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Research by BreedTracker · Data: Evans & Adams 2010 (J Small Anim Pract 51:113-118) · Borge et al. 2011 (Theriogenology 75:911-919) · Schrank et al. 2022 (Front Vet Sci 9:934273)

Peer-reviewed sources · 201 breeds · Updated 2026

Dog Breed Whelping Complexity and Health Data

C-section rates and mean litter sizes for 144 breeds, drawn from two large peer-reviewed veterinary population studies. Sort, search, and filter by AKC group or brachycephalic status. All values trace to cited sources; breeds without published data are clearly marked.

144breeds with C-section dataEvans 2010 + Schrank 2022
85breeds with litter sizeBorge et al. 2011
92.3%highest C-section rateBoston Terrier
18brachycephalic breedsin full dataset
Showing 201 of 201 breeds
Boston TerrierBrachy4.11 to 892.3%
BulldogBrachy5.41 to 1086.1%
French BulldogBrachy4.71 to 881.3%
MastiffBrachyn/a64.6%
Scottish Terriern/a59.8%
Miniature Bull Terriern/a52.4%
German Wirehaired Pointer7.31 to 1447.8%
Clumber Spanieln/a45.2%
PekingeseBrachyn/a43.8%
Dandie Dinmont Terriern/a41.4%
Saint Bernard6.81 to 1841.2%
Irish Wolfhoundn/a40.3%
Sealyham Terriern/a40.0%
Brussels GriffonBrachyn/a39.0%
Greyhoundn/a37.8%
Norwich Terriern/a36.6%
Neapolitan MastiffBrachyn/a36.4%
Pembroke Welsh Corgi5.51 to 935.7%
BullmastiffBrachyn/a35.4%
Basset Hound6.71 to 1135.3%
Alaskan Malamute6.92 to 1135.0%
Chihuahua3.21 to 734.4%
Dachshund5.41 to 1331.2%
Swedish Vallhundn/a30.0%
Briardn/a29.8%
Great Pyreneesn/a28.9%
Spinone Italianon/a28.3%
Chow ChowBrachy4.41 to 928.1%
Scottish Deerhoundn/a28.1%
Dogue de BordeauxBrachy8.12 to 1727.8%
Schipperken/a27.7%
PugBrachy4.21 to 827.4%
Great Dane7.11 to 1327.1%
Pointer7.21 to 1226.0%
Australian Cattle Dogn/a25.7%
Bernese Mountain Dog6.41 to 1525.6%
Siberian Husky5.11 to 1424.6%
AffenpinscherBrachyn/a24.4%
Finnish Spitz3.72 to 624.3%
Leonberger8.41 to 1523.6%
Samoyed6.21 to 1223.4%
Bull Terrier5.51 to 923.1%
Lakeland Terriern/a22.6%
Parson Russell Terriern/a22.4%
Cesky Terriern/a22.2%
English Setter6.41 to 1322.2%
Pomeranian2.41 to 622.0%
Cardigan Welsh Corgin/a21.9%
English Toy Spanieln/a21.8%
Miniature Schnauzer4.71 to 1021.5%
Afghan Houndn/a21.3%
Beagle5.51 to 1021.2%
Maltesen/a21.1%
Shih TzuBrachy4.21 to 921.1%
Bouvier des Flandresn/a20.5%
Labrador Retriever6.91 to 1320.2%
Polish Lowland Sheepdogn/a20.0%
Sussex Spanieln/a19.4%
Staffordshire Bull Terrier5.61 to 1219.1%
West Highland White Terrier3.71 to 818.9%
Glen of Imaal Terriern/a18.8%
Standard Schnauzer7.02 to 1118.8%
BoxerBrachy6.61 to 1217.7%
Golden Retriever7.51 to 1417.7%
Border Terrier5.11 to 917.5%
Brittany6.41 to 1017.5%
Papillon3.31 to 717.5%
Airedale Terriern/a17.3%
Norfolk Terrier2.51 to 517.3%
Rottweiler7.41 to 1417.3%
Pulin/a17.2%
Cairn Terrier4.41 to 817.1%
Finnish Lapphund5.22 to 916.7%
Old English Sheepdogn/a15.9%
Dalmatian8.41 to 1515.8%
Manchester Terrier4.72 to 715.5%
Tibetan Spaniel3.81 to 815.5%
Whippet6.11 to 1015.1%
Wire Fox Terriern/a15.1%
Kerry Blue Terriern/a14.8%
Salukin/a14.8%
Basenji4.81 to 814.7%
Japanese ChinBrachyn/a14.5%
Newfoundland6.51 to 1214.5%
Shetland Sheepdog3.91 to 814.5%
Borzoin/a13.9%
Flat-Coated Retriever8.31 to 1513.6%
Lhasa ApsoBrachy4.91 to 913.4%
Cavalier King Charles SpanielBrachy4.11 to 1513.1%
Wirehaired Vizslan/a12.5%
Keeshondn/a12.2%
Giant Schnauzer7.01 to 1411.8%
Vizslan/a11.8%
Toy Poodle2.41 to 411.6%
