixed (under 10 kg) | 13.9% |
| 4 (4) | Shiba-inu (including mameshiba-inu） | 9.2% |
| 5 (6) | Miniature dachshund | 5.1% |
| 6 (5) | Pomeranian | 4.9% |
| 7 (7) | Miniature schnauzer | 3.3% |
| 8 (8) | French bulldog | 2.9% |
| 9 (9） | Yorkshire terrier | 2.5% |
| 10 (10) | Shih tzu | 2.2% |
Created by Nippon.com based on data from Anicom.
Among the top 10 dog breeds, only the miniature dachshund, which was ranked sixth last year, and the pomeranian, which was ranked fifth, changed their rankings. The popularity of small dogs (weighing between 5 and 10 kilograms) was noticeable in general. The only two medium-sized dogs (between 10 and 20 kilograms) in the ranking were the shiba-inu and the French bulldog.
Just outside the top 10 were the Maltese, followed by the kaninchen dachshund, golden retriever, pug, Pembroke Welsh corgi, and Labrador retriever.
The Dog Name Ranking released by Anicom in November 2021 shows that the most popular name was Mugi (meaning “wheat”), followed by Koko (Coco), Sora (meaning “sky”), Mocha, and Maron (meaning “chestnut”), respectively. Mugi and Koko switched places compared to the previous ranking, with Mugi taking over the top spot.
Dog Name Ranking
| Rank (2020 Rank) | Number of Dogs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (2) | Mugi | 1,236 |
| 2 (1) | Koko | 1,178 |
| 3 (3) | Sora | 867 |
| 4 (6) | Mocha | 849 |
| 5 (4) | Maron | 817 |
| 6 (5) | Momo | 714 |
| 7 (8) | Choko | 713 |
| 8 (7) | Moko | 709 |
| 9 (13) | Komugi | 700 |
| 10 (9) | Hana | 691 |
Created by Nippon.com based on data from Anicom.
The survey on dog names looked at 127,501 dogs under one year of age at the time of being enrolled in an Anicom pet insurance plan during a one-year period ending on September 30, 2021. The top name for males was Reo (Leo), followed by Sora, Mugi, Kotarō, and Maru, while Koko was the most popular female name, followed by Mugi, Momo, Hana, and Mocha.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)