Shih Tzu is most popular dog breed in Philippines — study

MANILA, Philippines — Shih Tzus may not be the top favorite dog breed for the rest of the world, but they're certainly the favorite of Filipinos.

In a new study by HouseholdQuotes, the most popular dog breeds in 150 territories were mapped out to discover regional and global tastes in canine pets.

“A special mention goes to the Shih Tzu, who makes his only appearance in the Philippines. This homely little fellow is originally from Tibet, and developed as a cross between the Lhasa Apso and other Chinese imperial breed,” read the study.

The Shih Tzu has a life expectancy of 10 to 18 years. The toy dog was bred to spend most of its life inside royal palaces, according to American Kennel Club.

“The Shih Tzu is a sturdy, lively, alert toy dog with a long flowing double coat. Befitting his noble Chinese ancestry as a highly valued, prized companion and palace pet, the Shih Tzu is proud of bearing, has a distinctively arrogant carriage with head well up and tail curved over the back,” read a post on the American Kennel Club website.

The German Sheperd and Golden Retriever, however, are more favored in the rest of Asia and Oceania.

The Rottweiler and Australian Sheperd are the most popular in different ways: the former is the number one dog in 34 countries with the highest number of appearances in the list for any breed, while the latter is the most-searched breed in the world.

Humans certainly have favorites, as the global map shows love for only 27 different dog breeds.

The methodology of the study involved compiling a master list of dog breed names, translating the names into different languages (if applicable), then collecting monthly Google search figures for every breed across all countries to identify the most popular or searched breed in every country.

Here are their resulting maps.