Collie5.21 to 1011.1%
Irish Setter7.11 to 1311.1%
Poodle (Standard)7.02 to 1211.1%
Chinese Crested4.31 to 910.8%
Cocker Spaniel5.31 to 1010.8%
Doberman Pinscher7.01 to 1310.8%
Norwegian Elkhound5.51 to 1210.7%
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier5.81 to 1010.7%
Border Collie6.01 to 1610.6%
Irish Red and White Settern/a10.4%
English Springer Spaniel7.31 to 1310.3%
Manchester Terrier (Toy)n/a10.3%
Akitan/a10.2%
German Shorthaired Pointer8.31 to 1510.2%
Tibetan Terrier5.21 to 910.2%
English Cocker Spaniel5.71 to 1410.1%
Yorkshire Terrier3.51 to 610.1%
Italian Greyhound3.31 to 69.9%
Otterhoundn/a9.7%
Bloodhoundn/a9.5%
Gordon Setter7.61 to 169.3%
German Shepherd Dog6.11 to 149.1%
Havanese4.31 to 99.1%
Field Spanieln/a8.3%
Lagotto Romagnolo6.74 to 128.3%
Welsh Springer Spanieln/a8.3%
Löwchenn/a7.4%
Shiba Inu3.31 to 77.4%
Bearded Collien/a7.2%
Pyrenean Shepherdn/a7.1%
Welsh Terriern/a7.1%
Chesapeake Bay Retrievern/a6.8%
Rhodesian Ridgeback8.91 to 156.4%
Canaan Dogn/a6.3%
Weimaranern/a6.3%
Bedlington Terriern/a6.1%
Bichon Frise4.61 to 105.6%
Skye Terriern/a5.6%
Irish Water Spanieln/a5.5%
Poodle (Miniature)3.01 to 85.3%
Miniature Pinscher4.31 to 74.8%
Australian Terrier5.51 to 84.5%
Chinese Shar-Pein/a2.7%
Australian Shepherdn/a1.8%
Curly-Coated Retrievern/a0.0%
German Pinschern/a0.0%
Irish Terriern/a0.0%
Pharaoh Houndn/a0.0%
Portuguese Water Dogn/a0.0%
Silky Terriern/a0.0%
American English CoonhoundNo published data
American Eskimo DogNo published data
American FoxhoundNo published data
American Hairless TerrierNo published data
American Staffordshire TerrierNo published data
American Water SpanielNo published data
Anatolian Shepherd DogNo published data
AzawakhNo published data
BarbetNo published data
BeauceronNo published data
Belgian LaekenoisNo published data
Belgian MalinoisNo published data
Belgian Sheepdog6.32 to 11n/a
Belgian Tervuren6.21 to 11n/a
Berger PicardNo published data
Biewer TerrierNo published data
Black and Tan CoonhoundNo published data
Black Russian TerrierNo published data
Bluetick CoonhoundNo published data
BoerboelNo published data
Boykin SpanielNo published data
Cane CorsoBrachyNo published data
ChinookNo published data
Cirneco dell'EtnaNo published data
Coton de Tulear3.81 to 7n/a
Dogo ArgentinoNo published data
English FoxhoundNo published data
Entlebucher Mountain DogNo published data
Grand Basset Griffon VendéenNo published data
Greater Swiss Mountain DogNo published data
HarrierNo published data
Ibizan HoundNo published data
Icelandic Sheepdog4.52 to 6n/a
KomondorNo published data
KuvaszNo published data
Miniature American ShepherdNo published data
MudiNo published data
Nederlandse KooikerhondjeNo published data
Norwegian Buhund4.91 to 8n/a
Norwegian Lundehund3.21 to 5n/a
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever6.62 to 12n/a
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen5.11 to 10n/a
Plott HoundNo published data
Portuguese Podengo PequenoNo published data
PumiNo published data
Rat TerrierNo published data
Redbone CoonhoundNo published data
Russell Terrier4.41 to 10n/a
Russian ToyNo published data
SloughiNo published data
Smooth Fox TerrierNo published data
Spanish Water DogNo published data
Tibetan MastiffNo published data
Toy Fox TerrierNo published data
Treeing Walker CoonhoundNo published data
Wirehaired Pointing GriffonNo published data
XoloitzcuintliNo published data

