Vets reveal the four breeds first-time dog owners should NOT have – so, is yours on the list?

These cute dogs are some of the nation’s favourite companions.

But scientists have now revealed why first–time dog owners should steer clear of four of the most popular breeds.

Researchers from Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary, found that short-nosed dogs are harder to train, reluctant to come when called and overreact to guests.

Although short-nosed dogs may be innately calm and bold, these benefits often fail to emerge due to a lack of proper training. 

That means pugs, French bulldogs, Boston terriers and Cavalier King Charles spaniels are all bad choices for your first step into pet ownership.

Despite this, the survey found that owners of these unruly pooches are typically young women who have never had a dog before.

Typical owners of flat-faced dogs also tend to live alone, spend a lot of time with their dogs and primarily choose their pet for companionship.

These new owners’ dogs tended to be ‘spoiled’, untrained, young, kept exclusively indoors and allowed to sleep on the bed.

Researchers say that short-nosed dogs like pugs, French bulldogs, Boston terriers, and Cavalier King Charles spaniels have behavioural traits that make them bad choices for first-time pet owners 

Short-nosed dogs like French bulldogs are harder to train, reluctant to come when called and overreact to guests

Despite coming with a range of incurable and debilitating health issues, short-nosed (brachycephalic) dogs are still among the UK’s most popular breeds.

A study published by the Royal Veterinary College last year found that French Bulldogs were the most popular breed for new owners, making up 7 per cent of all puppies under one year old in 2019.

Likewise, even as the popularity of pedigree breeds has declined, the number of purebred short-nosed puppies continues to rise. 

The Kennel Club found that the number of newly registered French bulldog puppies has increased by 34 per cent from 2010 to 2021.

Owners often value these dogs for their calm, playful personalities and describe them as interactive or friendly.

Earlier studies have even found that short-nosed dogs are better at making eye contact with humans and are more effective at following human gestures.

But, in reality, flat-faced dogs like the French bulldog are often poorly trained and overly reactive.

To see how face shape, body size and owner characteristics might lead to these issues, the researchers examined more than 5,000 purebred dogs and their owners. 

Despite often being spoiled and poorly trained, the typical owner of a short-nosed dog, like a pug, is a young woman who has never owned a pet before 

The researchers collected the data of dogs from 90 breeds and surveyed their owners about their lifestyles and training habits. 

Sorting the dogs by head shape alone, those with flat faces were calmer and bolder than their long-nosed counterparts.

These dogs are also harder to train, reluctant to return when called, and overreact to guests arriving at the house.

In a further analysis, the researchers controlled for the dog’s owners and body size to reveal a more complex picture.

Study author Dr Borbála Turcsán says: ‘We found that the low trainability of short–nosed dogs is mainly due to their small body size and lack of training – not their head shape.

‘When we control for these influences, there’s no difference in trainability across head shapes.’

When the effects of lack of training, small size and pampering are accounted for, it turns out that short-nosed dogs are genetically less likely to jump up on people, pull on the leash or react excessively when guests arrive.

However, they are also innately less friendly towards other dogs – a trait which is obscured by the fact that more flat-nosed dogs are young, which makes them more sociable. 

After controlling for body size and poor training, flat-faced dogs such as the Boston terrier were genetically disposed to be more hostile to other dogs and less likely to come when called

Researchers say that flat-faced dogs like the Cavalier King Charles spaniel can be calm and confident but poor training means these traits often fail to develop 

But if you aren’t ready to train a dog thoroughly or might be prone to pampering, you won’t be able to get the best out of a flat-faced dog’s potential.

‘Calmness, boldness, and poor recall response are all traits specific to short–headed dogs,’ says Dr Turcsán.

‘These behavioural traits are directly connected to head shape and remain significant even when we control for background factors.’

The researchers believe these innate differences could originate from the shape of flat-nosed dogs’ heads and their disabling health conditions.

Study co–author Professor Enikő Kubinyi says: ‘The brains of short-nosed dogs are more rounded, and their patterns of brain activity differ from those of other breeds, so it’s easy to imagine that their brains regulate behaviour differently.

‘It’s also possible that dogs with breathing difficulties, pain, or musculoskeletal issues move less and seek comfort, which owners interpret as calm behaviour.’