The 10 Best Dog Breeds For Owners Who Work From Home

Shih Tzus are a remote worker's best friend, study reveals

A new study finds the most suitable dog breeds for a remote working environment

• Doberman Pinschers are the least likely to bark through your video calls with the lowest tendency to bark score within the whole study

• Bulldogs are the most expensive to buy at an average of £3,947 in the UK, while Mastiffs are the most affordable at £1,316

• Buying a dog cost an average of £781 more now than before the pandemic, that is an average price rise of 130% 

The pandemic has resulted in a huge puppy boom, with people seeking comfort from four-legged friends during lockdown as research shows that 3.2 million households believed to have bought a pet during the pandemic1. But which breeds are the most suitable for a remote working environment?

A new study by Small Business Prices has analysed 30 of the most popular dog breeds and their traits to find the most professional dog breeds for remote working, as well as how much they cost to buy or adopt. The study also finds the UK's favourite dog breeds taking the web by storm by analysing the number of Instagram hashtags and monthly search volume for each dog breed.

You can view the full piece here.

The top 10 most suitable dog breeds for remote working

While getting a furry friend is particularly tempting during a lockdown, not all breeds are suitable for a remote working environment. If you're looking to transition to a hybrid-working system as the UK comes out of lockdown, you'll want to ensure your pup is also tolerant to being alone.  

To find the best dog breeds for aspiring remote working dog owners, the study measured 30 dog breeds on key traits that are particularly important when working from home with your dog. These include their ability to adapt to flat living, tolerance for being alone, trainability, their tendency to bark through your calls, energy levels and exercise needs. 

These are the top 10 best breeds for a remote working environment and how they score on different traits:

Rank	Dog breed	Adaptation to flat living /5	Tolerance for being alone /5	Trainability /5	Tendency to bark /5	Energy levels /5	Exercise needs /5	Total score /5
1	Shih Tzu	5	3	3	2	2	2	4.17
2	Doberman Pinscher	3	2	5	1	3	3	3.72
3	Havanese	5	1	5	2	3	3	3.72
4	French Bulldog	5	1	4	3	3	2	3.61
5	Bulldog	5	3	3	4	2	3	3.61
6	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	5	1	4	2	3	4	3.33
7	Cocker Spaniel	5	1	5	3	4	3	3.33
8	Boston Terrier	5	3	4	3	4	4	3.28
9	Poodle	5	1	5	2	4	4	3.28
10	Miniature Schnauzer	4	5	5	3	5	5	3.17

The results show that Shih Tzus are the ultimate dogs for a remote working environment– a breed that is highly adaptive to flat living with low energy levels that won't get you distracted during the working day. The trustworthy Doberman Pinscher also ranks high with a great tolerance for being alone and a low tendency to bark through your work calls, followed by the charming Havanese with a great tolerance for being alone. 

With low scores for tolerance of being alone and a high tendency to bark, these are the top five least suitable breeds for remote workers:

Rank	Dog breed	Adaptation to flat living /5	Tolerance for being alone /5	Trainability /5	Tendency to bark /5	Energy levels /5	Exercise needs /5	Suitability score for remote working /5
1	Siberian Husky	2	1	2	5	5	5	1.39
2	Brittany	1	1	3	3	5	5	2.00
3	Vizsla	1	1	5	5	5	5	1.67
4	Great Dane	1	1	5	4	5	5	2.00
5	Beagle	4	1	1	5	4	4	3.00

COVID-19's impact on the cost to buy a dog

As a result of the pandemic puppy boom, the cost to buy a dog has increased by an average of +130%, pushing the average cost of the most expensive breed in the study up to £3,947.

Small Business Prices analysed the cost to buy or adopt each of the 30 dog breeds in 2021 comparing the current market value with the average cost before the pandemic.

Shih Tzus, the most suitable dog breed for remote working in the study, is also one of the most affordable options on the market, making it a great fit for many. While the increased demand for dogs has pushed the average price for Shih Tzus up to an average of £1,896, some still sell for as low as £850-£1,000. 

These are the top five most affordable options out of all 30 dog breeds in the study:

Rank	Dog breed	Cost to buy/adopt in 2021 (£)
1	Mastiff	£1,316
2	Australian Shepherd	£1,705
3	Beagle	£1,754
4	Brittany	£1,829
5	Shih Tzu	£1,896

However, for some dog breeds, the demand increase has pushed the average cost well past the £3,000 mark. These are the most expensive breeds on the market in 2021:

Rank	Dog breed	Cost to buy/adopt in 2021 (£)
1	Bulldog	£3,947
2	Bernese Mountain Dog	£3,209
3	Havanese	£3,167
4	Great Dane	£3,151
5	French Bulldog	£3,142

The most popular dog breeds online

Dogs are greatly popular both in real life and online, with the dog breeds in this study seeing a 51% average increase in search interest during the pandemic. But which are the most popular breeds taking social media by storm?

These are the top five dog breeds that are the most popular online right now according to the average search volume per breed and the number of breed hashtags on Instagram. 

Crowd favourites like French Bulldogs, Golden Retrievers and Bulldogs all feature on the list of the most popular dog breeds on Instagram, but which breeds have gained the most popularity during the pandemic? 

Rank	Dog breed	Average monthly search volume  Mar 19 - Jan 20	Average monthly search volume  Mar 20 - Jan 21	Search volume increase during COVID-19(%)
1	Labrador Retriever	24,100	59,864	148%
2	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	5,973	12,309	106%
3	Havanese	15,509	30,600	97%
4	Shetland Sheepdog	9,282	18,073	95%
5	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	44,064	83,545	90%

Looking after your dog in a remote working environment

Dogs are known to be a man's best friend, but remote working can make it challenging to meet your dog's needs while remaining focused at work during office hours. To help with this, Small Business Prices has spoken with animal behaviourist and founder of Barket Place, Caroline Wilkinson. These are her top tips for looking after your dog while working remotely:

1. Is your dog barking through your work calls? They might not be getting enough rest:
   
   "Our dogs aren't getting as much rest, with our constant typing and talking or the hecticness of homeschooling taking place. An overtired dog will be much more likely to bark and react to their environment, than one who's had a good balance of rest alongside mental and physical exercise during the day."
    

2. Make sure your dog's needs are met while you work from home:
   
   "Allow your dog plenty of opportunity to get a quiet space to sleep. If they're struggling with noises outside your home, try playing some white noise in your home or a classical music playlist. Be fair to your dog and ensure both their physical and emotional needs have been met with a walk, alongside some sniffing activities or a short training session."
    

3. Train your dog at home to adapt to a remote working environment:
   
   "Create a calm den-like space that they feel comfortable settling in - preferably away from your desk, so your movements don't constantly disturb them. Set aside slots in your calendar to give them exercise or attention, so that they're more relaxed when you need to focus - plus getting outside with your dog will increase your own productivity afterwards! Prep plenty of long-lasting chews or filled dog food toys for when you have those really important meetings. Remember this year has been as much about change for our dogs, as it has for us!"

Ian Wright, founder of Small Business Prices comments: "With remote working becoming the new normal over the last year and with millions affected by lockdowns, many have sought comfort and company in dogs. And with this resulting in a big puppy boom over the last year, we thought it would be interesting to see just how suitable the most popular breeds are for a remote working environment and how the increased demand has affected the cost of our four-legged friends. 

It's important to keep in mind that not all dog breeds adapt as well to a remote working environment, and we hope that this research can help those who are looking to buy or adopt a dog with making the right choice for their living situation and lifestyle."

To explore more of the top secluded areas to work remotely around the world, visit the full research on Small Business Prices.