201 breeds

Visual analysis

C-section rates across breeds

BrachycephalicOther breeds
Scatter chart showing an inverse relationship between average litter size and C-section rate across 76 dog breeds. Brachycephalic breeds (shown in red) cluster in the lower-litter, higher-C-section corner of the chart, with many exceeding 80% C-section rates. A horizontal reference line at 14% marks the approximate population average from Secher et al. 2025 (12.7 to 15.5%). Non-brachycephalic breeds generally show lower C-section rates and larger average litters.
C-section rate versus average litter size: 76 breeds with both data points
BreedC-section rate (%)Avg litter sizeBrachycephalic
Alaskan Malamute356.9No
Australian Terrier4.55.5No
Basenji14.74.8No
Basset Hound35.36.7No
Beagle21.25.5No
Bernese Mountain Dog25.66.4No
Bichon Frise5.64.6No
Border Collie10.66No
Border Terrier17.55.1No
Boston Terrier92.34.1Yes
Boxer17.76.6Yes
Brittany17.56.4No
Bull Terrier23.15.5No
Bulldog86.15.4Yes
Cairn Terrier17.14.4No
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel13.14.1Yes
Chihuahua34.43.2No
Chinese Crested10.84.3No
Chow Chow28.14.4Yes
Cocker Spaniel10.85.3No
Collie11.15.2No
Dachshund31.25.4No
Dalmatian15.88.4No
Doberman Pinscher10.87No
Dogue de Bordeaux27.88.1Yes
English Cocker Spaniel10.15.7No
English Setter22.26.4No
English Springer Spaniel10.37.3No
Finnish Lapphund16.75.2No
Finnish Spitz24.33.7No
Flat-Coated Retriever13.68.3No
French Bulldog81.34.7Yes
German Shepherd Dog9.16.1No
German Shorthaired Pointer10.28.3No
German Wirehaired Pointer47.87.3No
Giant Schnauzer11.87No
Golden Retriever17.77.5No
Gordon Setter9.37.6No
Great Dane27.17.1No
Havanese9.14.3No
Irish Setter11.17.1No
Italian Greyhound9.93.3No
Labrador Retriever20.26.9No
Lagotto Romagnolo8.36.7No
Leonberger23.68.4No
Lhasa Apso13.44.9Yes
Manchester Terrier15.54.7No
Miniature Pinscher4.84.3No
Miniature Schnauzer21.54.7No
Newfoundland14.56.5No
Norfolk Terrier17.32.5No
Norwegian Elkhound10.75.5No
Papillon17.53.3No
Pembroke Welsh Corgi35.75.5No
Pointer267.2No
Pomeranian222.4No
Poodle (Miniature)5.33No
Poodle (Standard)11.17No
Toy Poodle11.62.4No
Pug27.44.2Yes
Rhodesian Ridgeback6.48.9No
Rottweiler17.37.4No
Saint Bernard41.26.8No
Samoyed23.46.2No
Shetland Sheepdog14.53.9No
Shiba Inu7.43.3No
Shih Tzu21.14.2Yes
Siberian Husky24.65.1No
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier10.75.8No
Staffordshire Bull Terrier19.15.6No
Standard Schnauzer18.87No
Tibetan Spaniel15.53.8No
Tibetan Terrier10.25.2No
West Highland White Terrier18.93.7No
Whippet15.16.1No
Yorkshire Terrier10.13.5No

