What Are The Most Popular Dog Breeds?

Everywhere you look, dogs are there. Out for a walk, in the park, or just on tv, dogs fill such a major part of our lives and attention.

Have you ever wondered, which dog breed is truly the most popular? Thankfully, by utilizing known breed registrations with the American Kennel Club (AKC), we can figure this out!

Dog Breed Popularity 2015-1018

We are waiting on the 2019 numbers to come out so we can add these to the list!

Rank	2018	2017	2016	2015
1	Labrador Retriever	Labrador Retriever	Labrador Retriever	Labrador Retriever
2	German Shepherd	German Shepherd	German Shepherd	German Shepherd
3	Golden Retriever	Golden Retriever	Golden Retriever	Golden Retriever
4	French Bulldog	French Bulldog	Bulldog	Bulldog
5	Bulldog	Bulldog	Bealge	Beagle
6	Beagle	Beagle	French Bulldog	French Bulldog
7	Poodle	Poodle	Poodle	Yorkshire Terrier
8	Rottweiler	Rottweiler	Rottweiler	Poodle
9	German Shorthaired Pointer	Yorkshire Terrier	Yorkshire Terrier	Rottweiler
10	Yorkshire Terrier	German Shorthaired Pointer	Boxer	Boxer
11	Boxer	Boxer	German Shorthaired Pointer	German Shorthaired Pointer
12	Dachsund	Siberian Husky	Siberian Husky	Siberian Husky
13	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	Dachsund	Dachsund	Dachsund
14	Siberian Husky	Great Dane	Great Dane	Doberman Pinscher
15	Australian Shepherd	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	Doberman Pinscher	Great Dane
16	Great Dane	Doberman Pinscher	Australian Shepherd	Miniature Schnauzer
17	Doberman Pinscher	Australian Shepherd	Miniature Schnauzer	Australian Shepherd
18	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	Miniature Schnauzer	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
19	Miniature Schnauzer	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	Shih Tzu
20	Shih Tzu	Shih Tzu	Shih Tzu	Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Limitations Of This Popularity List

I would not consider this a highly accurate list of dog breeds as who can truly figure that out? Of all the purebred dogs around, this is likely a fairly accurate list.

You may find some breeds to be really common in your area that aren’t as common in other areas. Around where I live the Golden Retriever is very over-represented and Doberman Pinschers are far more uncommon.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Being So Popular For These Dog Breeds?

Dog breeds that are really popular suffer from over-breeding. What is that? Well, over-breeding is when so many dogs in one particular breed are produced and the overall gene pool of that breed becomes diluted.

If only the highest-quality dogs of any breed were bred, the health and behavioral issues commonly associated with those breeds could be limited.

Some examples of this idea are the association we have with Labrador Retrievers and hip dysplasia or Golden Retrievers with cancer. As a veterinarian, certain breeds just embody certain diseases more than others.

I remember back in the early 1990’s when I was first learning and working with dogs at a very large kennel and animal hospital. One nugget of knowledge that I was taught over and over then was how the American Cocker Spaniel, one of the most popular breeds of dogs for the prior 30 years, had become ruined by its popularity.

Specifically, the sweet and endearing personality that so many loved about the breed had become tainted with aggressive and fearful dogs that were becoming more common in the breed. This may not represent the Cocker Spaniels in your area, but this was what was being shown to me where I was living back at that time.

What’s Missing From This List?

There are obviously two major categories of dogs that are missing from this popularity list:

• Non-purebred dogs (Mutts)
• Dogs whose breeds aren’t on the AKC list of approved purebreds

It’s likely that the most popular “breed” of dogs is actually not a breed. Mutts are probably more common than any purebred dog and it’s probably not that close. With the social pressure now to “adopt” rather than “buy,” mutts are getting their time to shine in the spotlight.

What Breeds Are Most Likely To Be Most Popular In The Future?

With the explosion in popularity of “designer” dog breeds, you would expect one or more of these new breeds to eventually break into the top ranks of popular dog breeds in the future.

I’m specifically thinking of the Poodle crosses like the Golden Doodle or the Labradoodle. Of all the Poodle crosses, these by far are the most common. But how does a dog even get accepted as a breed by the AKC, which would be the first major step?

Steps To Becoming An AKC-Registered Dog Breed

1. Form a National Association for the breed – Golden Doodles have one!
2. Need to demonstrate an active following in the breed – at least 100 active members in the National Association are needed
3. The breed needs to have at least 300-400 minimum dogs registered with the Association with at least 3 generations fully recorded.
4. There must be a geographic distribution in the United States of at least 20 states
5. Finally, the AKC has to review and approve of that association’s breed standard. The Association (or Club) has to have the AKC approve and inspect the club’s constitution and by-laws. Field staff of the AKC will also observe the dogs in person to establish that the standards are being maintained throughout the registered dogs.

If any of the Doodle breeds want to eventually become an AKC member, they have to agree to all of the above terms. I think it’s an eventuality that one or more of the Doodle breeds will make it into the AKC, but it’s likely to take quite a while before that happens.