Are Small Dog Breeds More Popular than Large Dog Breeds?
Just in case you’re wondering, the most popular dog in the world, according to both the American and British Kennel Clubs, is the Labrador retriever. Does that mean large dog breeds are more popular? Not really. Of the top ten on the AKC list, four are classic large dogs, three are small dog breeds, two could be classified as either, and one comes in both sizes. Here’s the list. Which do you think is which?
1. Retrievers (Labrador)
2. YorkshireTerriers
3. German Shepherd Dogs
4. Retrievers (Golden)
5. Beagles
6. Boxers
7. Dachshunds
8. Poodles
9. ShihTzu
10. Bulldogs
Obviously, the two retrievers are large dog breeds, and so are the German Shepherds and the Boxers, but what about Beagles and Bulldogs? It could be argued either way. Beagles generally run small, but they’re not viewed in the same category as the Yorkshire Terrier or ShihTzu. Does that make them a large dog breed? Could we classify them as “medium” size just for the sake of settling the argument? For that matter, what about Bulldogs? They can’t really be viewed as large dogs, but match one up against a small dog breed and the bull dog will look huge.
On the flip side, poodles come in both large and small sizes. Discovered wild outside Paris in the 12th Century, poodles are considered the second smartest dog in the world, ranked behind the Border collie and ahead of one of the other dogs on this list, the German shepherd. Size-wise, they come in standard, which is a large dog breed, and miniature or toy, which is obviously a small dog breed. If we count them twice and the beagle and bulldog as one each, we have an even tie between big dogs and small dogs. How do we break that tie? Let’s look at the next ten breeds on the list:
11. Miniature Schnauzers
12. Chihuahuas
13. Pomeranians
14. Pugs
15. Rottweilers
16. BostonTerriers
17. Cocker Spaniels
18. Pointers
19. Maltese
20. Shetland Sheepdogs
In this part of the popularity list, there are clearly more small dog breeds than large dog breeds, so if you were to just count breeds you would have to say the small dogs win, but in shear numbers, the large dog breeds still have the edge. There are more retrievers in the world than any other dog breed. In the United States and Great Britain there are three times more registered Labradors than the breed that comes in second, the German Shepherd, which is also a large dog breed. They say the strong survive. In the case of dog breeds, it appears to be true. Small dogs might be popular around the world, but the big ones have them outnumbered. If you have any doubts about that, just look at the last five breeds in the top twenty five. They are Doberman Pinschers, Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Great Danes, Siberian Huskies, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. It’s pretty clear that, in the dog world, size matters.
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