The World’s Most Loved and Trusted Dog Breeds

What does love look like? For many people, it has four legs, a wagging tail, and the cutest face ever. And the fact that you occasionally have to pick up its poop changes nothing.

Yes, we’re talking about dogs. But which of these amazing creatures makes us feel the happiest? That question inspired the latest study from the dog lovers at Protect My Paws.

They analyzed 200,000+ tweets with NRC Lexicon, which scores sentences for their emotional content. Then they combined all that data into several charts highlighting the small, medium, and large dog breeds that bring us the most happiness.

Let’s take a look.

The dog that makes us the happiest

No dog brings us as much joy as the Affenpinscher, according to the study by Protect My Paws. Also known as the monkey terrier for its mischievous personality, this super cute dog is a real little character. “This isn’t a breed you train,” said one professional dog handler. “They’re like humans; you befriend them and build amazing relationships.”

And people really love their Affenpinschers. Almost a quarter of all words in Affenpinscher-related tweets express love, joy, and pure happiness for this special pup.

The dog that makes us the saddest

With 119 sad words per every 1000 words in tweets, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is the dog that makes people feel the saddest.

But it’s actually a sign of how much we love these pups. Many of those sad tweets are from owners who say they miss or hate leaving their Staffies alone, even for a short while.

What dog breeds scare us the most?

There’s an old saying among dog people; “Never judge a dog by its breed.”

But would you ever cross a street if an angry Chihuahua was prancing toward you? Probably not. You’d just laugh.

But you might make evasive moves if it was a Japanese Akita. Ranked as the dog that scares us, these imposing animals were bred as guard dogs. And it’s obvious what their job is. These dogs are big, powerful, super-protective, and naturally suspicious of strangers.

The dog breed we trust the most

More than 20% of words in tweets about the St. Bernard were ‘trustful’; that’s more than any other dog featured in the study.

St. Bernard dogs are loved and trusted due to their gentle, friendly, and loyal temperament. Their protective instincts and history as rescue dogs in the Swiss Alps add to their trustworthiness score. Then again, maybe it’s because we all watched Beethoven as kids.

How much do we trust dogs based on their size?

There’s a definite theme among the small dogs we trust the most. The Highland Terrier, the Papillon, and Shetland Sheepdog have two things in common: They’re very cute and fluffy.

The Staffie is the most trusted medium-sized dog. The American Staffie takes the third spot, proving that real dog people can see past the negative stereotypes associated with these wonderful breeds.

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is the most trusted big dog – but only just. 184 out of 1000 words in tweets about this dog were trustful, which is only 1 more than the Bullmastiff.

In gods we trust? Maybe. In dogs we trust? Definitely.