Not that registration numbers necessarily correspond with quality, but some breeds are steady in terms of popularity and others vary. Why do certain breeds suddenly achieve heightened popularity?


• 2009 AKC Litter Registration Statistics

RANKING
BREED 2009 2008 2004 1999
Labrador Retrievers 1 1 1 1
German Shepherd Dogs 2 3 3 3
Yorkshire Terriers 3 2 5 9
Golden Retrievers 4 4 2 2
Beagles 5 5 4 5
Boxers 6 6 7 10
Bulldogs 7 8 14 21
Dachshunds 8 7 6 4
Poodles 9 9 8 6
Shih Tzu 10 10 9 11
Miniature Schnauzers 11 11 11 14
Chihuahuas 12 12 10 7
Rottweilers 13 14 16 8
Pomeranians 14 13 13 12
Doberman Pinschers 15 18 22 23
German Shorthaired Pointers 16 16 20 24
Pugs 17 15 12 16
Shetland Sheepdogs 18 19 18 15
Boston Terriers 19 17 17 19
Maltese 20 20 19 20
Great Danes 21 22 27 28
Siberian Huskies 22 23 24 18
Cocker Spaniels 23 21 15 13
French Bulldogs 24 26 49 73
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 25 25 32 58
Pembroke Welsh Corgis 26 24 23 30
Mastiffs 27 28 33 39
Australian Shepherds 28 29 34 38
English Springer Spaniels 29 27 28 26
Brittanys 30 30 30 31
Weimaraners 31 31 29 34
Havanese 32 36 52 92
Miniature Pinschers 33 32 21 17
Basset Hounds 34 33 25 22
Bichon Frises 35 35 26 25
West Highland White Terriers 36 34 31 29
Papillons 37 37 35 46
Collies 38 38 36 32
Bernese Mountain Dogs 39 40 48 59
Bullmastiffs 40 39 47 50
Redbone Coonhounds** 41 N/A N/A N/A
Vizslas 42 44 44 48
Bloodhounds 43 43 50 51
Bluetick Coonhounds** 44 N/A N/A N/A
St. Bernards 45 45 37 37
Newfoundlands 46 46 45 53
Chinese Shar-Pei 47 47 41 35
Rhodesian Ridgebacks 48 50 55 56
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers 49 48 46 41
Akitas 50 52 51 36
Scottish Terriers 51 49 42 43
Border Collies 52 53 60 71
Pekingese 53 55 38 27
Lhasa Apsos 54 56 39 33
Chinese Crested 55 54 57 68
Cairn Terriers 56 51 43 42
Bull Terriers 57 57 68 79
Alaskan Malamutes 58 59 58 47
Airedale Terriers 59 58 53 49
Portuguese Water Dogs 60 64 69 80
Whippets 61 63 62 63
Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers 62 60 59 60
Chow Chows 63 66 61 44
Great Pyrenees 64 62 56 45
Shiba Inu 65 65 66 54
English Cocker Spaniels 66 70 75 76
Australian Cattle Dogs 67 68 74 66
Italian Greyhounds 68 61 54 52
Dogues de Bordeaux 69 41 N/A N/A
American Staffordshire Terriers 70 71 65 67
Japanese Chin 71 74 67 74
Brussels Griffons 72 67 63 84
Irish Setters 73 69 64 62
German Wirehaired Pointers 74 72 70 72
Dalmatians 75 76 81 40
Samoyeds 76 73 76 57
Staffordshire Bull Terriers 77 78 90 91
Silky Terriers 78 77 71 61
Old English Sheepdogs 79 75 73 64
Irish Red and White Setters** 80 N/A N/A N/A
Belgian Malinois 81 79 97 95
Border Terriers 82 80 82 88
Cardigan Welsh Corgis 83 82 85 86
Irish Wolfhounds 84 81 84 78
Bouviers des Flandres 85 83 83 75
Black and Tan Coonhounds 86 42 140 118
Parson Russell Terriers 87 84 72 N/A
Basenjis 88 85 78 69
Giant Schnauzers 89 87 80 82
Borzois 90 94 89 83
Afghan Hounds 91 93 86 85
Boykin Spaniels** 92 N/A N/A N/A
Schipperkes 93 91 79 55
Wire Fox Terriers 94 90 77 65
English Setters 95 86 95 89
Tibetan Terriers 96 96 96 94
Gordon Setters 97 92 87 81
Norwich Terriers 98 97 99 100
Standard Schnauzers 99 99 101 101
Toy Fox Terriers 100 88 94 -
Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs 101 89 93 104
Keeshonden 102 95 91 70
Welsh Terriers 103 101 88 90
Norwegian Buhunds** 104 N/A N/A N/A
Norwegian Elkhounds 105 100 92 77
Flat-Coated Retrievers 106 98 100 99
Pyrenean Shepherds** 107 N/A N/A N/A
Wirehaired Pointing Griffons 108 105 112 121
Belgian Tervuren 109 103 106 98
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers 110 102 118 N/A
Tibetan Spaniels 111 104 105 106
Salukis 112 118 113 107
Neapolitan Mastiffs 113 112 40 N/A
Pointers 114 111 107 96
Anatolian Shepherd Dogs 115 110 114 117
Bearded Collies 116 109 102 93
Manchester Terriers 117 107 109 102
American Eskimo Dogs 118 108 110 97
Spinoni Italiani 119 114 116 N/A
Belgian Sheepdogs 120 116 115 105
Kerry Blue Terriers 121 120 108 109
Norfolk Terriers 122 115 117 110
Smooth-Coated Fox Terriers 123 106 103 87
Australian Terriers 124 113 111 103
Miniature Bull Terriers 125 124 129 129
Plotts 126 127 N/A N/A
Briards 127 123 123 112
Clumber Spaniels 128 117 125 124
English Toy Spaniels 129 125 124 119
Black Russian Terriers 130 121 98 N/A
Tibetan Mastiffs 131 128 N/A N/A
Irish Terriers 132 130 121 108
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéens 133 119 122 111
Affenpinschers 134 132 120 115
Bedlington Terriers 135 126 127 122
Welsh Springer Spaniels 136 122 119 113
Field Spaniels 137 140 138 127
Lakeland Terriers 138 131 126 120
American Water Spaniels 139 136 132 116
Greyhounds 140 129 131 128
Kuvaszok 141 135 128 126
Scottish Deerhounds 142 133 134 125
Löwchen 143 137 135 133
Ibizan Hounds 144 134 141 136
Curly-Coated Retrievers 145 138 130 114
German Pinschers 146 141 144 N/A
Beaucerons 147 139 N/A N/A
Swedish Vallhunds 148 149 N/A N/A
Pulik 149 142 136 123
Irish Water Spaniels 150 144 137 130
Dandie Dinmont Terriers 151 146 147 137
Pharaoh Hounds 152 148 139 134
Polish Lowland Sheepdogs 153 145 133 N/A
Komondorok 154 151 143 132
Skye Terriers 155 143 149 131
Canaan Dogs 156 150 142 139
Sealyham Terriers 157 152 146 138
Glen of Imaal Terriers 158 156 104 N/A
Sussex Spaniels 159 147 151 135
Finnish Spitz 160 153 148 140
Otterhounds 161 154 153 144
American Foxhounds 162 158 152 141
Harriers 163 155 150 143
English Foxhounds 164 157 154 142

