Surprise, Surprise: the Labrador Is Again the Most Popular Breed in America

For the 27^th year in a row, the Labrador is the most popular dog. And really, should it come as a surprise? The breed is not only loyal, but also fun-loving, friendly and outgoing. It is active and great with kids, making the breed perfect for families – or anyone, for that matter. Plus, it is often chosen to be a working dog — meaning they are picked to be service dogs, police K-9s and therapy pups.

The breed took over the top spot in 1991, after it knocked the Cocker Spaniel off the pedestal.

Besides being the nation’s most beloved breed, the Labrador is no. 1 in a few cities, including, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, and Washington D.C.

While the status for top-dog position remains unchanged, there was some movers and shakers in the top 10 ranking. French bulldogs jumped from position six to four, as more people are looking for a smaller breed to be part of their life. The switch-up pushed the beagle out of the top five – the first time since 1998. Also, the German Shorthaired Pointer inched into the top 10, knocking out the boxer. This could be in part due to the breed winning best in show at Westminster last year.

The AKC reports that some rarer breeds (hence those low on the list) also shook things up. Norwegian Buhund jumped from 174th position to 170th, the Skye Terrier went from 178th to 172nd, the Canaan climbed from 181st to 175th and the Harrier went from 186th to 183rd.

Check out the full list below. If you want more information, head over to the AKC.

