Do you know what the most popular breed is?

I did some research. I thought it would have either been a labrador or a golden retriever. I was right. From what I found out, the most popular breed of dog, is the labrador. This is based on the people who register their dog each year. Kind of interesting. What would your answer have been if you didn't know?

 

We have a Labrador. I never noticed just how popular they are until getting one. Now we see them all the time. I think because they are very loving and easy to take care of. They are definitely great around kids. If I had to guess another type, I'd probably say a German Shepard. I know tons of people who have one.

 

I will say Border Collies. I guess it's where you live here. I'm in a rural area and sheep are grown for wool and meat. Therefore you see a lot of Border Collie in cars, on the pavement, in peoples yards and on the back of utes.

 

I suppose preferences vary with the locality. Where I used to live in that small town in Thailand, the preference was for toy dogs like Shih Tzus. In one part of Malaysia where I used to tap rubber, the preference was for big guard dogs like German Shepherds.

 

I always thought in the US that the most popular breed was either the labrador or the golden retriever. They are known as good 'family' dogs.

 

They're definitely good family dogs.

I think there are a lot of mixed breeds, though, and that might skew the results if you actually counted those which aren't purebreds.

 

Yes, Labradors and Golden Retrievers are well-known as good family dogs. I haven't personally met a Labrador but I have met a few Goldens and they are absolutely the friendliest dogs in caninedom. They even welcome total strangers like long lost friends.

 

In my area the most popular are Yorkshire Terriers - thanks to this my Homer has lots and lots of friends who look like him . Yorkies are adorable, intelligent, cheerful and they don't need much space. Also, you can take them with you almost everywhere.

 

Somehow I'm not surprised, I loved my golden lab when I had him. He was a smart and loving dog. Since his death we haven't been able to find another golden lab because they are now so hard to come by. Don't get me wrong I love Oso who is an Akita and Buddy, but still miss Rocky he was one of the best dogs we ever had.

 

I would think labs would be at the top, most people with dogs tend to have them, especially since they come in a variety of colors and sizes from medium to large.

 

It is no surprise that Labs are the top breed in the US. If trained right, they are the most lovable and easy to get along dogs. You do have to survive the first 3 years where they are like wild beasts getting into everything and attempting to break everything you own with their powerful tail. LOL Then, they calm done. They are so friendly and great with people.

It seems like every once in a while a breed becomes popular because of a TV show, commercial, or movie. For awhile there, it was Jack Russell's because of Frasier. Then, Chihuahuas came into favor because of the Taco Bell commercials. Unfortunately, when people pick a dog based on something they see on TV and not by research, they end up with a bad choice. I remember reading that so many Chihuahuas are in our shelters because people thought they were cute, small dogs. Then, they realize you must train them so they don't bark all the time and they can be afraid of people. They want the "already trained" model.

This is an interesting link. It is the AKC best breeds for 2011 by city. The Lab tops the list on almost all the cities, but then the lists vary. I think it is much like Victor said about regions. I would think much smaller dogs will be more popular where people are apartment dwellers and larger dogs more popular where people have homes.

http://www.akc.org/reg/topdogsbycity.cfm?page=1#SanFrancisco

 

I think dog breeds sometimes also get a boost in popularity when someone like the President of the US gets one. The Labs might have improved in popularity when Clinton got one. Of course, this doesn't always happen. Obama got a Portuguese Water Dog but there's no indication that Obama's choice helped the breed's popularity. Here's Bo Obama: