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The French Bulldog has claimed the title of America's most popular dog breed for the fourth year in a row, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC), which released its annual breed rankings on Wednesday (March 18).
The small, bat-eared breed topped registration charts across the country, and held the number one spot locally in Washington, D.C., West Palm Beach, Florida, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The AKC's rankings are based on voluntary registration data submitted each year.
Nationally, nearly 74,500 French Bulldogs were registered in 2025, down from 98,500 in 2023 and 108,000 in 2022, though the AKC notes that registration is voluntary and numbers can fluctuate year to year.
The Labrador Retriever came in second with about 58,500 new registrations, followed by the Golden Retriever in third. One of the biggest shake-ups in the 2025 rankings was the Dachshund, which climbed to fifth place, its highest position since 2003. That pushed the Poodle down to sixth, after holding the fifth spot from 2021 through 2024.
The full national top 10 for 2025:
- French Bulldog
- Labrador Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- German Shepherd Dog
- Dachshund
- Poodle
- Beagle
- Rottweiler
- Bulldog
- German Shorthaired Pointer
You can view the full list of the top 200 dog breeds at akc.org.