According to the American Kennel Club, the Labrador retriever was once again the most popular dog in the United States in 2012, marking the 22nd consecutive year the breed has earned the top spot on the annual list. While the lab might have the top spot on lockdown, the rest of the top five was not so stable. While the German shepherd again came in second, the golden retriever pushed the beagle, which fell to fourth, out of the top three, while the bulldog became the fifth most popular dog in 2012, displacing the Yorkshire terrier, which fell to sixth. Rounding out the top 10 were the boxer, poodle, rottweiler and dachshund, which fell one spot while the rottweiler moved up one spot. Many of the same breeds atop the AKC list are just as popular in Canada, where the Canadian Kennel Club noted that the Labrador retriever, German shepherd and golden retriever were the most popular breeds in 2011, the most recent year for which the CKC has released statistics. The Shetland sheepdog (fifth), Bernese mountain dog (seventh) and miniature schnauzer (tenth) were dogs that cracked the Canadian top 10 but not the American top 10.
#1 Labrador Retriever
#2 German Shepherd
#3 Golden Retriever
#4 Beagle
#5 Bulldog
