Dog Industry trends Google dog Popularity 2013 Australia, Ireland, Canada, Japan

This 2013 Dog Industry report is an analysis of the on-line trends for Australia, Canada, Ireland and Japan. Out of these countries Ireland then Australia has the largest amount of dog associated searches per capita.

Canada’s profile is similar to America’s but Japan has very few searches. Like the previous report you will see that many of these countries had a decrease in Google searches about dogs from 2012 and 2013. If you want to see specifically how these types of search queries and their volumes changed, then keep reading.

Google data is used as it is the highest used search engine in most countries and data on Exact searches per month are readily available. Note previous analysis and reports used a three month averaging so we could view the most recent trends. However, as seasonal trends occur for dog terms (different types of searches & volumes in different seasons) a six month average is used to compare the different years in this report and analysis.

The comparisons are between  (Sept 2012 to Feb 2013)  and the period (June 2011 to Nov 2011)

Australia Dog Industry trends Exact online searches 2013 V 2011

Australia had the third highest dog associated searches per capita of all countries last year when I created a report on it. In this analysis, only  IRELAND has larger dog associated searches per capita than Australia.

In Australia, It was found that TEN of the fifteen top dog associated search terms in 2013 were the same as the previous period.

On average the TEN terms decreased in search volumes by 21%

The leading term “RSPCA” decreased from 74,500 to 65,000 exact searches per month (-13%)

The next biggest non-breed term decrease was by “dogs” 42K to 26K  (-39%)

Except for the humane dog terms (RSPCA, pet insurance, pet rescue, lost dogs home) that all occur in the top ten in 2013, there is a prevalence of terms about puppies, suggesting a healthy interest in maintaining the dog population.

The overall DECREASE in search volumes for the two periods for the fifteen terms was from 331,983 to 229,500 a decrease of 21% in search volumes

Australia seems to be continuing the trend for developed countries with big dog populations (per capita) in that the list is relatively stable in terms of words searched. The drop in volume is of concerns as if anything Google market share and computer usage would have risen during this period.

	Australia Feb 2013	Vol/ mth	% CHANGE	….	Australia Nov 2011	Vol/ mth
1	[rspca]	65,000	-13%		[rspca]	74,500
2	[dogs]	25,833	-39%		[dogs]	42,267
3	[cats]	22,467	-30%		[dogs]	42,267
4	[pet insurance]	12,267	15%		[cats]	32,100
5	[pet rescue]	13,900			[dog breeds]	18,600
6	[dog breeds]	10,633	-43%		[puppies for sale]	19,050
7	[lost dogs home]	12,267	-2%		[animals]	16,000
8	[german shepherd]	9,900	-48%		[dogs for sale]	11,000
9	[puppies for sale]	10,633	25%		[puppies]	13,900
10	[the dogs]	9,300			[pet insurance]	10,633
11	[puppies]	7,700	-45%		[lost dogs home]	12,550
12	[adopt a pet]	8,700			[dog games]	12,267
13	[golden retriever]	7,600			[german shepherd]	8,500
14	[dogs for sale]	7,100	-35%		[labrador]	9,783
15	[labrador]	6,200			[pomeranian]	8,567
	TOTAL	229,500			TOTAL	331,983

 

CANADA  Dog Industry trends Exact online searches 2013 V 2011

Canada was included in this analysis because of its proximity in location and culture to America. In previous studies, it was also found to be a very high dog ownership and dog associated search (per capita) country, only slightly behind Australia.

TEN of the top fifteen dog associated search terms were the same as the previous period.

On average the TEN terms decreased in search volumes by ONLY 6%

Unlike other cost other countries FOUR terms actually had an increase in search volumes.

The leading term “dogs” decreased from 36K to 32K (-10%)

The next biggest non breed (and non cat) term absolute search decrease was by “puppies” 21K down to 19K (-12%)

The unique signature of Canada’s dog associated search term profile having many specific dog breeds in it continued. NINE of the fifteen terms were specific dog breeds. The top three in 2011 were German shepherd (14k), Pomeranian (13k), golden retriever (14k).

In 2013 the top three specific dog breed searches were German shepherd (17k), golden retriever (17k) and shih tzu (20k)

It is remarkable that Canadians love to search for specific breeds so much (compared to other developed countries). In 2011 only four of the top ten dog associated terms were specific dog breeds, while at the start of 2013 six breeds made the top ten. It is noted that a high occurrence of specific dog breed searches in the top searches is usually the mark of less developed countries.

The total search volumes for the fifteen terms were 2013 (230,383) down from 2011 (229,700) a decrease of ONLY 6%.

	CANADA Feb 2013	Vol/ Mth	% CHANGE	….	CANADA NOV 2011	Vol/ Mth
1	[dogs]	32,100	-10%		[dogs]	35,800
2	[cats]	36,800	10%		[dog breeds]	32,167
3	[german shepherd]	17,000	22%		[cats]	33,567
4	[golden retriever]	17,000	22%		[puppies]	21,233
5	[shih tzu]	20,150			[animals]	12,967
6	[puppies]	18,783	-12%		[german shepherd]	13,900
7	[dog breeds]	17,000	-47%		[pomeranian]	12,717
8	[pomeranian]	13,000	2%		[golden retriever]	13,900
9	[rottweiler]	13,450			[labrador]	10,767
10	[labrador]	9,900	-8%		[puppy]	8,117
11	[yorkshire terrier]	7,600			[dog names]	9,900
12	[labrador retriever]	7,100			[types of dogs]	4,800
13	[puppy]	8,100	0%		[female dog names]	6,917
14	[portuguese water dog]	6,200			[portuguese water dog]	6,050
15	[dog names]	6,200	-37%		[dog games]	6,900
	TOTAL	230,383			TOTAL	229,700

 

IRELAND  Dog Industry trends Exact on-line searches 2013 V 2011

Ireland has only a human population of 4.5 million, however in dog associated searches (per capita) it is only just behind the UK (the highest per capita search country in the world).

