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The latest data on the popularity of various dog breeds, based on the American Kennel Club (AKC) registration data has just been released. The mainstream media will doubtless cover this event the way that they always do, focusing only on the top 10 breeds. Thus you will hear it trumpeted that the Labrador Retriever has done it again, holding the number one spot on the most popular list for the 24th consecutive year and that this continues the longest reign of any breed as America's top dog. The media will probably also emphasize that the Bulldog has crept up in the top 10 list, now reaching number 4 in popularity for the first time, and that this is the highest ranking in the history of this breed. You will also probably hear that the French Bulldog has now made it into the top 10 for the first time in nearly 100 years while the Dachshund was knocked out of the top 10 this year for the first time since 1985, slipping to number 11.
I doubt that many journalists will note that, over a long period of history, at least six out of the top 10 breeds are almost always predictable. You can always find a pair of full-sized family-friendly dogs (Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers) and a pair of dependable guard dogs (most typically German Shepherds and Rottweilers), plus the elegant and intelligent Poodle and the endearing, lovable and apartment sized, Beagle. Most of the "action" in terms of dogs rising and falling into and out of the top 10 list deals with the remaining four open slots.
This focus on just the 10 most popular dogs ignores a lot of interesting information. It leaves people who care about Doberman Pinschers, Great Danes, Shih Tzu's, Pomeranians and other breeds that never make it to the top 10 without any data about where their dogs ranked in terms of popularity. Such dog lovers are without any information about trends for their chosen breeds which might answer the question "Is my favorite breed of dog increasing or decreasing in terms of popularity?" Therefore I thought that it might be useful to give you the full list of the rankings all all of the breeds of dogs registered by the AKC. I also thought that it might be useful to give you some comparison data so that you can see the trend over the past five years in terms of each breed's popularity ranking.
Just to give you a quick idea as to what the data shows, we find a number of dogs have increased in popularity by more than 10 ranks over the past five years. The greatest gains have been made by a number of breeds that might not be well known to the public, such as the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, and Anatolian Shepherd Dog. But other breeds that have also increased in popularity by 10 or more ranks include more familiar breeds such as Australian Shepherds, Newfoundlands, Border Collies, Shiba Inus, Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers, Samoyeds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Flat-Coated Retrievers, Keeshonden, and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers.
However some breeds of dogs have taken a major hit in terms of their popularity. Three relatively unfamiliar breeds of dogs have dropped more than 60 ranks over the past five years, specifically the Bluetick Coonhound, Norwegian Buhund, and Pyrenean Shepherd. However a number of well recognized breeds of dog have also sunk 10 or more ranks in terms of their popularity including the Pug, Chihuahua, Chinese Shar-Pei, Pekingese, Parson Jack Russell Terrier, Black and Tan Coonhound as well as the Brussels Griffon, Silky Terrier, and Japanese Chin.
Why certain specific breeds rise or fall in terms of their popularity, while others remain constant is a mystery — but it does make for great cocktail party conversation. In any event, for your edification here is the full list of all of the 178 dog breeds registered by the American Kennel Club ranked in terms of their popularity over the past five years.
Breed 2014 2013 2009
Labrador Retrievers 1 1 1
German Shepherds 2 2 2
Golden retrievers 3 3 4
Bulldogs 4 5 7
Beagles 5 4 5
Yorkshire Terriers 6 6 3
Poodles 7 8 9
Boxers 8 7 6
French Bulldogs 9 11 24
Rottweilers 10 9 13
Dachshunds 11 10 8
German Shorthaired Pointers 12 13 16
Siberian Huskies 13 14 22
Doberman Pinschers 14 12 15
Great Danes 15 16 21
Miniature Schnauzers 16 17 11
Shih Tzu 17 15 10
Australian Shepherds 18 20 28
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 19 18 25
Pomeranians 20 19 14
Shetland Sheepdogs 21 21 18
Pembroke Welsh Corgis 22 24 26
Boston Terriers 23 23 19
Chihuahuas 24 22 12
Havanese 25 25 32
Mastiffs 26 26 27
Brittanys 27 30 30
English Springer Spaniels 28 28 29
Maltese 29 27 20
