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.

Wordless Wednesday: Rocco Illustrated

About a week ago, we won a super cool illustration at a Twitter party hosted by EventBarkers.com. That's the group started by our pals Paris at DogTipper and Carrie at All Things Dog Blog.

During the Twitter event, Nate Fakes, the amazing illustrator and cartoonist, posted the step-by-step illustration of Rocco as it progressed. It was so much fun to see it develop!

Here's the final illustration, drawn from the photo we submitted at the top of this post! I love it and think it captures Rocco perfectly! Visit Nate's website to find out how you can get your own illustration!

The Twitter event we attended was all part of the EventBarkers.com Super Dog Sunday photo contest to benefit Petfinder Foundation. Find out how you can enter the photo contest here!

Thanks to Paris and Carrie for hosting this fun event!

Sneak Peak for Subaru's new Dog Tested, Dog Approved Commercials

What if your dog had purchasing power? If you tune in to Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl IX this Sunday, you'll find out! On game day, Feb. 3, Subaru plans to unveil it's new Dog Tested commercials with an all-new cast of canines and new cast member Grant Weber, a Subaru canine sales associate, who sells Subaru vehicles to dogs.

Take a look at these sneak peaks!

I've got to admit, I love the Subaru commercials. One of my favorites of all time is the one featuring the chocolate lab puppy who grows up while his growing family takes road trips in their Subaru.

In case you somehow missed it, here it is... it makes me cry (in a good way) every time!

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Just in time for game day, Subaru also will launch a new Facebook application packed with treats for dogs and dog lovers:

• Dog Matchmaker: With the help of Grant Weber, every dog can find their perfect Subaru..  Enter the dogs breed, weight, and lifestyle and the Matchmaker will identify a fitting model for the dog.
• Ask a Dog - Live: Type in a question and Our Subaru Canine Experts will work hard to dig up the results.
• Four-Paw Drivers Club: Let your dog become a four-legged Subaru enthusiast with their own dog driver's license. Upload a photo of your dog to populate a personalized dog driver's license and share with your friends.
• Put Your Dog in a Subaru: Every dog has his or her day. Now you can help them get there faster by putting them behind the wheel of a Subaru. Upload a picture of your furry friend, put them in the driver's seat, and see where the road takes them.

What will you be watching on game day -- the Puppy Bowl, the Super Bowl or just the commercials?

Puppy Tip: Keep Your Dog Occupied With a Kong Popsicle

Rocco enjoys his Kong loaded, frozen and ready to go!

One of the first things I bought after bringing Rocco home was a puppy-sized Kong. Actually, after I bought it, I found two more puppy Kongs in our well-organized toy cabinet the bottom of our over-stuffed toy basket. And as it turns out, having more than one Kong is incredibly useful when you're using the "stuff and freeze" technique.

We learned this quick tip in puppy class. Simply add hot water to your pup's dry kibble, and soak it until it turns to mush. After you stir it up, the consistency will be similar to canned dog food. Then stuff the mixture into a Kong and freeze it! We keep all three loaded, frozen and ready to go, providing Rocco with hours of Kong-licking pleasure.

Before learning the freeze technique, we stuffed dry kibble into the Kong. That also provided Rocco with some entertainment as he learned to maneuver the Kong to empty it in, oh, about 10 seconds. We like this loaded and frozen Kong not just because it lasts longer, but also because Rocco's still getting some nutritional value from the dog food stuffed inside. Just remember to account for the extra amounts of food as part of your pup's overall daily intake.

And when you leave the house, give your pup a loaded and frozen Kong to keep them occupied in their crate. They might not even notice you're gone!

Wordless Wednesday: Puppy Sleepover

Rocco Havanese and his littermate Kate enjoyed a sleepover this weekend. The 18-week-old pups were on the move most of the weekend so most of my photos are a blur! 

One puppy is enough, thank you... though Kate is welcome to come visit anytime!

Vintage Coca-Cola Crate turned Dog Bowl Holder from @SewWoodsy!

I had the pleasure of meeting Katie and Jon, the talented husband and wife DIY duo from SewWoodsy.com, at the Haven Conference last year. And today, I'm super excited to introduce them to you.  I think you'll love their creative DIY projects and this one in particular caught my eye!

If you've been looking for the perfect dog bowl holder or if your pup has the habit of picking up his food bowl and running around with it, this project could be the perfect solution for you. Katie and Jon created this dog bowl holder for their neighbor's five-month-old Yorkie using a vintage Coca-Cola crate and a little DIY know how. Head over to Sew Woodsy for the detailed tutorial and photos and learn how to make one for your own pup!

