German Shepherds top dog when it comes to box office smashes

German Shepherds gross highest in box office takings than any other breed, and pedigrees are the most popular choice in the canine film industry.

German Shepherds account for almost £1bn in canine film box office takings, new research reveals.

Pet insurer, Everypaw, looked at the top 50 live-action films starring dogs to find out which performed better in the box office, and if there was an overlap between the breed type and film take home earnings.

Out of the 35 breeds, pedigrees appear in 97% of dog-related smash hits, despite mixed breeds being the fifth highest box office earners. The Catalan Sheepdog is the second highest earner despite only been featured in one film.

Beagles are the most popular dog breed overall, appearing 11% of the time, in films such as Shiloh, John Wick, Top Dog, and Cats & Dogs. Whereas German Shepherds, Jack Russell Terriers, St. Bernards, and Golden Retrievers are second to the top spot at 8%.
When it came to comparing dog and actor takings, Beasley the dog from Turner and Hooch raked in £1.4million more on average at the box office than high profile costar Tom Hanks, and Clyde from Marley & Me pipped Jennifer Aniston to the post by a whopping £170million.

Looking at gender, male dogs bring home the bacon and gross £4.6million more than their female counterparts at box office, and the majority (78%) of dogs starring in top films are male.

James Maxwell, Marketing Director of Pet Insurance at Everypaw, said: “We were interested to find out if there’s a certain type of dog who generally appears more in Hollywood hits and if there’s a specific breed who converts higher at the box office. The research shows that dogs with easily distinguished features are most likely to feature in top titles.”

To celebrate the wonderful world of dog films, Everypaw are asking people to recreate famous film scenes with their pups for a chance to win a Polaroid OneStep 2, find out how to enter here.

Top 10 highest grossing dog films based on breed:

1. German Shepherd – £893mil
2. Catalan Sheepdog - £843mil
3. Jack Russell Terrier - £688mil
4. Pug – £684mil
5. Mixed breed – £633mil
6. Border Terrier – £574mil
7. Cairn Terrier – £469mil
8. St Bernard – £450mil
9. Beagle – £324mil
10. Chihuahua – £261mil

Top ten ranking of highest grossing live-action films featuring dogs:

1. Back to the Future
2. Men in Black
3. I Am Legend
4. The Mask
5. There's Something about Mary
6. Wizard of Oz
7. The Grinch
8. Cats & Dogs
9. Marley & Me
10. Benji

About Everypaw
At Everypaw we understand just how unique and precious pets are. We exist to help keep them happy, healthy and safe. We aim to make pet insurance simple and easy, so our customers have more time to spend having fun with their best furry friends.

Everypaw policies are arranged and administered by Cardif Pinnacle Insurance Management Services plc, trading as Everypaw. Cardif Pinnacle Insurance Management Services plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (register number 315503). Everypaw policies are underwritten by Pinnacle Insurance plc (register number 110866) and Ageas Insurance Limited (register number 202039), who are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Everypaw Registered office: Pinnacle House, A1 Barnet Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 2XX.