French bulldog, chihuahua, pug, poodle, dachshund, shih tzu and border collie among 10 most popular dog breeds on Instagram
We're a nation of dog lovers and there's nothing we love more than sharing pictures of our pets.
But which of our pooches feature most on social media?
Among the millions and millions of photos, posts and hashtags of our faithful friends – which dog breeds come out on top when it comes to the most photographed?
Pet wellbeing experts OutFitPets has trawled more than 500 million Instagram posts featuring more than 200 dog breeds and scoured hundreds of thousands of hashtags to find out which could be the most popular on the photo sharing app.
10. Shih tzu
Starting the top 10 is the shih tzu with 16.4 million Instagram posts. The breed, which originated in China, was officially recognised in the UK in the 1940s.
It is one of eight dog in the top 10 list to also be on the smaller size.
A spokesman for OurFitPets added: "It's clear that our furry friends continue to bring joy and happiness into our lives, and Instagram provides us with a platform to celebrate and share all of their cute and quirky habits.
"Interestingly, the data revealed that smaller dog breeds tend to have a higher Instagram appeal than their larger counterparts, with eight of the breeds in the top 10 comprising of small or medium-sized breeds."
9. Border collie
Renowned for being a workaholic, and initially bred for working with sheep and cattle, the collie has made it into the top 10 thanks to 17.4 million posts containing the hashtag #BorderCollie.
This remarkably bright dog, suggests OurFitPets, is able to learn to recognise over 1,000 words with the right training.
8. Dachshund
Also often called the sausage dog – the dachshund has leapt in popularity in recent years. The breed has even had its own dachshund-shaped chocolate ranges in M&S including more recently, its very own canine-shaped Easter egg called Walter the Sausage Dog.
It takes eighth place with the hashtag appearing in more than 19.4 million posts.
7. Pomeranian
Often referred to as the 'Pom Pom', the breed appears in more than 21.2 million posts using the tag #Pomeranian on Instagram. This breed dates back in the UK to around 1870 and reportedly became a great favourite of Queen Victoria whose dogs were exhibited at special dog shows in London.
6. Poodle
The Poodle ranks sixth, with more than 22.3 million posts tagged with hashtag #Poodle. Not only is this breed hypoallergenic – often making it a popular choice with those concerned about allergies and shedding hair – but the poodle is one of the few breeds that comes in three different sizes – with a standard, miniature, and toy all attached to the poodle breed.
5. Bulldog
This beloved British breed, which has become the face of numerous television adverts and advertising campaigns over the years, has been tagged in more than 23.1 million Instagram posts.
The bulldog remains hugely popular as a family companion and is said to make a great pet thanks to its character and loyalty towards its owners.
4. Pug
The pug is the fourth most popular dog breed to feature on Instagram judging by more than 23.9 million posts carrying the hashtag #pug.
According to the Kennel Club it is felt a passion among the Chinese for short faced, small breeds might have been responsible for the development of the pug when traders from the Dutch East India Company took dogs of this type from China back to the Netherlands in the 16th Century where they became very popular in court circles.
3. Chihuahua
The smallest dog in the list, the Chihuahua came in at number three out of 10.
Described as a dog with a 'huge personality in a tiny frame' the toy breed, which is originally from Mexico, came a close third with 34.5 million Instagram posts containing the hashtag #Chihuahua.
2. Golden retriever
The golden retriever came in second with more than 34 million tagged posts to its name.
Loved for their loyal and friendly personalities and their exceptional ability to help humans with a variety of tasks, the retriever hashtag featured in more than 34.6 million posts on the photo sharing app.
1. French bulldog
The French bulldog has been crowned the most 'Instragrammable' dog breed by OurFitPets thanks to close to 40 million Instagram posts carrying the hashtag #FrenchBulldog.
Frenchies, as they are affectionately referred to, came out on top with an impressive 37.4 million tagged posts.
The French bulldog, according to the Kennel Club, can claim part of its ancestry in Great Britain, going back to the 1850s when a dwarf bulldog breed known as the toy bulldog was popular in some parts of the country.
In recent years the breed has seen a meteoric rise in popularity – between 2009 and 2015 registrations increased 10 fold and in 2015 the French bulldog was ranked third most popular breed in the UK.