C-section rate vs. litter size · 76 breeds with both data points

Brachycephalic breeds

Why flat-faced breeds need C-sections about 3x more often

Among the 18 brachycephalic breeds in this dataset, 17 have published C-section data. Their median surgical delivery rate is 28.1% - well above the overall pedigree population rate of 12.7 to 15.5% reported by Secher et al. 2025 across 35,121 Danish litters. Three independent studies in three countries corroborate the pattern.

UK · 2010

92.3%

Boston Terrier

86.1%

Bulldog

81.3%

French Bulldog

Per-breed C-section proportions for 151 breeds across 22,005 UK Kennel Club litters; the largest published breed-level survey.

J Small Anim Pract 51:113-118

A / D / CH · 2022

open access

21.6%

Overall C-section rate

899 litters across 80 breeds at a German-speaking referral clinic; corroborates UK findings and provides elective vs emergency breakdown.

Front Vet Sci 9:934273

DK · 2025 (brachycephalic)

open access

37.6-40.1%

Brachycephalic breeds

35,121 Danish Kennel Club litters (2013-2022); population-level data confirms the brachycephalic burden and documents a rising trend through 2020.

Theriogenology 249:117663

DK · 2025 (all pedigree dogs)

12.7-15.5%

Overall pedigree rate

The same study's all-breed baseline: roughly 1 in 8 pedigree litters delivered surgically, making brachycephalic breeds 2.5 to 3x the population average.

Theriogenology 249:117663 · Secher et al. 2025

The anatomy: head wider than the exit

Brachycephalic skull morphology produces disproportionately wide, dome-shaped craniums. During parturition, the fetal head must rotate and pass through the maternal pelvic canal. When the biparietal diameter of the skull (the widest transverse dimension) exceeds the conjugate diameter of the pelvic outlet, vaginal delivery becomes mechanically impossible - a condition known as cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD).

Selective breeding for extreme brachycephaly has widened the skull relative to body size without a corresponding change in pelvic dimensions, making CPD increasingly common in the most extreme phenotypes. The result is that C-section is not merely common in these breeds; for many litters it is the only safe option.

Anatomical explanation per standard veterinary reproductive medicine; not derived from this dataset.

BRACHYCEPHALIC SKULLPELVIC OUTLETCPD gap

Skull biparietal diameter (red) exceeds pelvic outlet conjugate diameter (teal) - cephalopelvic disproportion

Population C-section rates cited from Secher et al. 2025 (Theriogenology 249:117663, 35,121 litters, Danish Kennel Club, 2013 to 2022). Abstract-level retrieval only; exact range-boundary definitions are not full-text-verified. Per-breed rates from Evans and Adams 2010 (J Small Anim Pract 51:113-118, UK Kennel Club 2004 survey, 22,005 litters) and Schrank et al. 2022 (Front Vet Sci 9:934273, CC BY).

