The short answer
Yes, but it’s about coat type, not attraction. Curly, medium-length coats (Poodle crosses especially) give ticks more places to hide and attach. Short-coated breeds have the lowest risk.
What the research found
A 2024 VetCompass study by the Royal Veterinary College analysed over 900,000 dogs and identified nearly 2,000 tick infestation cases over five years. The overall rate was about 1 in 50 dogs (2.03%). Some breeds were well above that.
Highest tick infestation rates:
- Cavapoo: 5.19%
- Goldendoodle: 5.14%
- Standard Poodle: 5.14%
- Cairn Terrier: 5.09%
- Cockapoo: 4.79%
- Miniature Schnauzer: 4.38%
Lowest rates:
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier (about 0.35 times the average risk)
- Rottweiler (0.35 times)
- Chihuahua (0.38 times)
- English Bulldog (0.47 times)
The pattern: curly, medium-length coats that don’t shed (Poodle crosses) give ticks more attachment points and make them harder to spot during checks. Short, smooth-coated breeds have less coat for a tick to hide in. Dogs with floppy ears had 1.2 to 1.35 times higher risk too. Designer crossbreeds overall had 1.81 times the risk of regular crossbreeds.
What this means in Oakville
Doodles and Poodle crosses are popular in the Oakville area. If that’s your dog, you need to be especially thorough with tick checks after outdoor time. Run your fingers slowly through the coat, feeling for small bumps, especially around the ears, face, neck, and between the toes. With a curly coat, visual checks alone won’t catch everything.
Given that blacklegged ticks are established in the Halton Region and active from March through November, breeds with higher tick risk need consistent prevention. A vet-prescribed oral preventative is even more important for dogs whose coats make ticks hard to find manually.
No breed is immune. Any dog spending time outdoors can pick up a tick. Breed-related risk is about how easy ticks are to detect, not whether your dog needs protection.
Key takeaways
- Curly, non-shedding coats (Doodles, Poodle crosses, Cockapoos) have the highest tick infestation rates due to coat characteristics.
- Short-coated breeds (Staffies, Rottweilers, Chihuahuas) have the lowest rates.
- Ticks aren’t “attracted” to certain breeds. The coat just makes them harder to find and easier to attach.
- If you have a curly-coated breed, do thorough hands-on tick checks after every outdoor walk. Visual checks alone aren’t enough.
- Every dog needs tick prevention regardless of breed, especially in Ontario’s established tick zones.
References
- Royal Veterinary College, VetCompass (2024). “Cavapoo and Cockapoo designer dog breeds at high risk of tick infestation.” rvc.ac.uk
- O’Neill, D.G. et al. (2024). Journal of Small Animal Practice. Wiley
- VCA Canada. “Ticks in Dogs.” vcahospitals.com
- Merck Veterinary Manual. “Ticks of Dogs.” merckvetmanual.com