Cocker Spaniels 30 29 23
Bernese Mountain Dogs 31 32 39
Pugs 32 31 17
Vizslas 33 34 42
Weimaraners 34 33 31
Collies 35 35 38
Newfoundlands 36 37 46
West Highland White Terriers 37 36 36
Rhodesian Ridgebacks 38 39 48
Border Collies 39 44 52
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers 40 43 49
Basset Hounds 41 41 34
Papillons 42 38 37
Bichons Frises 43 40 35
Bullmastiffs 44 40 42
Akitas 45 45 50
Shiba Inu 46 46 65
Cane Corso 47 50 -
Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers 48 51 62
Bloodhounds 49 48 43
Saint Bernards 50 47 45
Portuguese Water Dogs 51 49 60
Bull Terriers 52 52 57
Alaskan Malamutes 53 57 58
Australian Cattle Dogs 54 58 67
Whippets 55 59 61
Airedale Terriers 56 56 59
Chinese Shar-Pei 57 54 47
Scottish Terriers 58 55 51
Belgian Malinois 59 60 81
Miniature Pinscher 60 53 33
English Cocker Spaniels 61 62 66
Dogues de Bordeaux 62 65 69
Chinese Crested 63 68 55
Dalmatians 64 64 75
Lhasa Apsos 65 63 54
Samoyeds 66 67 76
Cairn Terriers 67 61 56
Chow Chows 68 70 63
German Wirehaired Pointers 69 71 74
Irish Wolfhounds 70 73 84
Irish Setters 71 72 73
Italian Greyhounds 72 66 68
Great Pyrenees 73 69 64
Wirehaired Pointing Griffons 74 80 108
Old English Sheepdogs 75 78 79
Cardigan Welsh Corgis 76 75 83
Staffordshire Bull Terriers 77 79 77
Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs 78 74 101
Bouviers des Flandres 79 82 85
Pekingese 80 77 53
Giant Schnauzers 81 83 89
American Staffordshire Terriers 82 76 70
Border Terriers 83 81 82
Basenjis 84 85 88
Keeshonden 85 86 102
Tibetan Terriers 86 88 96
English Setters 87 91 94
Standard Schnauzers 88 90 99
Brussels Griffons 89 84 72
Flat-Coated Retrievers 90 94 106
Japanese Chin 91 87 71
Anatolian Shepherd Dogs 92 93 115
Wire Fox Terriers 93 96 95
Norwich Terriers 94 89 98
Afghan Hounds 95 95 91
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers 96 97 110
Gordon Setters 97 105 97
Silky Terriers 98 92 78
Borzois 99 99 90
Norwegian Elkhounds 100 103 105
Leonbergers 101 98 -
Russell Terriers 102 102 -
Welsh Terriers 103 104 103
Boykin Spaniels 104 121 92
Schipperkes 105 109 93
Belgian Tervuren 106 108 109
Rat Terriers 107 - -
Treeing Walker Coonhounds 108 101 -
Neapolitan Mastiffs 109 111 113
Toy Fox Terriers 110 107 100
Parson Russell Terriers 111 100 87
Spinoni Italiani 112 117 119
Pointers 113 114 114
American Eskimo Dogs 114 110 118
Bearded Collies 115 112 116
Tibetan Spaniels 116 106 111
Belgian Sheepdogs 117 119 120
Fox Terriers (Smooth) 118 116 123
Irish Terriers 119 123 132
Black and Tan Coonhounds 120 113 86
Black Russian Terriers 121 118 130
Kerry Blue Terriers 122 126 121
Miniature Bull Terriers 123 125 125
Bluetick Coonhounds 124 128 44
Norfolk Terriers 125 129 122
Briards 126 127 127
Welsh Springer Spaniels 127 124 136
Salukis 128 115 112
Tibetan Mastiffs 129 132 131
Manchester Terriers 130 120 117
Field Spaniels 131 140 137
English Toy Spaniels 132 135 129
Australian Terriers 133 122 124
Bedlington Terriers 134 137 135
German Pinschers 135 130 146
Xoloitzcuintli 136 139 -
Clumber Spaniels 137 131 128
Affenpinschers 138 143 133
Beaucerons 139 152 148
Icelandic Sheepdogs 140 142 -
Greyhounds 141 148 140
Redbone Coonhounds 142 133 41
Lakeland Terriers 143 134 138
Petits Bassets Griffons Vendeens 144 138 134
Pulik 145 136 149
Irish Water Spaniels 146 141 150
Entlebucher Mountain Dogs 147 155 -
Plotts 148 149 126
Irish Red and White Setters 149 145 80
American English Coonhounds 150 146 -
Scottish Deerhounds 151 165 142
Swedish Vallhunds 152 147 147
Ibizan Hounds 153 151 144
American Water Spaniels 154 144 139
Kuvaszok 155 150 141
Glen of Imaal Terriers 156 167 158
Curly-Coated Retrievers 157 163 145
Pharaoh Hounds 158 160 152
Lowchen 159 154 143
Portuguese Podengo Pequenos 160 153 -
Dandie Dinmont Terriers 161 168 151
Komondorok 162 159 154
Sealyham Terriers 163 158 157
Polish Lowland Sheepdogs 164 157 153
Chinooks 165 156 -
Norwegian Buhunds 166 166 104
Finnish Lapphunds 167 171 -
Finnish Spitz 168 170 160
Sussex Spaniels 169 162 159
Canaan Dogs 170 164 156
Skye Terriers 171 161 155
Pyrenean Shepherds 172 169 107
Otterhounds 173 172 161
American Foxhounds 174 176 162
Harriers 175 173 163
Cesky Terriers 176 174 -
English Foxhounds 177 177 164
Norwegian Lundehunds 178 175 -
Stanley Coren is the author of many books including: The Wisdom of Dogs; Do Dogs Dream? Born to Bark; The Modern Dog; Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses? The Pawprints of History; How Dogs Think; How To Speak Dog; Why We Love the Dogs We Do; What Do Dogs Know? The Intelligence of Dogs; Why Does My Dog Act That Way? Understanding Dogs for Dummies; Sleep Thieves; The Left-hander Syndrome
Copyright SC Psychological Enterprises Ltd. May not be reprinted or reposted without permission
