Life isn’t a popularity contest, but sometimes it’s fun to know who’s the most popular. When it comes to dogs, the answer is clearly the Labrador Retriever. The American Kennel Club is the major canine registry in the US, and they’ve been releasing a list of the most popular breeds in America every year for decades.


Since the 1970s, the Labrador Retriever has been a top 10 contender. With the recent release of the AKC’s most popular breeds list for the year 2020, we can see that the Labrador Retriever has now set a record for its 30th year straight being at the top of the list.

Of course, with nearly 200 recognized dog breeds, there are far more contenders on the list than just the ever-popular Lab. Here, we’ll take a look at the 25 breeds that are the most popular right now. The breeds on this list change all the time, but as of now, these are the top choices for pet owners.

 


The 25 Most Popular Dog Breeds in the US:

1 Labrador Retriever

The most popular dog breed in America for 30 years straight, the Labrador Retriever is an iconic breed that everyone knows and most people love. Gentle and sweet with an eager disposition, these dogs are some of the most popular canines for service work. They’re part of the sporting group and have also seen much use as retrievers of waterfowl, as their name implies.  


2 French Bulldog

Ronically, the French Bulldog was actually bred in England. The breed traveled to France with English lacemakers, which is where they became most popular. Originally made as a miniature version of a bulldog, the French Bulldog is just a companion pet today, though they did once see use as rat hunters.


3 German Shepherd

German Shepherds have long been used for police and military work. Their high levels of intelligence and adaptability make them easier to train than many breeds. Furthermore, they exhibit incredible courage with great physical resilience and athletic ability, making them one of the best working dogs of all time. As you might garner from the shepherd name, this breed belongs to the herding group.

4 Golden Retriever

This Scottish breed has been used for a variety of canine jobs, including search-and-rescue, service work, and hunting. Golden Retrievers are adept learners and can be trained well because they have high levels of intelligence and seem to truly enjoy training and working.


5 Bulldog

Weighing up to 50 pounds with a compact body that stands no more than 15 inches in height, Bulldogs are muscled, wrinkly, distinct-looking dogs with an appearance that belies their friendly and good-natured temperaments. It’s hard to tell now, but these dogs were originally bred for two main purposes: driving cows to market and bull-baiting, which is a deadly and brutal bloodsport pitting bulls against other animals in combat.


6 Poodle

A member of the non-sporting group, Poodles are one of the quintessential show dog breeds. They sport elegant coats that some owners keep trimmed into very distinct designs. With regal attitudes and such wild haircuts, you might be surprised to find out what a great family dog a Poodle can make. Plus, they’re one of the smartest breeds in the world and can be trained to do just about anything.

They might be mostly show dogs today, but long ago, Poodles were used as waterfowl retrievers for hunters. In fact, their French name, Caniche, is derived from another word that means “duck dog”



7 Beagle

Bred to hunt in packs, Beagles are social animals that do well in groups or as a single dog. They’re top-notch hunters, as they were bred to be. But they make just as excellent family dogs, thanks to their friendly and happy demeanor.

These dogs are rather small, as they were initially bred for tracking small game, like rabbits. Though they’re more often kept as pets in America today rather than hunters, the breed is still used heavily for hunting purposes in other countries.



8 Rottweiler

Rottweilers are big pups, with males reaching heights of 27 inches and weighing up to 135 pounds. They’re known to be confident and trustworthy guardians and watchdogs. They also seem to be great with kids and make top-notch family pets. But these dogs are so versatile that they were also one of the first breeds to see use as police dogs or serve in the military. Long before that, Rottweilers were driving cattle and pulling carts, so they’ve got a long history of hard work behind them.


9 German Shorthaired Pointer

The German Shorthaired Pointer is an adaptable and versatile breed that was first made to retrieve and hunt many types of game in multiple conditions, which they excel at to this day. But they also make great companions and family pets that are easy to care for, aside from their ample exercise requirements.

These dogs have mottled coats of brown spots and splotches covering a white coat with heads that tend to be mostly brown with some white.



10 Dachshund

Available in both standard and miniature sizes, the Dachshund is an iconic dog with a very long but low-slung body that’s sitting atop stubby legs. They’re not built for covering distance, but they were bred for hunting down dangerous prey on their own, including badgers and foxes.

Their interesting body shape was purpose-built for following tunneling animals into their holes. Still, some hunters used them for larger game, even using packs of Dachshunds to help chase down wild boar!