©Scott Sheaffer, CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, USA Dog Behavior, LLC

It’s official; AKC’s most popular breeds list is out for 2020. Dog breed popularity in the United States can be faddish depending on what celebrity owns what breed at the moment. Tracking breed popularity is almost like tracking the stock market and, like the stock market, you can frequently really overpay.

I’ve listed the top 20 breeds for 2020 compared to their 2019 ranking below.

20) Shih Tzu - Comes in at the same rank as it did in 2019.

19) Miniature Schnauzer - Drops from 18th place in 2019.

18) Doberman Pinscher - Comes up one slot from its 2019 ranking.

“The high prices this breed commands have gotten the attention of puppy-mill breeders, resulting in all-too-frequent behavior and medical issues.”

17) Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - This breed dropped one position in the 2020 ranking. I’m surprised this breed dropped at all considering the prices breeders are charging for these little nuggets ($3,000 and up).

16) Siberian Husky - This beautiful breed that looks like a wolf also dropped one position in 2020.

15) Great Danes - These big dogs moved up two slots in 2020 from number 17.

14) Boxers - There are a number of breeds that are polarizing and this is one of them (I love them). Their position remains unchanged for 2020.

13) Yorkshire Terriers - This longtime favorite lost one position in 2020.

12) Australian Shepherds - This ever-popular breed bumped up one position from 2019.

11) Pembroke Welsh Corgis - Considering all the problems the Queen is having (e.g., Prince Harry and Meghan Markle), it’s surprising the Queen’s favorite breed only slipped one slot from number 10 in 2019.

10) Dachshund - This long and low breed moved up one click in 2020 from number 11.

9) German Shorthaired Pointer - No movement in this popular hunting breed.

8) Rottweiler - These big ol’ scary boys and girls (many are just sweethearts by the way) stayed in the same spot for 2020.

7) Beagle - No change here for these perennial favorites. There’s a lot to love in this breed with the possible exception of their baying at the worst possible times.

6) Poodle - No change for this breed from 2019 to 2020. If you counted the dozens of “_____oodle” crossbreeds in this grouping, I’m confident the ranking would be much higher.

5) English Bulldog - This very popular and expensive breed stays in the same position for 2020. Buying one of these sweethearts is just the beginning of the cost of ownership. They have some medical challenges that can make ownership pricey.

4) Golden Retriever - As hard as it is to believe, this popular American breed slipped one rank in 2020.

3) German Shepherd Dog - This breed held on to its number two position for a long time but in 2020 it slipped to number three. This is one of my favorite breeds but many of them have significant behavioral and health issues associated with a history of puppy-mill breeding.

2) French Bulldog - Not surprising at all that this breed moved up two positions in 2020. This has become a faddish dog breed and as a result the prices are astronomical. The high prices this breed commands have gotten the attention of puppy-mill breeders, resulting in all-too-frequent behavior and medical issues.

1) Labrador Retriever - This breed has been at the top of the list for 30 years. For reasons not completely known to me, this breed, and possibly the Golden Retriever, have not been significantly negatively impacted in behavior and health issues by puppy-mills.