Breed	2017 Rank	2016 Rank	2015 Rank	2014 Rank	2013 Rank
Retrievers (Labrador)	1	1	1	1	1
German Shepherd Dogs	2	2	2	2	2
Retrievers (Golden)	3	3	3	3	3
French Bulldogs	4	6	6	9	11
Bulldogs	5	4	4	4	5
Beagles	6	5	5	5	4
Poodles	7	7	8	7	8
Rottweilers	8	8	9	10	9
Yorkshire Terriers	9	9	7	6	6
Pointers (German Shorthaired)	10	11	11	12	13
Boxers	11	10	10	8	7
Siberian Huskies	12	12	12	13	14
Dachshunds	13	13	13	11	10
Great Danes	14	14	15	15	16
Pembroke Welsh Corgis	15	18	20	22	24
Doberman Pinschers	16	15	14	14	12
Australian Shepherds	17	16	17	18	20
Miniature Schnauzers	18	17	16	16	17
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels	19	19	18	19	18
Shih Tzu	20	20	19	17	15
Boston Terriers	21	21	22	23	23
Pomeranians	22	22	21	20	19
Havanese	23	23	24	25	25
Shetland Sheepdogs	24	24	23	21	21
Bernese Mountain Dogs	25	27	29	32	32
Brittanys	26	25	26	27	30
Spaniels (English Springer)	27	26	27	28	28
Mastiffs	28	28	25	26	26
Spaniels (Cocker)	29	29	30	30	29
Vizslas	30	31	32	34	34
Pugs	31	32	33	33	31
Chihuahuas	32	30	28	24	22
Maltese	33	33	31	29	27
Weimaraners	34	34	34	35	33
Miniature American Shepherds	35	36	N/A	N/A	N/A
Newfoundlands	36	35	37	37	37
Cane Corso	37	40	35	48	50
Border Collies	38	38	38	40	44
Basset Hounds	39	39	39	42	42
Collies	40	37	36	36	35
Rhodesian Ridgebacks	41	42	40	39	39
West Highland White Terriers	42	41	41	38	36
Retrievers (Chesapeake Bay)	43	43	42	41	43
Belgian Malinois	44	47	51	60	60
Shiba Inu	45	44	45	47	46
Bichons Frises	46	45	44	44	40
Akitas	47	46	46	46	45
St. Bernards	48	49	50	51	47
Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers	49	50	47	49	51
Bloodhounds	50	52	49	50	48
Bullmastiffs	51	48	43	45	41
Spaniels (English Cocker)	52	56	60	62	62
Papillons	53	53	48	43	38
Portuguese Water Dogs	54	51	52	52	49
Airedale Terriers	55	55	53	57	56
Australian Cattle Dogs	56	54	56	55	58
Samoyeds	57	65	61	68	67
Scottish Terriers	58	58	58	59	55
Alaskan Malamutes	59	59	54	54	57
Bull Terriers	60	57	55	53	52
Whippets	61	60	57	56	59
Pointers (German Wirehaired)	62	64	68	71	71
Dalmatians	63	62	62	66	64
Chinese Shar-Pei	64	61	59	58	54
Wirehaired Pointing Griffons	65	66	66	76	80
Great Pyrenees	66	67	67	75	69
Dogues de Bordeaux	67	63	63	63	65
Cardigan Welsh Corgis	68	69	76	78	75
Cairn Terriers	69	70	70	69	61
Old English Sheepdogs	70	75	74	77	78
Miniature Pinschers	71	68	64	61	53
Setters (Irish)	72	76	72	73	72
Irish Wolfhounds	73	73	69	72	73
Italian Greyhounds	74	72	71	74	66
Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs	75	78	78	80	74
Chow Chows	76	74	73	70	70
Lhasa Apsos	77	71	65	67	63
Russell Terriers	78	90	104	105	102
Chinese Crested	79	77	75	65	68
Giant Schnauzers	80	79	81	83	83
Coton de Tulear	81	80	85	31	N/A
Staffordshire Bull Terriers	82	82	79	79	79
American Staffordshire Terriers	83	81	77	84	76
Basenjis	84	88	87	86	85
Bouviers des Flandres	85	83	83	81	82
Anatolian Shepherd Dogs	86	84	92	94	93
Keeshonden	87	92	84	87	86
Pekingese	88	93	80	82	77
Retrievers (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling)	89	87	99	99	97
Standard Schnauzers	90	85	91	90	90
Norwegian Elkhounds	91	94	88	103	103
Border Terriers	92	86	82	85	81
Afghan Hounds	93	113	100	98	95
Brussels Griffons	94	97	95	91	84
Setters (English)	95	102	96	89	91
Retrievers (Flat-Coated)	96	89	86	92	94
Rat Terriers	97	96	101	111	N/A
Spaniels (Boykin)	98	110	107	108	121
Fox Terriers (Wire)	99	101	94	95	96
Leonbergers	100	95	93	104	98
Tibetan Terriers	101	91	90	88	88
Borzois	102	98	89	102	99
Belgian Tervuren	103	107	98	110	108
Setters (Gordon)	104	104	105	100	105
Norwich Terriers	105	103	103	97	89
Silky Terriers	106	100	102	101	92
Neapolitan Mastiffs	107	99	106	114	111
Japanese Chin	108	108	97	93	87
Welsh Terriers	109	111	108	106	104
Schipperkes	110	112	109	109	109
Spinoni Italiani	111	105	112	118	117
Toy Fox Terriers	112	116	110	115	107
Pointers	113	117	114	119	114
Irish Terriers	114	115	113	125	123
Miniature Bull Terriers	115	120	121	129	125
Black Russian Terriers	116	119	116	127	118
Lagotti Romagnoli	117	114	N/A	N/A	N/A
American Eskimo Dogs	118	122	118	120	110
Parson Russell Terriers	119	109	111	116	100
Belgian Sheepdogs	120	129	120	123	119
Tibetan Spaniels	121	118	115	122	106
Fox Terriers (Smooth)	122	124	122	124	116
Salukis	123	125	132	134	115
Boerboels	124	131	126	64	N/A
Bearded Collies	125	126	119	121	112
American Hairless Terriers	126	106	N/A	N/A	N/A
Briards	127	132	130	132	127
Norfolk Terriers	128	134	131	131	129
Kerry Blue Terriers	129	127	124	128	126
Black and Tan Coonhounds	130	128	127	126	113
Treeing Walker Coonhounds	131	137	117	112	101
Bluetick Coonhounds	132	121	123	130	128
Spaniels (Welsh Springer)	133	123	128	133	124
English Toy Spaniels	134	130	129	138	135
Manchester Terriers	135	133	137	136	120
German Pinschers	136	146	138	141	130
Australian Terriers	137	136	125	139	122
Lakeland Terriers	138	145	141	149	134
Redbone Coonhounds	139	143	139	148	133
Spaniels (Clumber)	140	144	134	143	131
Beaucerons	141	140	142	145	152
Pulik	142	159	154	151	136
Xoloitzcuintli	143	139	135	142	139
Icelandic Sheepdogs	144	153	140	146	142
Spaniels (Field)	145	147	145	137	140
Berger Picards	146	141	N/A	N/A	N/A
Affenpinschers	147	149	136	144	143
Spanish Water Dogs	148	162	167	113	N/A
Swedish Vallhunds	149	163	155	158	147
Sealyham Terriers	150	155	158	169	158
Bedlington Terriers	151	138	146	140	137
Entlebucher Mountain Dogs	152	161	159	153	155
Tibetan Mastiffs	153	135	133	135	132
Setters (Irish Red and White)	154	142	148	155	145
Wirehaired Vizslas	155	157	156	107	N/A
Greyhounds	156	151	147	147	148
Kuvaszok	157	165	150	161	150
Glen of Imaal Terriers	158	180	168	162	167
Portuguese Podengo Pequenos	59	160	153	166	153
Petits Bassets Griffons Vendeens	160	148	143	150	138
Spaniels (Sussex)	161	172	173	175	162
Pumik	162	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Komondorok	163	177	163	168	159
Spaniels (Irish Water)	164	150	144	152	141
Ibizan Hounds	165	152	160	159	151
Plotts	166	158	149	154	149
Spaniels (American Water)	167	156	157	160	144
Scottish Deerhounds	168	154	152	157	165
Lowchen	169	171	161	165	154
Norwegian Buhunds	170	174	165	172	166
Retrievers (Curly-Coated)	171	164	151	163	163
Skye Terriers	172	178	175	177	161
Finnish Lapphunds	173	173	169	173	171
Pharaoh Hounds	174	168	171	164	160
Canaan Dogs	175	181	170	176	164
Polish Lowland Sheepdogs	176	169	164	170	157
Finnish Spitz	177	179	178	174	170
American English Coonhounds	178	170	166	156	146
Chinooks	179	175	177	171	156
Pyrenean Shepherds	180	176	176	178	169
Bergamasco Sheepdogs	181	184	174	96	N/A
Dandie Dinmont Terriers	182	167	172	167	168
Harriers	183	186	183	181	173
Cirnechi dell’Etna	184	183	162	117	N/A
Cesky Terriers	185	182	179	182	174
Otterhounds	186	166	180	179	172
American Foxhounds	187	189	181	180	176
Sloughis	188	185	N/A	N/A	N/A
English Foxhounds	189	187	184	183	177
Norwegian Lundehunds	190	188	182	184	175