Top Dog Breeds of 2004

Dogs

For the 15th year in a row, the Labrador retriever is America's favorite purebred, according to registration numbers tallied by the American Kennel Club.

The AKC released the figures and, as in past years, the Labrador far outstrips the second-most favorite – the golden retriever. For 2004, all the same breeds made the top 10, but four breeds switched positions. The German shepherd moved into third place, switching positions with the Beagle, and the Yorkshire terriers moved into fifth place, taking the Dachshund's spot.

The Top 10 Breeds of 2004 are:

1. Labrador retrievers 149,692
2. Golden retrievers 52,550
3. German shepherds 46,046
4. Beagles 44,555
5. Yorkshire terriers 43,522
6. Dachshunds 40,770
7. Boxers 37,741
8. Poodles 32,671
9. Shih Tzus 28,958
10. Chihuahuas 24,850

At the other end of the spectrum, the English foxhound is again the least-registered purebred dog with 17 registrations followed by the otterhound 23, American Foxhound 42, Sussex Spaniel 45 and Harrier with 53 registrations.

Top Dogs in England

The Kennel Club (KC) also released their national statistics recently, which show that the Labrador Retriever also reigns in England. The lab is followed by the Cocker Spaniel and the English Springer Spaniel.

The top 10 dogs in England are:

1. Labrador Retriever
2. Cocker Spaniel (English)
3. English Springer Spaniel
4. German Shepherd Dog
5. Staffordshire Bull Terrier
6. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
7. Golden Retriever
8. West Highland White Terrier
9. Boxer
10. Border Terrier

AKC Categories

The AKC recognizes dogs in seven categories: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding. The largest breed registration in each group is as follows:

Sporting – e.g. Labrador retriever

Hound – e.g. beagle

Working – e.g. boxers

Terrier – e.g. miniature schnauzer

Toy – e.g. Yorkshire terrier

Non-sporting – e.g. poodles

Herding – e.g. German shepherd

In 2004, the AKC registered 153 different breeds, including the newly recognized Black Russian Terrier, Glen of Imaal Terrier and Neapolitan Mastiff, for a total of nearly one million dogs (958,272) and 437,437 litters.


How Did YOUR Breed Score? Click here for the entire 2004 AKC ranking.