Quick reference

Notable breeds at a glance

Frequently asked questions

Which dog breeds need C-sections most often?
According to Evans and Adams 2010 (UK Kennel Club, 22,005 litters), Boston Terrier (92.3%), Bulldog (86.1%), and French Bulldog (81.3%) have the highest C-section rates among the 143 breeds studied. These breeds are all brachycephalic (flat-faced), and the anatomical mismatch between the dam's narrow pelvis and the puppy's large, broad head drives the high surgical birth rate. Brachycephalic breeds as a group have C-section rates of 37.6 to 40.1% versus 12.7 to 15.5% across all pedigree dogs (Secher et al. 2025).
What is the average litter size for a French Bulldog?
Published litter-size data for French Bulldogs specifically is not available in the Borge et al. 2011 dataset used on this page (their Table 1 covers 100 of 224 breeds analyzed). What is well-established is that French Bulldogs have one of the highest C-section rates of any breed (81.3%, Evans and Adams 2010), and breed-club guidance consistently reports litters of 2 to 4 puppies as typical, though this figure comes from breeder experience rather than a single peer-reviewed population study.
Why do brachycephalic breeds have such high C-section rates?
Brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds like Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, and Pugs have been selectively bred for a wide, domed skull relative to their overall body size. The puppies' oversized heads combined with the dam's relatively narrow pelvis create a physical mismatch that makes natural delivery extremely difficult or impossible. Many brachycephalic breeders schedule elective C-sections rather than allowing the dam to attempt labor, which contributes to the very high rates seen in population studies.
What is the average C-section rate across dog breeds?
A 2025 Danish study (Secher et al., 35,121 litters) reported an overall pedigree dog C-section rate of 12.7 to 15.5%, rising to 37.6 to 40.1% for brachycephalic breeds. The Evans and Adams 2010 study (22,005 litters, UK) found wide variation by breed, ranging from near 0% for some working breeds to over 90% for Boston Terriers.
How is litter size data on this page measured?
Litter sizes on this page come from Borge et al. 2011 (Theriogenology 75:911-919), which analyzed 10,810 litters from the Norwegian Kennel Club. The figures count total puppies born, including stillborns, so they are slightly higher than counts of live births. The dispersion figure shown is the standard error of the mean (SEM), not a standard deviation. Only breeds included in Borge's published Table 1 (85 of the 201 breeds in our dataset) have litter-size values; others are shown as 'No published data.'

Methodology and sources

How these figures were collected

Sourcing

Every figure on this page is drawn from a cited, independently retrieved source and was validated against it. We publish no internal or unverified estimates: where the peer-reviewed record has no figure for a breed, the page shows “No published data” rather than a guess. Our breed roster, slugs, and groups are used only to organize the study; they are not a data source.

Of 201 breeds in the roster, 48 have no published figure for either metric and appear as “No published data” at reduced opacity by design. These are not omissions to fix; they reflect the limits of the peer-reviewed record.

How to read the numbers

Litter-size figures are from Borge et al. 2011 and count total puppies born, including stillborns; the dispersion shown is the standard error of the mean, not a standard deviation. C-section figures are per-breed proportions from Evans and Adams 2010 (UK Kennel Club, 22,005 litters), with the German Shepherd Dog from Schrank et al. 2022. Population-level C-section context is from Secher et al. 2025; where O'Neill / VetCompass figures appear they are odds ratios given dystocia, not population rates, and are labeled as such. Hip and elbow dysplasia prevalence from Oberbauer et al. 2017 comes from the OFA voluntary database, which carries a known submission bias and may understate true population rates.

Confidence legend

Each data row carries one of three confidence levels:

confirmedtwo independent reads, exact agreementsingle-sourceone extraction onlyno published datanot in Evans, Borge, or Schrank

Six breeds carry single-source confidence: German Shepherd Dog (Schrank 2022, n = 22), Toy Poodle, Pharaoh Hound, Pyrenean Shepherd, Wire Fox Terrier, and Toy Manchester Terrier. Their values are published with sample size visible and should be treated with additional caution.

Important: This page is a research resource for educational purposes. C-section rates reflect historical population data and should not be used as the sole basis for whelping decisions. Consult a veterinarian familiar with your dam and breed before any breeding or surgical intervention.

Companion study: Pre-breeding health testing requirements by breed

Data sources for this study
SourceCitation
Evans and Adams 2010J Small Anim Pract 51:113-118
Borge et al. 2011Theriogenology 75:911-919
Schrank et al. 2022CC BYFront Vet Sci 9:934273
Secher et al. 2025Theriogenology 249:117663
Oberbauer et al. 2017CC BYPLOS ONE 12:e0172918

Sources retrieved 2026-06-14. Evans 2010 and Borge 2011 values were extracted twice independently; only rows with exact agreement between both extractions are marked confirmed. The Secher 2025 figures are from the published abstract; full text was not retrieved.