Most Popular Dog Breeds

It only takes a quick stroll through a dog park to give you a good idea of which breeds are most common these days—and now, you can corroborate your observations with data from the American Kennel Club (AKC).

As WBBJ-TV reports, the AKC just released its annual list of most popular dog breeds, based on registration statistics from 2019. The Labrador Retriever took the top spot, extending its decades-long reign to a whopping 29 years. Before Labs rose to popularity in 1991, the Cocker Spaniel—just 28th on this list—had a monopoly on #1 for 23 years.

The German Shepherd and the Golden Retriever rounded out 2019’s top three, and the French Bulldog landed in fourth, edging out its chunkier relative, the Bulldog, by just one position. According to the AKC, French Bulldogs were the most popular dog in both New York City and Chicago for the sixth year in a row, suggesting city dwellers gravitate toward smaller breeds that don’t require much room to roam.

While the top five were somewhat predictable, the list isn’t without a surprise or two. The Pembroke Welsh Corgi, a longtime favorite of Queen Elizabeth II, cracked the top 10 for the first time ever, which may have some correlation to their adorable performance on Netflix’s The Crown.

If you’re wondering why the list is so heavy on classic dogs like Poodles, Beagles, and Dachshunds, it’s because the AKC is pretty specific about which breeds it officially recognizes. Designer dogs and other hybrids don’t make the cut, even if they’ve become extremely common; Labradors and Poodles are both purebreds, for example, but Labradoodles aren’t.

See the top 20 most popular breeds below, and find out where your dog falls on the AKC’s full list of 193 breeds here.