Wordless Wednesday: Havanese Play!

Rocco, who is four months old today, played with some of his Havanese pals last weekend. Here he romps with his pal Tyler!

Wheeee!

Watch the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge Finals on NBC This Saturday! #greatdog

Jack Russell hurdle racing at the PIDC finals last October. 

Each year, the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge features some of the most athletic dogs from around the country competing in agility, disc, diving and racing events. This Saturday, January 12 you can catch all the action from the 2012 finals on the national broadcast on NBC at 5 p.m. EST.

I attended both a local qualifier in Atlanta last year and also the 2012 finals at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, Mo., last October. The events are fabulous fun for the whole family, and if you ever have the opportunity to attend a local event or the final, I highly recommend it! And even better yet, the events are free AND you can bring your own dog to watch all the action!

Jennifer and True qualified from our local qualifier in Atlanta last year, and they earned a spot on the winner's podium at the finals!

The dock diving dogs at Purina Farms were spectacular!

Watch Saturday for all the action including events in Diving Dog, Freestyle Flying Disc, 30-Weave Up-and-Back, Jack Russell Hurdle Racing and Agility. You can also follow the fun on twitter using hashtag #greatdog.

And because I love a good tear-jerker (in a good way) of a commercial, I leave you with this... because inside every good dog is a great dog!

I can be great!

Cute Video Alert: Dogs in Slowmo!

You may remember the adorable Puppy Pile videos we posted last year. They were created by Keith Hopkin, who's been busy shooting even more fabulous videos.  Check out Dogs in Slowmo video he created, above, for BarkBox.com

Keith also created this equally nifty "Water" video for BarkBox. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Pondering the New Year

Rocco Havanese ponders the New Year...

 Smells ok...

Looks ok from here...

2013 here we come!

On the Rocs with Rocco Havanese!

From the day I brought Rocco home, he loved to play in these pebbles! Just another reason Rocco is the perfect name for him. Here, Rocco is 16 weeks old... they grow so fast!

Later today, we head to the vet for Rocco's 16-week weigh-in and third round of shots. The general rule for Havanese is to take their 16-week weight and double it to determine their approximate adult weight. 

My guess is Rocco will come in somewhere around 6 pounds 8 ounces today. At 12 weeks he weighed 5 pounds 4 ounces, and at eight weeks he weighed 3 pounds 5 ounces.  You can also take their eight-week weight and quadruple it... which puts Rocco right around 13 pounds as a grown up -- perfect for all the activities he'll do AND traveling in-cabin on an airplane. 

Rocco at 16-weeks! Can't wait to see how his colors change too.

UPDATE: Rocco weighed in at 7 pounds 1 ounce at the vet today, and the vet proclaimed Rocco solid as a rock, of course! It'll be fun to watch him grow up!

Top Pet Names of 2012

I scoured all the baby and dog name lists and asked for
suggestions before I named Rocco Havanese.
I think the name suits him perfectly!

Is your pet's name among the most popular, or does your taste run toward the more unusual?

Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation's largest pet insurer reveals the most popular names for 2012 with "Bella" once again topping the list of most common dog and cat names. The name also made the top 10 birds and exotic pet's names list for the first time, coming in as the third most popular. VPI sorted its database of more than 485,000 insured pets to determine the most popular pet names of 2012.

Following are the top 10 most common names for dogs and cats, as well as birds and exotic pets:

Dogs	Cats	Birds and Exotics
1. Bella	1. Bella	1. Charlie
2. Bailey	2. Max	2. Buddy
3. Max	3. Chloe	3. Bella
4. Lucy	4. Oliver	4. Max
5. Molly	5. Lucy	5. Angel
6. Buddy	6. Smokey	6. Baby
7. Daisy	7. Shadow	7. Coco
8. Maggie	8. Tiger	8. Rocky
9. Charlie	9. Charlie	9. Bandit
10. Sophie	10. Tigger	10. Sunny

Pet owners continue to prefer human names for their furry friends. Each of the top five dog and cat names were also among Babycenter.com's 100 most popular baby names of 2012. Meanwhile, traditional dog names continue to trend downward. Of the nearly half a million pets insured by VPI, only 11 dogs barked to "Fido," and just 65 cats purred to "Fluffy."

What inspired you to name your pet?

Wordless Wednesday: Puppy Agility!

Rocco Havanese and his new pal Dancer, a Bull Mastiff puppy, had their first taste of agility this past weekend.

Here Rocco is 15 weeks and Dancer is nine weeks old.

They became fast friends!

Wheeeee!