Top 10 Most Popular Dogs, Most Popular Dog Names Announced by AKC

The American Kennel Club (AKC) launched it's 125 year anniversary celebration by publishing the Top Ten Dog Breeds of 2008 just in time for the Obama's to select the First Dog of the United States for Malia and Sasha. The top dog remains the Labrador Retriever followed by the Yorkshire Terrier. Holding at number 20 is the adorable little loving lap dog, the Maltese.

While the Obama's have shown an interest in the Portuguese Water Dog, ranked 64^th most popular dog, the Obama's might want to wait a little longer to select the First Dog so they can choose from the 152 dog breeds registered by the AKC and competing in the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship that will be televised on Saturday January 31 (Animal Planet and Discovery Channel 8-11 p.m. ET/PT).

This year, more than 2,400 dogs will compete at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Long Beach, California for the coveted Best in Show national champion title and $50,000 in prize money. The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship is the world's biggest prize money competition for dogs. Malia and Sasha Obama will be able to see the best in breed for AKC's most popular dogs in the United States.

If you would like to see a list of the most popular dogs where you live, check out the AKC Top 10 Most Popular Breeds in the 50 Largest U.S. Cities. If you would like to see where your dog ranks in the AKC Dog Registration Statistics, click here.

According to the AKC, the Top 10 most popular dogs in Washington D.C. during 2008 were similar to the national ranking for most popular dogs in the United States. However, residents of Washington D.C. are also favoring the once popular Cocker Spaniel that was ranked number one top dog for 25 years of the AKC's history that began in 1884. In 2007, the Bulldog returned to the Top 10 Most Popular Dogs in the U.S. after an absence of more than 70 years and remains in the number eight spot for 2008.

The Top 10 Most Popular Dogs in the United States during 2008 were:

1. Labrador Retriever

2. Yorkshire Terrier

3. German Shepherd

4. Golden Retriever

5. Beagle

6. Boxer

7. Dachshund

8. Bulldog

9. Poodle

10. Shih Tzu

The most popular dog breeds that saw the largest decline over the decade on the Top 10 Most Popular Dogs were Lhasa Apso (-80%), Rottweiler (-76%), Schipperke (-75%), Basset Hound (-66 %), Miniature Pinscher (-75%), Dalmatian (-96%), Chow Chow (-84%), and Akita (-76%).

The Biden family selected a German Shepard puppy as the Vice Dog of the U.S. The AKC offered some help in naming the Vice Dog when they released their Top 10 Most Popular Dog Names for 2008:

Top 10 Most Popular Dog Names for Male Dogs

1. Bear

2. Blue

3. Max

4. Duke

5. Buddy

6. Jack

7. Prince

8. King

9. Bailey

10. Rocky

Top 10 Most Popular Dog Names for Female Dogs

1. Lady

2. Bella

3. Princess

4. Mae

5. Rose

6. Daisy

7. Gracie

8. Baby

9. Molly

10. Maggie

Sources:

Labrador Retriever Holds Firm in Top Spot on AKC's List of Most Popular Dogs in America; Lovable Bulldog Continues its Ascent

American Kennel Club, January 21, 2009

http://www.akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=3709

AKC/Eukanuba National Championship

http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/eukanuba/akcchampionship/about/about.html

Top 10 Most Popular Breeds in the 50 Largest U.S. Cities

http://www.akc.org/reg/topdogsbycity.cfm

Facts and Stats of the AKC

http://www.akc.org/press_center/facts_stats.cfm?page=7