Today the American Kennel Club (AKC) announced the most popular dog breeds of 2012 in the U.S. Labrador Retrievers have tied the Poodle for the longest reign in the top spot – 22 years.
In comparison to last year’s ranking, the top ten breeds remain the same, but there have been some shifts in the popularity scale. The top two breeds, the Labrador Retriever and the German Shepherd Dog, are the same as in 2011. The Golden Retriever and Beagle switched spots this year, representing the third and fourth spots on the list, respectively. The bulldog has broken its way into the top 5, knocking the Yorkshire Terrier into 6th place for the first time since 2003.
The top breeds for 2012 mark a rise in the popularity of the bigger breeds. "Bigger breeds are making their move," said AKC Spokesperson Lisa Peterson. "The popularity of the pint-sized, portable pooch just gave way to a litter of larger breeds in the Top 10. These predictable, durable, steady breeds, like Labs and Goldens, are great with kids and offer the whole family more dog to love."
According to the AKC, notable trends among the list for 2012 include a rise in the popularity of Mastiff-type breeds. Over the past decade, the Mastiff moved up from 34th to 26th , the Bullmastiff from 47th to 39th. “Bully” breeds, such as the Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Miniature Bull Terrier are also making strong gains. Among the groups, sporting breeds such as the Spinone Italiano, Boykin Spaniel and Welsh Springer Spaniel, moved up the list.
Although the big dogs are the dogs of the hour, small breeds are still holding their own. The Havanese, Affenpinscher, Chihuahua, Pomeranian and Pug are all on the rise.
Two new breeds entered the AKC registry in 2012 and appeared on the list of most popular breeds for the first time. Russell Terriers ranked 43rd and Treeing Walker Coonhounds showed up at number 100.
The top ten most popular dog breeds in the U.S. for 2012 are
1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd Dog
3. Golden Retriever
4. Beagle
5. Bulldog
6. Yorkshire Terrier
7. Boxer
8. Poodle
9. Rottweiler
10. Dachshund
Although there are no specific numbers available for Sacramento, nearby San Francisco’s five most popular breeds are
1. Labrador Retriever
2. French Bulldog
3. Golden Retriever
4. Pembroke Welsh Corgi
5. Bernese Mountain Dog
On January 1st, 2013, the AKC added two more breeds to its list of recognized breeds. The addition of the Chinook and Portuguese Podengo Pequeno raise the total number of recognized breeds to 177.
For more information about AKC, recognized dog breeds, events and activities, please visit the AKC’s website at www.akc.org.
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