I know the lab has been up there for quite a while. I thought at one point the Golden was giving it a run for the money. Many feel the lab is the "ideal" family pets. Of course the GSD speaks for itself. These are AKC stats so the American Bulldog and the APBT aren't on there. I'd be interested to see if it makes a difference to see the UKC stats. I'm also curious to see where the mixed breeds stats lie. It makes sense when you see the correlation between the most popular dog and bite stats. Didn't the lab or Golden top the bite list?

Don't know Lucille, bad taste I guess.
The GSD should be number one. lol

Nah....the more popular the breed, the more overbred and less healthy they seem to be. I like that 'my' breed isn't super-popular.

I agree with Kristel's comment on "the more popular the breed, the more overbred and less healthy them seem to be." I try to avoid breeds that considered popular and prefer to go after less popular breeds even though all dogs have health problems.

Yes, the lab/lab mix is still at the top of reported bites list.

 Quote: michelle-pociask

I know the lab has been up there for quite a while. I thought at one point the Golden was giving it a run for the money. Many feel the lab is the "ideal" family pets. Of course the GSD speaks for itself. These are AKC stats so the American Bulldog and the APBT aren't on there. I'd be interested to see if it makes a difference to see the UKC stats. I'm also curious to see where the mixed breeds stats lie. It makes sense when you see the correlation between the most popular dog and bite stats. Didn't the lab or Golden top the bite list?

 Quote:

Nah....the more popular the breed, the more overbred and less healthy they seem to be. I like that 'my' breed isn't super-popular.

Agreed^^

I would be happier if they just dropped "my" breed altogether. But they won't even close registration on Border Collies because it's not in their best financial interests to do so.

"It makes sense when you see the correlation between the most popular dog and bite stats."


Yes. And of course, the fatal-bite list is completely different from the general reported-bite list.

I saw a list once that was compiled by a hospital group or hospital association or something (senior moment) that differentiated among ER-trip bites based on severity, and that list was also very different from the general reported-bite list. I wish I could remember how authoritative that report was (or even where I saw it). Anyone else ever see that?

 Quote: mara jessup

 Quote:

Nah....the more popular the breed, the more overbred and less healthy they seem to be. I like that 'my' breed isn't super-popular.

Agreed^^

I would be happier if they just dropped "my" breed altogether. But they won't even close registration on Border Collies because it's not in their best financial interests to do so.

Border Terriers have been described as "a workmanlike little fellow in a plain brown suit."

That plain brown suit might be saving the health of the breed.


eta
I know you were talking about Border Collies. I just have often thought that the relative lack of Border Terrier popularity seems to have served the breed well.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (08/08/2010 03:07 PM)
Edit reason: eta

I wonder where the 'doodles' would fit in the list? Around here it seems like every dog we see these days has doodle at the end of the name. It irritates me only because the 'breed' (actually cute-ly named and expensive mutts or so-called designer dogs) as far as I know, isn't bred for any working purpose, even good temperament, or pet quality, just the non allergy factor- which is often questionable. Throw poodle into anything,and suddenly, they're a fad.

About ten years ago, everyone had golden retrievers, and now the doodles, puggles, etc. have taken control. It's kind of funny- the dog I grew up with was a family named 'Cape Cod Terrier' (Old English Sheepdog/terrier mix), and my first dog was an 'Alaskan Moosehound' (Alaskan husky/?? mix). Maybe I should have gone into business??