Top 10 Dog Breeds

Today I was thinking about the top 10 dog breeds and if you do a search in Google you’ll see tens even hundreds of articles about the top 10 dog breeds. The most commons lists you’ll find are hard numbers done by the American Kennel Club (AKC). The AKC produces a list each year wit the top breeds registered to the AKC.

Top 10 Dog Breeds As Voted By The Internet

I wanted my top 10 list to be slightly different than your average list. So, I came up with my own way to calculate the top 10 dog breeds. I’m somewhat of an analytical person and like to use numbers when calculating most of my lists. Here’s what I did to find my top 10 dog breeds list:

1. I went to the AKC website and found this list: http://www.akc.org/reg/dogreg_stats.cfm
2. I took the top 50 and typed the breed into Google search using the following formula: “Breed Name” + Dog. An example of what I would type into Google is “Labrador Retriever” + Dog
3. I used the singular for each dog breed and used quotation marks around the breed name (this does an exact match in Google)
4. After clicking search, Google returns a number in the top right corner indicating the number of web pages returned for your search.
   

   

Disclaimer: Let me just say that this is a very inexact science. The Google search engine is constantly re-indexing pages and the results from my search changed within minutes. Basically this is just a snapshot and if you conducted a similar experiment your results would vary drastically from the results you see here.

Top 10 Dog Breeds

Number	Breed	Google Search	AKC 2007 Ranking	Notes
1	Yorkshire Terrier	5,610,000	2	“Individual dogs will differ, but they are generally intelligent, independent and courageous” – Wikipedia
2	German Shepherd	5,080,000	3	“German Shepherds are highly active dogs, fearless, but not hostile and often are described in breed standards as self-assured and never shy” – Wikipedia
3	Boston Terrier	5,080,000	16	“Boston Terriers have friendly, very strong, lovable, unforgettable personalities” – Wikipedia
4	Shih Tzu	5,070,000	9	“The Shih Tzu is characterized by its long, flowing double coat; sturdy build; intelligence; and a friendly, energetic, lively attitude” – Wikipedia
5	Golden Retriever	4,900,000	4	“The temperament of the Golden Retriever is a hallmark of the breed and is described in the standard as ‘kindly, friendly and confident’” – Wikipedia
6	Cocker Spaniel	4,050,000	17	“Cockers are renowned for their demon like behavior, but they are easily trained and make a good medium-sized family pet.” - Wikipedia
7	Beagle	3,780,000	5	“The Beagle has an even temper and gentle disposition. Described in several breed standards as “merry”, they are amiable and generally neither aggressive nor timid” – Wikipedia
8	Dachshund	2,950,000	7	“Dachshunds are playful, fun dogs, known for their propensity to chase small animals, birds and tennis balls with great determination and ferocity.” – Wikipedia
9	Pomeranian	2,830,000	13	“Pomeranians are typically very friendly, playful and active. They are very intelligent as toy breeds go and are easily housebroken and trained.” – Wikipedia
10	French Bulldog	2,800,000	34	“The French Bulldog is a gentle breed that typically has a happy-go-lucky attitude.” – Wikipedia

Other Notable Breeds

11. Labrador Retriever – #1 on the AKC list for 2007
22. Boxer – #6 on the AKC list for 2007
36. Poodle – #8 on the AKC list for 2007

A couple things that surprised me after creating this list. First, was that the Labrador Retriever did not make the top 10. I might be biased, but this is such a popular breed not just as a pet, but also as a working dog.

The Beagle was another breed I expected to contend for the number 1 position. Beagles have received a lot of attention over the past year with Uno (a beagle) winning the Westminster Dog Show Best In Show. The Beagle did finish seventh on our list, but that is below his 2007 AKC ranking of fifth.

What do you think do you own a dog that’s on this list? Do you think your dog breed should have been in the top 10?

Guide Dog Breeds In AKC Top Dog List

The American Kennel Club (AKC) released it’s 2007 popularity rankings and the Labrador Retriever still reigns supreme (Labs have been number 1 for the past 17 years).

Three out of the top four breeds on the AKC’s popularity rankings are dogs used extensively in many guide dog programs around the world. The Yorkshire Terrier is stuffed between the three GDA breeds: Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds. Somehow I don’t see the tiny Yorkshire Terriers entering the Guide Dog programs any time soon.

The AKC Top Ten Most Popular Dogs

1. Labrador Retriever
2. Yorkshire Terrier
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Dachshund
8. Poodle
9. Shih Tzu
10. Bulldog

Guide Dogs Of America’s Breeds

Guide Dogs of America uses three breeds in their program:

• Labrador Retrievers – 70%
• Golden Retrievers – 15%
• German Shepherds – 15%

The Labrador Retrievers make up the majority of our dogs because we have found them to be the most successful breed used for guide dogs. In fact, the Labrador Retriever is the dog most often used for guide dog programs throughout the world. – Guide Dogs of America

Interesting AKC Regional Variations

From USA Today with comments by me in bold:

• Labs were knocked from first place in three states by beagles: Mississippi, West Virginia and Kentucky.
  • Beagles are my nemesis. Two live across the street from me and they bark and howl all day and sometimes at night when I’m trying to sleep. I’m sure they’re a great breed, but my neighbors are giving them a bad name.
    
• Siberian huskies showed up in the top 10 in three states: Alaska, Vermont and New Hampshire.
  • My Aussie mix Linus might be part husky…he has a husky like tail.
• Brittany spaniels were among the top 10 in three states, all in the northern tier of the nation: Montana, Minnesota and North Dakota.
  • We had a Brittany spaniel in our training class and he was a wonderful dog.
• Golden retrievers didn’t make the top 10 list in four states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Oklahoma.
  • We have Golden retrievers in our Guide Dog training classes…beautiful dogs and they make up 15% of the dogs bred at GDA.
• Pembroke Welsh corgis appeared among the top 10 in two states: South Dakota and Wyoming.
  • An adorable dog, but what happened to their legs…I think it’s good for burrowing in holes to flush out vermin.

Bulldog Makes the Top 10

The Bulldog made it into the AKC’s popularity rankings top 10 for the first time since 1935.

…the bulldog, which AKC breed specifications describe as a 50-pounder with a “dignified” demeanor and a “loose-jointed” and “shuffling” gait, is no surprise to bulldog lovers. AKC’s Lisa Peterson described the dog as “docile and adaptive” and an “all-around family pet who does well with children.” – USA Today

The Bulldog may have become more popular thanks to it’s popularity in Reality TV shows like MTV’s “Rob and Big.” If you haven’t seen Rob’s Bulldog Meaty on the show then check him out riding a skateboard on YouTube. The clip is not as good as some of the clips seen on the MTV show.

The most popular breeds can often be subject to overbreeding. The popularity of a breed often coincides with more puppy mills and backyard breeders churning out puppies by the hundreds/thousands with no regard for meeting high quality breeding standards. If you are interested in owning one of these top breeds please be sure to research both the breed and find a good breeder.

Tell me what you think about this article. What do you think about the AKC’s top 10 breeds?