In the end, the filmography of dogs is not a list of titles. It is a living, breathing archive of how we see ourselves. And as long as there are smartphones and living room couches, there will be a new canine auteur waiting for their close-up—preferably while accidentally stepping in a puddle and looking confused.

A dog doing a backflip gets a polite applause. A dog looking guilty over a shredded couch gets a billion views. We don't want to see a trained actor; we want to see a mirror.

The "popular dog video" breaks down into distinct, repeatable genres: