Top Dog Breeds of 2006

Dogs

For the 17th year in a row, the Labrador retriever is once again America's favorite purebred dog, 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 other dogs in the top 10.

Popularity

All breeds in the top 10 are the same as in 2005 but the order has changed. Two breeds climbed the chart. First is the Yorkshire Terrier. It is now the # 2 registered AKC dog climbing form # 3 last year. The year before (2004), the beloved Yorkie was #5. The German Shepherd dog is now # 3, moving up from the #4 spot.

In 2006, the very popular golden retriever got bumped from 2nd place down to 4th place being replaced by the Yorkshire Terrier!

Last year, in 2005, one new breed joined the top 10 list and one got bumped off. The Miniature Schnauzer came in at #10 displacing the Chihuahua into the #11 position. This year stats show the Miniature schnauzer still holding strong in the # 10 spot.

Large Vs. Small Breeds

Four out of the top ten AKC registered breeds are large breed dogs! These include the Labrador retriever, German shepherd, golden retriever and Boxer. The rest are smaller breed dogs which includes the Yorkie, Beagle, Dachshund, Poodle, Shih Tzu and Miniature Schnauzer.

The Top 10 Breeds of 2006 are:

1. Labrador retrievers
2. Yorkshire terriers
3. German shepherds
4. Golden retrievers
5. Beagles
6. Dachshunds
7. Boxers
8. Poodles
9. Shih Tzus
10. Miniature Schnauzer

2006 Rank Comparison to 2005

2006 RankBreed2005 Rank 1Retrievers Labrador
12Yorkshire Terriers
33German Sheperd Dogs
44Retrievers Golden
25Beagles
56Dachshunds
67Boxers
78Poodles
89Shih Tzus
910Miniature Schnauzers
10At the other end of the spectrum, the English foxhound is again the least-registered purebred dog followed by the Harrier, Glen of Imaal Terriers, Otterhounds and the American Foxhound.

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


How Did YOUR Breed Score? Go to for the entire 2006 AKC ranking.