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This year the AKC celebrates its 127th anniversary and for the 20th 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
The biggest change this year is 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. It was first time the German shepherd ranked #2 in over 30 years.
In 2008, for the first time the bulldog made it into the top ten list since 1935 and has continued to increase and jumped up to 6th place 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.
Large Vs. Small Breeds
Five out of the top ten AKC registered breeds are large breed dogs! These include the Labrador retriever, German shepherd, golden retriever, Boxer and Bulldog. The rest are smaller breed dogs which includes the Yorkie, Beagle, Dachshund, Poodle, and Shih Tzu.
The Top 10 Breeds of 2010 are:
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
The Top 10 Breeds of 2009 are:
1. Labrador retrievers
2. German shepherds
3. Yorkshire terriers
4. Golden retrievers
5. Beagles
6. Boxers
7. Bulldog
8. Dachshunds
9. Poodles
10. Shih Tzus
The Top Breeds of 2008 were:
1. Labrador retrievers
2. Yorkshire terriers
3. German shepherds
4. Golden retrievers
5. Beagles
6. Boxers
7. Dachshunds
8. Bulldog
9. Poodles
10. Shih Tzus
The Top 10 Breeds of 2007 were:
1. Labrador retrievers
2. Yorkshire terriers
3. German shepherds
4. Golden retrievers
5. Beagles
6. Boxers
7. Dachshunds
8. Poodles
9. Shih Tzus
10. Bulldog
The Top 10 Breeds of 2006 were:
1. Labrador retrievers
2. Yorkshire terriers
3. German shepherds
4. Golden retrievers
5. Beagles
6. Dachshunds
7. Boxers
8. Poodles
9. Shih Tzus
10. Miniature Schnauzer
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:
How Did YOUR Breed Score? Go to Top Dog Breeds of 2010 for the entire 2010 AKC ranking.
The Entire Ranking of 2010 AKC Dog Registrations
Rank Breed
1. Labrador Retrievers
2. German Shepherd Dogs
3. Yorkshire Terriers
4. Beagles
5. Golden Retrievers
6. Bulldogs
7. Boxers
8. Dachshunds
9. Poodles
10. Shih Tzu
11. Rottweilers
12. Miniature Schnauzers
13. Chihuahuas
14. Doberman Pinschers
15. Pomeranians
16. German Shorthaired Pointers
17. Great Danes
18. Siberian Huskies
19. Shetland Sheepdogs
20. Boston Terriers
21. French Bulldogs
22. Maltese
23. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
24. Pugs
25. Cocker Spaniels
26. Australian Shepherds
27. Pembroke Welsh Corgis
28. Mastiffs
29. English Springer Spaniels
30. Brittanys
31. Havanese
32. Weimaraners
33. Leonbergers++
34. West Highland White Terriers
35. Papillons
36. Basset Hounds
37. Bichons Frises
38. Collies
39. Bernese Mountain Dogs
40. Miniature Pinschers
41. Vizslas
42. Bullmastiffs
43. Bloodhounds
44. Newfoundlands
45. St. Bernards
46. Rhodesian Ridgebacks
47. Border Collies
48. Chesapeake Bay Retrievers
49. Akitas
50. Chinese Shar-Pei
51. Cane Corso++
52. Scottish Terriers
53. Bull Terriers
54. Airedale Terriers
55. Portuguese Water Dogs
56. Cairn Terriers
57. Chinese Crested
58. Alaskan Malamutes
59. Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers
60. Whippets
61. Pekingese
62. Lhasa Apsos
63. Shiba Inu
64. Australian Cattle Dogs
65. Chow Chows
66. English Cocker Spaniels
67. Italian Greyhounds
68. Dogues de Bordeaux
69. Dalmatians
70. American Staffordshire Terriers
71. Great Pyrenees
72. Samoyeds
73. German Wirehaired Pointers
74. Staffordshire Bull Terriers
75. Japanese Chin
76. Belgian Malinois
77. Irish Setters
78. Silky Terriers
79. Irish Wolfhounds
80. Brussels Griffons
81. Old English Sheepdogs
82. Icelandic Sheepdogs++
Rank Breed
83. Border Terriers
84. Cardigan Welsh Corgis
85. Bouviers des Flandres
86. Afghan Hounds
87. Keeshonden
88. Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs
89. Basenjis
90. Tibetan Terriers
91. Black and Tan Coonhounds
92. Parson Russell Terriers
93. Wirehaired Pointing Griffons
94. Giant Schnauzers
95. Standard Schnauzers
96. Borzois
97. Wire Fox Terriers
98. Gordon Setters
99. Toy Fox Terriers
100. Norwich Terriers
101. English Setters
102. Schipperkes
103. Flat-Coated Retrievers
104. Tibetan Spaniels
105. Welsh Terriers
106. Norwegian Elkhounds
107. Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers
108. Belgian Tervuren
109. Anatolian Shepherd Dogs
110. Smooth Fox Terriers
111. Pointers
112. Bearded Collies
113. Neapolitan Mastiffs
114. American Eskimo Dogs
115. Salukis
116. Belgian Sheepdogs
117. Norfolk Terriers
118. Spinoni Italiani
119. Bluetick Coonhounds
120. Kerry Blue Terriers
121. Manchester Terriers
122. Redbone Coonhounds
123. Australian Terriers
124. Tibetan Mastiffs
125. Briards
126. English Toy Spaniels
127. Welsh Springer Spaniels
128. Irish Terriers
129. Petits Bassets Griffons Vendeens
130. Miniature Bull Terriers
131. Clumber Spaniels
132. Field Spaniels
133. Boykin Spaniels
134. Plotts
135. Black Russian Terriers
136. Affenpinschers
137. Lakeland Terriers
138. German Pinschers
139. Greyhounds
140. Bedlington Terriers
141. Scottish Deerhounds
142. Swedish Vallhunds
143. American Water Spaniels
144. Kuvaszok
145. Pulik
146. Curly-Coated Retrievers
147. Lowchen
148. Irish Water Spaniels
149. Polish Lowland Sheepdogs
150. Irish Red and White Setters
151. Ibizan Hounds
152. Sealyham Terriers
153. Beaucerons
154. Komondorok
155. Sussex Spaniels
156. Pharaoh Hounds
157. Glen of Imaal Terriers
158. Finnish Spitz
159. Norwegian Buhunds
160. Skye Terriers
161. Otterhounds
162. Pyrenean Shepherds
163. Canaan Dogs
164. Dandie Dinmont Terriers
165. Harriers
166. American Foxhounds
167. English Foxhounds
+ New breeds entered in AKC registry in 2010.
++ Data from AKC website: http://www.akc.org/reg/dogreg_stats.cfm