So like the UK it acts as a predictor for current trends. However it should be noted that just like AMERICA this country has suffered considerable economic issues in the last few years.

TEN of the fifteen top dog associated search terms were the same as the previous period.

On average the TEN reoccurring  terms decreased in search volumes by 25%.

The leading term “dogs trust”  was the same as in the previous period, however its searches dropped from 9,500 to 6,733 (-29%).  This is a massive and concerning drop.

Like the UK, much of the leading dog associated search terms are about humane dog considerations or purchasing dogs. In the Ireland top ten of 2013 the first four are dogs trust, done deal dogs (a dog sales website), dogs, and ‘dogs for sale’. The same four, but different order as the previous period.

The total search volumes for the fifteen terms were 2013 (42,832) down  from 2011 (68,597) a 38% DECREASE in search term volumes. For a country that prides itself on looking after its dogs, and with a high dog ownership, this slump in search term activity does not bode well for dogs.

	IRELAND Feb 2013	Vol/mth	% CHANGE	…..	IRELAND NOV 2011	Vol/mth
1	[dogs trust]	6,733	-29%		[dogs trust]	9,500
2	[done deal dogs]	10,533	-37%		[dogs]	7,000
3	[dogs]	4,600	-34%		[dogs]	7,000
4	[dogs for sale]	4,133	-5%		[dogs for sale]	4,350
5	[german shepherd]	1,850			[done deal dogs]	16,667
6	[pet insurance]	1,967	-34%		[pictures of dogs]	3,697
7	[shih tzu]	2,100			[dog breeds]	2,183
8	[dogs trust ireland]	1,115			[cats]	3,250
9	[dog games]	1,450	-12%		[puppies]	2,300
10	[golden retriever]	1,550			[pet insurance]	3,000
11	[puppies]	1,750	-24%		[donedeal.ie dogs]	1,933
12	[dog breeds]	1,350	-38%		[dog games]	1,650
13	[yorkshire terrier]	1,350	-18%		[dog names]	2,967
14	[animals]	1,200			[staffordshire bull terrier]	1,450
15	[staffordshire bull terrier]	1,150	-21%		[yorkshire terrier]	1,650
	TOTAL	42,832			TOTAL	68,597

 

JAPAN  Dog Industry trends Exact online searches 2013 V 2011

Japan search terms have been analysed as more of a curiosity than anything else. With limited accommodation space and high cost of living the Japanese spend very little time searching for information on dogs. Their absolute number of search volumes for the top fifteen dog assoicated terms are even lower than Irelands!

For Japan, ten of the fifteen terms were the same as the previous period.

On average the ten terms decreased in search volumes by only 11%, but of course this is coming off a very low base.

The first four terms were the same (different order) as the previous period. In 2013 the terms and volumes were: pet (9,600), cats (3,750), puppy (3,133), dogs (1,600).

The total search volumes for the fifteen terms were 2013 (23,710) DOWN  from 2012 (29,233) this was a 11% DECREASE in search term volumes.

Besides Japan having quite a few generic terms in its main searches for both periods, such as dog, cat, pet .. it also has some curious ones not found elsewhere very often: black dog, hot dog, green dog, the dog.  This might be a translation error or something to do with things other than domestic (live) dogs.

	JAPAN Feb 2013	Vol/mth	% CHANGE	…..	JAPAN NOV 2011	Vol/mth
1	[pet]	9,600	-21%		[pet]	12,100
2	[cats]	3,750	-3%		[puppy]	5,067
3	[puppy]	3,133	-38%		[cats]	3,867
4	[dogs]	1,600	-16%		[dogs]	1,900
5	[black dog]	1,967			[dogs]	1,900
6	[golden retriever]	572	-3%		[animals]	720
7	[hot dog]	483			[the dog]	590
8	[green dog]	517	-12%		[green dog]	590
9	[pets]	280	-13%		[golden retriever]	590
10	[pomeranian]	300			[i dog]	427
11	[the dog]	397	-33%		[labrador]	343
12	[puppies]	343	14%		[pets]	320
13	[german shepherd]	300	15%		[dog breeds]	260
14	[dog whisperer]	295			[puppies]	300
15	[yorkshire terrier]	173			[german shepherd]	260
	TOTAL	23,710			TOTAL	29,233

CONCLUSIONS

The following countries had the following changes in their dog associated search volumes : Australia -21%) down to 229K, Canada (down 6% to 230k), Ireland (down 29% to 6,733) and Japan (11% decrease to 23K).

Decreases in dog associated search volumes were also found in large population countries analysed in a previous report (America, UK, Germany, Brazil).  Because this is based on Google data, there are several systematic things that could affect the results are: a decrease in Google market share, a decrease in computer usage or a change in the way Google accounts for its volumes.

For the developed countries it is unlikely that there would have been such a major drop in Google usage or people decreasing computer usage. It is noted that Google data includes searches on their search engine plus on other people’s websites, and that each of these components  have been rumoured to contribute half the total volumes. However that should not affect the absolute values and drops witnessed in this report.

It is likely that the protracted global economic downturn in the four countries analysed here has had something to do with the decreased search volumes.

You will find that the four countries analysed that a decrease in dog associated search volumes is likely to mirror a real life downturn in dog interest and ownership. When money becomes an issue, dogs are often considered to be a luxury item. If this means that more responsible owners are left owning the remaining dogs, then this would be a good thing.

 

Article by Bruce Dwyer. If you wish to use any of this information please refer to the article as a reference and provide a link to https://www.healthydogtreats.com.au

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