The American Kennel Club (AKC), the world’s largest registry of purebred dogs, uses registration statistics to rank the most popular breeds of the past year. The results for 2025 are in — the French Bulldog takes the No. 1 spot once again!
As the AKC reports, 2025 marks the fourth year in a row that the French Bulldog has been able to remain in the top spot. In 2022, they overthrew the Labrador Retriever‘s 31-year reign in the number one spot, where they’d been since the 1990s. But don’t worry — Labs are still amongst the most popular breeds in the United States.
The Frenchie Is Four-midable
French Bulldogs have quickly gained popularity over the last decade due to their size and adaptability. They work well in cities and apartments, allowing people with small spaces to have a dog as well.
In 2012, the Frenchie was ranked No. 14 most popular breed, and by 2021, they moved all the way up to the No. 2 spot. In 2022, they officially moved up past the Labrador Retriever to take the spot of the Most Popular Breed — a title they’ve held onto for the past four years.
These little dogs hail from France, and French Bulldog history is complex. They were recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1898, putting over 100 years of AKC history behind them — and plenty more to come.
Top 10 Dog Breeds of 2025
The top 10 dog breeds are popular for a reason, and typically don’t shift too much. This year, the top five did see a shift: the Dachshund moved up in popularity from No. 6 to No. 5, pushing the Poodle out of the top five most popular dog breeds.
- French Bulldog
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- German Shepherd Dog
- Dachshund
- Poodle
- Beagle
- Rottweiler
- German Shorthaired Pointer
- Bulldog
The German Shorthaired Pointer and the Bulldog also switched places from 2024 to 2025. The Bulldog was No. 9 in 2024 and moved to No. 10 for 2025. The GSP did the opposite, rising from No. 10 in 2024 to No. 9 in 2025.
Rottweilers, Beagles, German Shepherd Dogs, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and French Bulldogs all stayed in the same ranking spot year over year.
Big Shifts of Popularity for 2025
With 202 breeds in the rankings, 2025 saw some major shifts in breed popularity. Some breeds saw climbs of nearly 30 spots, while others fell in popularity by the same amount. It’s important to note that while some breeds move down in the rankings, it may not mean that they’ve become less popular — it may just mean that another breed has become more popular and moved up.
Some breeds also stayed in the exact same spot, which in most cases means the rankings shifted around it in a way that kept it in the same spot. For example, one breed may be at No. 30 year-over-year, but that could mean that one breed moved up in popularity while another moved down, cancelling out any obvious movement for certain breeds.
Climbing the Rankings
Some breeds that gained momentum from 2024 to 2025 were working breeds and hunting breeds. The Bergamasco Sheepdog, though still towards the bottom of the rankings, went from No. 200 to No. 183, a 17-spot jump. The English Foxhound and the Black and Tan Coonhound were both up 14 spots, from No. 201 to 187 and No. 151 to 137, respectively. The English Toy Spaniel, Irish Setter, and Field Spaniel all went up 12 spots in the rankings, and the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog and Norwegian Buhund were up 11. The Pointer was up 10 spots from No. 121 to 111, and the Treeing Walker Coonhound, Neapolitan Mastiff, and Scottish Deerhound were up nine spots from 2024.
The Wirehaired Viszla saw the highest surge in rankings, going from No. 159 to No. 130, a total of 29 spots. Other notable movements, though smaller, could be attributed to recent trends: the Giant Schnauzer, which won the AKC National Championship in 2024 and Westminster Best in Show in 2025, saw an increase of five spots from No. 57 to 52.
Other notable jumps include the American Hairless Terrier, up 17 spots from 125 to 108, and the Russell Terrier, up 6 from No. 66 to No. 60. The Otterhound and Cirneco dell’Etna, both rare breeds, both moved up seven spots in the rankings, from No. 196 to No. 189 and No. 191 to No. 184. The Cane Corso has also been making its way up the rankings over the past few years, rising from No. 14 in 2024 to No. 11 to 2025, nearly breaking into the top 10. Border Collies rose four spots in the rankings from No. 30 to No. 26, and Pomeranians moved up three spots from No. 22 to No. 19.
Moving Down on the List
Similar to climbs in the rankings, shifts down don’t always mean a breed becomes less popular than the year prior. It could also just mean that a great deal has shifted around it, causing it to go further down in the rankings. The biggest shifts in rankings were the Greyhound, down 33 from No. 188 to No. 151, and the Briard and Black Russian Terrier, both down 27 spots from 2024. The Kerry Blue Terrier, which rose 25 spots from No. 160 to No. 135 in 2024, went to No. 155 in 2025, down 20 spots.
Some popular breeds that moved down in the rankings: the Miniature American Shepherd went from No. 24 to No. 28, the Siberian Husky went from No. 26 to No. 30, the West Highland White Terrier went from No. 41 to No. 45, and the Chesapeake Bay Retriever went from No. 56 to No. 52.
Holding Their Spots
Breeds that may have seen few gains or losses, or may have remained in the same spot due to the sum of other breeds’ gains and losses, are also of note. The Boston Terrier has sat comfortably at No. 23 since 2023, as has the Havanese at No. 25, and the Basset Hound at No. 34. Also unwavering in their placements were the Maltese at No. 27 and the Finnish Spitz at No. 194.
The Shetland Sheepdog remained at No. 29 from 2024 to 2025, and the Pug and Collie also held their places at No. 38 and No. 39.
New Faces for 2025
The Danish-Swedish Farmdog debuted in January 2025 as a member of the Working Group — the 202nd AKC-recognized breed. The DSF was included in the rankings for the first time in 2025, debuting at No. 170. The Lancashire Heeler, which was recognized in January 2024, debuted at No. 189 and moved to No. 190 in 2025.
In January 2026, three new dog breeds were recognized: the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka, the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, and the Basset Fauve de Bretagne. These three breeds will debut in the 2026 rankings, bringing the total number of AKC-registered breeds to 205.
Find a Responsible Breeder & Register Your Pup
The American Kennel Club has recognized 205 breeds since it was first founded in 1884, 202 of which will were counted in the 2025 registration statistics. If you’re looking for a puppy of your own, AKC Marketplace can connect you with a responsible breeder.
Knowing your dog will be counted as part of the compilation of the annual breed popularity list is only a small benefit of dog registration. The AKC is the only purebred dog registry in the United States that maintains systematic inspections and investigations. The AKC conducts thousands of inspections each year to ensure compliance with standards that support the welfare, safety, and health of dogs across the nation.
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