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Top Dog Breeds of 2012 – Most Popular Dogs

This year the AKC celebrates its 129th anniversary and for the 22th year in a row, the Labrador retriever is once again America’s favorite purebred dog, according to registration numbers tallied by the American Kennel Club. The AKC released the figures and, as in past years, the Labrador far outstrips the other dogs in the top 10.

Changes This Year

Big Dogs Rule this year. The biggest change this year is the large breeds bumped out several of the smaller dog breeds. Here is the rundown. The Bulldog has climbed his way in to #5 dog! – which bumped the Yorkshire terrier in to #6 spot. The Golden Retriever has also pushed himself into the #3 spot – overtaking the Beagle. The Rottweiler also climbed in to 9th place – displacing the Dachshund.

Here are the trends of the past few years:

In 2011, The Beagle jumped into 3rd place from fourth knocking out the Yorkshire Terrier to #5. The Golden Retriever also jumped into 4th place. The Shih Tzu was knocked off the top 10 list and a new breed was added – the Rottweiler.

In 2010, the biggest change was that the Beagle jumped into 4th place from fifth knocking out the Golden Retriever to 5th. The bulldog also jumped into 6th place knocking out the boxer.

In 2009, the biggest change was that the German Shepherd Dog came in at #2 knocking the Yorkshire Terrier down one notch to #2 dog. The was first time the German shepherd ranked #2 in over 30 years. In 2011, the German Shepherd Dog retains it’s second place spot.

If you look at to 2008, it was the first time the bulldog made it into the top ten list since 1935 and has continued to increase and maintained his spot in 6th again this year.

Over the past several years, the top 10 list has been relatively stable. The biggest changes are that six years ago, in 2005, one new breed joined the top 10 list and one got bumped off. The Miniature Schnauzer came in at #10 displacing the Chihuahua into the #11 position. In 2007, the Miniature Schnauzer was dropped from the top 10 list. And in 2008, the Bulldog jumped on the top 10 list. In 2010, the Rottweiler jumped on the top 10 list bumping the Shih Tzu off the list.

Large Vs. Small Breeds

Six out of the top ten AKC registered breeds are large breed dogs! These include the Labrador retriever, German shepherd, golden retriever, Boxer, Rottweiler, and Bulldog. The rest are smaller breed dogs which includes the Yorkie, Beagle, Dachshund, and Poodle.

The Top 10 Breeds of 2012 are:
1. Labrador retrievers
2. German shepherds
3. Golden retrievers
4. Beagles
5. Bulldog
6. Yorkshire terriers
7. Boxers
8. Poodles
9. Rottweiler
10. Dachshunds

The Top 10 Breeds of 2011 were:
1. Labrador retrievers
2. German shepherds
3. Beagles
4. Golden retrievers
5. Yorkshire terriers
6. Bulldog
7. Boxers
8. Poodles
9. Dachshunds
10. Rottweiler

The Top 10 Breeds of 2010 were:
1. Labrador retrievers
2. German shepherds
3. Yorkshire terriers
4. Beagles
5. Golden retrievers
6. Bulldog
7. Boxers
8. Dachshunds
9. Poodles
10. Shih Tzus

AKC Categories

The AKC recognizes dogs in seven categories: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding. The largest breed registration in each group is as follows:

