Labrador Retriever Leads the Pack According to AKC's 2005 Registration Statistics

Labrador Retriever Leads the Pack According to AKC’s 2005 Registration Statistics; Photo Available – Yahoo! News

Tue Jan 10, 6:07 PM ET

To: National Desk

Contact: Niki Marshall of the American Kennel Club, 212-696-8344

NEW YORK, Jan. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ — For the 16th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America, according to AKC(r) registration figures released today. The Golden Retriever held onto the number two spot and the Yorkshire Terrier made significant gains — beating the German Shepherd Dog and Beagle — to become the third most popular dog in the country.

Dog lovers will have the opportunity to watch these popular breeds and many others compete at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, which airs live January 14 and 15, 2006 on Animal Planet and The Discovery Channel at 8 p.m. both nights.

“This may be the Year of the Dog in China, but in this country it’s the ‘Year of the Yorkie’,” said Gail Miller, AKC spokesperson. “The Lab may still reign supreme, but the petite and often-pampered Yorkshire Terrier has taken the coveted number three spot for the first time since becoming AKC-recognized in 1885. Considering the increasing popularity of small dogs in the past decade-perhaps due to their exposure as celebrity companions — I’m not surprised to learn that this precious and portable canine may slip into the number two slot in 2006.”

2005 Most Popular Dogs in U.S.

1. Labrador Retriever (137,867)

2. Golden Retriever (48,509)

3. Yorkshire Terrier (47,238)

4. German Shepherd Dog (45,014)

5. Beagle (42,592)

6. Dachshund (38,566)

7. Boxer (37,268)

8. Poodle (31,638)

9. Shih Tzu (28,087)

10. Miniature Schnauzer (24,144)

The Miniature Schnauzer, which hasn’t been in the “Top 10” since 1990, wags its way into 10th place this year, displacing the popular Chihuahua, which drops to 11th place.

The trend in small dogs continues to be evident with increases in the following breeds over the past 10 years — Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (735 percent), French Bulldog (305 percent), Brussels Griffon (231 percent) and Papillon (132 percent). Yet, a few larger breeds have also experienced record growth including the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon (124 percent) and Ibizan Hound (141 percent).

At the other end of the spectrum, the English Foxhound is again the least-registered purebred dog (22 registrations) followed by the Harrier (42), Otterhound (44), American Foxhound (48) and the newly AKC-recognized Glen of Imaal Terrier (49).

Surprisingly, the Otterhound, which is the third least registered dog in the U.S., experienced the highest percentage growth of all dogs over the past year with an increasing of 91 percent. Registrations increased or remained steady in 2005 for 55 other breeds as well, including the Sussex Spaniel (73 percent), Ibizan Hound (56 percent), Black and Tan Coonhound (41 percent) and Bedlington Terrier (32 percent).

In 2005, the AKC registered 153 different breeds for a total of 920,804 dogs and 421,128 litters.

A complete listing of 2005 registration statistics is available on the AKC web site at http://www.akc.org/reg/dogreg_stats.cfm and will be published in the March issue of the AKC Gazette. AKC registration statistics for the top 25 U.S. cities are also available at http://www.akc.org/reg/topdogsbycity.cfm.

—— The American Kennel Club(r), founded in 1884, is a not-for- profit organization dedicated to the advancement of purebred dogs. The AKC maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world, oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States, and along with its nearly 5,000 licensed and member clubs, educates the general public about responsible dog ownership. More than 16,000 competitions for AKC-registered purebred dogs are held under AKC rules each year including conformation, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, hunt tests, field and earthdog trials. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Companion Animal Recovery and the AKC Museum of the Dog. For more information, visit http://www.akc.org

American Kennel Club(r) and AKC(r) are registered trademarks of the American Kennel Club.

PHOTO EDITORS: A high-resolution, publication-quality photos supporting this story is available for free editorial use at http://www.wirepix.com/newsphotos

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