Most Popular Breeds of 2018

Once again the American Kennel Club (AKC) has released its most popular breeds in the United States (by registration) for 2018. You can find the top ten on just about any news or dog website, and none of them are a surprise. This is doubly true for the top three, the Labrador Retriever, German Shepherd, and Golden Retriever - the Labrador has been reigning supreme for almost three decades.

A few years ago we chose to highlight the breeds at the other end of the spectrum, the 10 with the lowest registrations. I wondered how those breeds fared today, and which were still at the bottom. Lately there has been a push to protect those breeds that are endangered of extinction, most notably by the United Kennel Club’s Vulnerable Breed program. However, it is difficult to gage how rare a breed is while taking the entire world’s registration into account - or working dogs that aren’t registered at all.

Today the AKC recognizes 192 breeds, these are the 10 with the lowest registrations. Keep in mind when comparing 2017 and 2013 only 190 and 177 breeds were recognized respectfully.

Cirneco dell'Etna

2018 - #183
2017 - #184
2013 - N/A

​The Cirneco dell’Etna is a primitive breed, one that has existed in Italy since antiquity. It is unclear how many Cirnechi there are worldwide, but it is recognized by all major kennel clubs. In the United States it has only been fully recognized since 2015, however it has gone up a few places since last year.

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Finnish Spitz

2018 - #184
2017 - #177
2013 - #170

The Finnish Spitz is an ancient breed that hails from Finland. Although its numbers in the United States continue to decline, the Finnish Spitz is one of the most popular dogs in its homeland, where it is recognized as their National Dog.

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Cesky Terrier

2018 - #185
2017 - #185
2013 - #174

The Cesky Terrier is a fairly recent breed, created in the early 1900s in what was then Czechoslovakia. Like the Finnish Spitz, this breed is one of the most popular in its homeland. It is also the National Dog of the Czech Republic.

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American Foxhound

2018 - #186
2017 - #187
2013 - #176

The American Foxhound has been on the bottom of AKC registrations for many years. However, it it is important to note that in the United States working dogs are often registered with the United Kennel Club (UKC) rather than the AKC and some packs are not registered at all.

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Bergamasco Sheepdog

2018 - #187
2017 - #181
​2013 - N/A

The Bergamasco Sheepdog has a lot in common with the Cirneco dell’Etna. They are both ancient breeds from Italy, have worldwide recognition, but were not recognized by the AKC until 2015. Unlike the Cirneco, the Bergamasco Sheepdog’s number have dropped since last year, but it is too soon to see if it will gain a foothold in the United States.

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English Foxhound

2018 - #188
2017 - #189
2013 - #177

Like the American Foxhound, its ancestor the English Foxhound has been in the bottom of AKC registrations for many years. Most English Foxhounds in the United States are registered with the UKC and this breed has a healthy stronghold in England.

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Harrier

2018 - #189
2017 - #183
2013 - #173

​The Harrier and English Foxhound are closely related - however, unlike the Foxhound it was never recognized by The Kennel Club in England. By first glance the Harrier would appear to be a rare breed, but again, working dogs are normally registered with the UKC. Additionally, there are still a number of large packs in Northern Ireland.

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Chinook

2018 - #190
2017 - #179
2013 - #156

​The Chinook has the most drastic change in numbers in the bottom 10 registrations. Always considered a rare breed, these numbers appear disparaging for their future. Unlike other dogs on this list, the Chinook does not have registration outside the United States. It is estimated that there are less than 1000 Chinooks total in their breeding pool.

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Norwegian Lundehund

2018 - #191
2017 - #190
2013 - #175

​Like the Chinook, the Norwegian Lundehund has had a significant drop in registrations over the last five years. Unlike them, they are recognized around the world, which means that their future will likely remain secure. Their breeding pool was reduced to only 6 individuals in the 1960s, today it is estimated to be around 2,000 worldwide.

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Sloughi

2018 - #192
2017 - #188
2013 - N/A

​The Sloughi is an ancient breed from Northern Africa. Although it has only been recognized by the AKC since 2016, it has had worldwide recognition for many years. Despite a drop in AKC recognitions this breed has a secured future. There are still working Sloughi in their homeland as well as established breeding programs around the world.

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