A Pet Parent’s Guide from Rover and Redfin
Peak moving season is winding down, but for pet parents, the hunt for the perfect walking route never really ends. So Rover, the world’s largest online marketplace for pet care, teamed up with Redfin, the real estate brokerage powered by Rocket, to create a guide to Canada’s Best Cities for Dog Walks.
We paired Rover’s latest dog breed data with Redfin’s most recent Walk Scores (the most widely used measure of how walkable a neighborhood is) to find the cities where a good walk is always right outside the door.
The Top 10 Canadian Cities for Dog Walking
And the breeds you’ll find there.
Out of 11 cities analyzed, Vancouver, BC takes the No. 1 spot with a Walk Score of 79.8, followed closely by Montreal, QC (65.4), Toronto, ON (61.0), Hamilton, ON (49.6) and Mississauga, ON (48.9) rounding out the top five.
The Golden Retriever rules the leaderboard as the most popular breed in six of the eleven cities. The Cockapoo (Mississauga, Brampton), Goldendoodle (Winnipeg) and Labrador Retriever (Surrey, Ottawa) round out the favorites up top. Yet, high popularity doesn’t mean a breed is fastest-growing. Several less common breeds are rapidly gaining ground, as reflected in the top-trending rankings.
| # | City | Walk Score | Most Popular Breed | Top-Trending Breed | YoY Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver, BC | 79.8 | Golden Retriever | Brittany Spaniel | +326% |
| 2 | Montreal, QC | 65.4 | Golden Retriever | Miniature Australian Shepherd | +231% |
| 3 | Toronto, ON | 61.0 | Golden Retriever | Australian Kelpie | +908% |
| 4 | Hamilton, ON | 49.6 | Golden Retriever | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | +233% |
| 5 | Mississauga, ON | 48.9 | Cockapoo | Boston Terrier | +78% |
| 6 | Winnipeg, MB | 48.5 | Goldendoodle | Cane Corso | +255% |
| 7 | Surrey, BC | 46.1 | Labrador Retriever | Boston Terrier | +107% |
| 8 | Saskatoon, SK | 45.7 | Golden Retriever | Australian Cattle Dog | +343% |
| 9 | Ottawa, ON | 45.1 | Labrador Retriever | Korean Jindo Dog | +249% |
| 10 | Brampton, ON | 42.5 | Cockapoo | Miniature Schnauzer | +232% |
| 11 | Cambridge, ON | 33.0 | Golden Retriever | Siberian Husky | +347% |
Leash and Lifestyle,
City Picks by Pet Personality
No two dogs walk alike. A trail-loving explorer and a lounge-loving apartment dog want very different things from a neighborhood. By evaluating Walk Scores alongside the key characteristics of trending local breeds across eleven Canadian cities, we categorized each location into one of five distinct dog personality archetypes, to help pet parents determine their ideal dog-walking environment. Whether your dog lives for busy sidewalks or a quiet loop around the block, there’s a city that fits.
| City | Top Trending Dog Breed | Archetype Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | Brittany Spaniel | Canada’s most walkable city (79.8), wrapped in mountains, seawall and rainforest trails — a perfect match for the Brittany Spaniel, a tireless sporting breed built to run, hike and explore all day. |
| Montreal | Miniature Australian Shepherd | A dense but bike-and park-loving city (65.4) with Mont-Royal and a four-season outdoor culture, ideal for the Miniature Australian Shepherd — an energetic, agile herding breed that needs room to move and a person to move with. |
| City | Top Trending Dog Breed | Archetype Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Surrey | Boston Terrier | A moderate, residential Vancouver-area city (46.1) where an adaptable dog does just fine — the compact, easygoing Boston Terrier is content with a daily walk and plenty of downtime at home. |
| Brampton | Miniature Schnauzer | A comfortable, car-friendly Toronto-area suburb (42.5, the second-lowest walk score in the group) — an easy fit for the adaptable Miniature Schnauzer, a classic apartment dog happy with a brisk daily walk and a cozy spot at home. |
| City | Top Trending Dog Breed | Archetype Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg | Cane Corso | A quieter, spread-out prairie city (48.5) with a calm, unhurried pace — well matched to the Cane Corso, a reserved, watchful guardian that’s aloof with strangers and prefers a predictable routine over crowds. |
| Saskatoon | Australian Cattle Dog | A calm, wide-open prairie city (45.7) with an easygoing rhythm — suited to the Australian Cattle Dog, an independent, one-person breed that’s famously wary of strangers and happiest on a steady, low-key routine. |
| City | Top Trending Dog Breed | Archetype Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | A friendly, walkable mid-size city (49.6) of tight-knit neighborhoods, suited to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel — an affectionate, endlessly sociable companion that lives to greet every neighbor and dog on the sidewalk. |
| Mississauga | Boston Terrier | A comfortable, moderately walkable Toronto suburb (48.9) with a strong community feel — a natural home for the outgoing Boston Terrier, a friendly, social dog that’s happiest making friends around the block. |
| Cambridge | Siberian Husky | Naturally friendly, social and outgoing — the Siberian Husky is right at home in this historical down-to-earth city, with many waterfront trails, parks and pet-friendly establishments to frequent. |
| City | Top Trending Dog Breed | Archetype Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto | Australian Kelpie | Canada’s most dense, fastest-paced financial hub (61.0) home to busy professionals — perfect for the intelligent, energetic Australian Kelpie, happy to join their human for a morning run through the neighborhood or a weekend hike. |
| Ottawa | Korean Jindo Dog | A government-and-tech capital (45.1) full of busy professional schedules — a great fit for the Korean Jindo, a clean, dignified, remarkably independent breed content to hold the fort between midday play sessions and long walks after happy hour. |
No matter where you and your dog land on the map, finding the right routine is key to a happy home. And when life gets busy, you can always connect with a trusted dog walker on Rover to help make sure your pup sticks to their routine. If browsing all these pedestrian-friendly cities has you dreaming of a move, Redfin can help you find your next home in one of them.