The Entire Ranking of 2012 AKC Dog Registrations

Rank Breed
1. Labrador Retrievers
2. German Shepherd Dogs
3. Golden Retrievers
4. Beagles
5. Bulldogs
6. Yorkshire Terriers
7. Boxers
8. Poodles
9. Rottweilers
10. Dachshunds
11. Shih Tzu
12. Doberman Pinschers
13. Miniature Schnauzers
14. French Bulldogs
15. German Shorthaired Pointers
16. Siberian Huskies
17. Great Danes
18. Chihuahuas
19. Pomeranians
20. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
21. Shetland Sheepdogs
22. Australian Shepherds
23. Boston Terriers
24. Pembroke Welsh Corgis
25. Maltese
26. Mastiffs
27. Cocker Spaniels
28. Havanese
29. English Springer Spaniels
30. Pugs
31. Brittanys
32. Weimaraners
33. Bernese Mountain Dogs
34. Vizslas
35. Collies
36. West Highland White Terriers
37. Papillons
38. Bichons Frises
39. Bullmastiffs
40. Basset Hounds
41. Rhodesian Ridgebacks
42. Newfoundlands
43. Russell Terriers**
44. Border Collies
45. Akitas
46. Chesapeake Bay Retrievers
47. Miniature Pinschers
48. Bloodhounds
49. St. Bernards
50. Shiba Inu
51. Bull Terriers
52. Chinese Shar-Pei
53. Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers
54. Airedale Terriers
55. Portuguese Water Dogs
56. Whippets
57. Alaskan Malamutes
58. Scottish Terriers
59. Australian Cattle Dogs
60. Cane Corso
61. Lhasa Apsos
62. Chinese Crested
63. Cairn Terriers
64. English Cocker Spaniels
65. Dalmatians
66. Italian Greyhounds
67. Dogues de Bordeaux
68. Samoyeds
69. Chow Chows
70. German Wirehaired Pointers
71. Belgian Malinois
72. Great Pyrenees
73. Pekingese
74. Irish Setters
75. Cardigan Welsh Corgis
76. Staffordshire Bull Terriers
77. Irish Wolfhounds
78. Old English Sheepdogs
79. American Staffordshire Terriers
80. Bouviers des Flandres
81. Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs
82. Japanese Chin
83. Tibetan Terriers
84. Brussels Griffons
85. Wirehaired Pointing Griffons
86. Border Terriers
87. English Setters
88. Basenjis

Rank Breed

89. Standard Schnauzers
90. Silky Terriers
91. Flat-Coated Retrievers
92. Norwich Terriers
93. Afghan Hounds
94. Giant Schnauzers
95. Borzois
96. Wire Fox Terriers
97. Parson Russell Terriers
98. Schipperkes
99. Gordon Setters
100. Treeing Walker Coonhounds 101. Keeshonden
102. Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers
103. Toy Fox Terriers
104. Leonbergers
105. Norwegian Elkhounds
106. Belgian Tervuren
107. Anatolian Shepherd Dogs
108. Welsh Terriers
109. Black and Tan Coonhounds
110. Pointers
111. Tibetan Spaniels
112. Neapolitan Mastiffs
113. American Eskimo Dogs
114. Spinoni Italiani
115. Smooth Fox Terriers
116. Boykin Spaniels
117. Bearded Collies
118. Salukis
119. Norfolk Terriers
120. Black Russian Terriers
121. Manchester Terriers
122. Briards
123. Australian Terriers
124. Belgian Sheepdogs
125. Welsh Springer Spaniels
126. Miniature Bull Terriers
127. Petits Bassets Griffons Vendeens
128. Kerry Blue Terriers
129. Tibetan Mastiffs
130. Irish Terriers
131. Clumber Spaniels
132. Redbone Coonhounds
133. Bluetick Coonhounds
134. English Toy Spaniels
135. Lakeland Terriers
136. German Pinschers
137. Xoloitzcuintli
138. Affenpinschers
139. Scottish Deerhounds
140. Beaucerons
141. American Water Spaniels
142. Ibizan Hounds
143. Icelandic Sheepdogs
144. Bedlington Terriers
145. Pulik
146. Greyhounds
147. Field Spaniels
148. Swedish Vallhunds
149. American English Coonhounds
150. Plotts
151. Kuvaszok
152. Polish Lowland Sheepdogs
153. Curly-Coated Retrievers
154. Irish Water Spaniels
155. Irish Red and White Setters
156. Lowchen
157. Entlebucher Mountain Dogs
158. Pharaoh Hounds
159. Canaan Dogs
160. Finnish Spitz
161. Sealyham Terriers
162. Glen of Imaal Terriers
163. Norwegian Buhunds
164. Finnish Lapphunds
165. Pyrenean Shepherds
166. Skye Terriers
167. Sussex Spaniels
168. Otterhounds
169. Komondorok
170. Dandie Dinmont Terriers
171. Harriers
172. American Foxhounds
173. Norwegian Lundehunds
174. Cesky Terriers
175. English Foxhounds

**

*NOTES:*Data from AKC website: http://www.akc.org/reg/dogreg\\_stats.cfm