Top 10 Most Popular Dog Breeds

Havanese continue to move up the list, ranking 28th in 2012

Is bigger really better? According to 2012 registration statistics from the American Kennel Club (AKC), that seems to be the case with some of the bigger breeds making their move into the top 10.

In 2012, the Bulldog muscled its way into the top five, becoming the fifth most popular dog in the U.S., bumping the tiny Yorkshire Terrier into sixth place for the first time since 2003.  The Golden Retriever also pushed its way back to the top, overtaking the Beagle for third place, and Rottweilers continued their climb up the top 10 list by taking ninth place away from the Dachshund, both adding to the bigger breed trend.  Labrador Retriever lovers have again spoken – the playful, family friendly breed remains the number one most popular breed in the U.S. for the 22^nd consecutive year, tying with the Poodle for the longest reign in the top spot.

While not in the top 10, some small breeds like the French Bulldog and Havanese, continue to march up the list. The Frenchies have gone from 58th to 14th place over the last 10 years while Havanese have moved up from 64th to 28th.

2012 Most Popular Dogs in the U.S. 2011 Ranking 1. Labrador Retriever 1. Labrador Retriever 2. German Shepherd Dog 2. German Shepherd Dog 3. Golden Retriever 3. Beagle 4. Beagle 4. Golden Retriever 5. Bulldog 5. Yorkshire Terrier 6. Yorkshire Terrier 6. Bulldog 7. Boxer 7. Boxer 8. Poodle 8. Poodle 9. Rottweiler 9. Dachshund 10. Dachshund 10. Rottweiler

Most Notable Dog Trends in 2012 include:

• Mastiff-type breeds have risen in rank, with the Mastiff going from 34 to 26 and the Bullmastiff from 47 to 39 over the past decade, and the Cane Corso (67 to 60), Neapolitan Mastiff (116 to 112), and Dogue de Bordeaux (69 to 67) all making gains since the year they became recognized.
• "Bully" breeds have pawed their way into people's hearts over the past decade with the Bull Terrier (79 to 51), Staffordshire Bull Terrier (91 to 76), and Miniature Bull Terrier (132 to 126) all making strong gains.
• Dog owners are showing their love for Sporting Breeds over this past year as the Spinone Italiano(123 to 114), Boykin Spaniel (138 to 116), and Welsh Springer Spaniel (130 to 125) have all made their way up the list.
• Small dogs that are on the rise this year are the Havanese (31 to 28) and Affenpinscher (139 to 138), while the Chihuahua (14 to 18), Pomeranian (17 to 19), and Pug (26 to 30) seem to have fallen out of favor.

In addition, the AKC expanded its litter of recognized breeds on January 1 to include the Chinook and Portuguese Podengo Pequeno, growing AKC's family to 177 breeds.

Find more statistics, including the most popular breeds in your state here.