Tuesday, February 20, 2018

The Bottom of the AKC Barrel



More than half of all AKC dogs are in the top 10 breeds, with the bottom 50 breeds summing to 1.2 percent of all AKC-registered dogs (which is only about 5 percent of all dogs) . 

To put it another way, the rarest 50 AKC Breeds total just 3 out of every 2,000 U.S. dogs. 


So what are those bottom AKC 50 breeds as of 2016?

1. Beaucerons

2. Berger Picards

3. Setters (Irish Red and White)

4. Redbone Coonhounds

5. Spaniels (Clumber)

6. Lakeland Terriers

7. German Pinschers

8. Spaniels (Field)

9. Petits Bassets Griffons Vendeens

10. Affenpinschers

11. Spaniels (Irish Water)

12. Greyhounds

13. Ibizan Hounds

14. Icelandic Sheepdogs

15. Scottish Deerhounds

16. Sealyham Terriers

17. Spaniels (American Water)

18. Wirehaired Vizslas

19. Plotts

20. Pulik

21. Portuguese Podengo Pequenos

22. Entlebucher Mountain Dogs

23. Spanish Water Dogs

24. Swedish Vallhunds

25. Retrievers (Curly-Coated)

26. Kuvaszok

27. Otterhounds

28. Dandie Dinmont Terriers

29. Pharaoh Hounds

30. Polish Lowland Sheepdogs

31. American English Coonhounds

32. Lowchen

33. Spaniels (Sussex)

34. Finnish Lapphunds

35. Norwegian Buhunds

36. Chinooks

37. Pyrenean Shepherds

38. Komondorok

39. Skye Terriers

40. Finnish Spitz

41. Glen of Imaal Terriers

42. Canaan Dogs

43. Cesky Terriers

44. Cirnechi dell'Etna

45. Bergamasco

46. Sloughis

47. Harriers

48. English Foxhounds

49. Norwegian Lundehunds

50. American Foxhounds


Keen observers will note
that some AKC breeds and types are actually common in the REAL world of dogs, if not in the American Kennel Club.

For example, the rarest breed in the U.S. is the American Foxhound, with the English Foxhound only slightly more popular.

Yet Foxhounds are the state dog of Virginia and we have mounted hunts from one end of the state to the other and all across the U.S. But AKC Foxhounds? Who wants a dog chosen for color rather than work? No one who actually uses Foxhounds.

And so it it with Greyhounds and three kinds of Coonhounds. Working dogs from these breeds are pretty common all over. But show dogs? Who want those?

1 comment:

SecondThoughtsOptional said...

Ah, greyhounds are a 'rare breed' according to the KC over here in the UK too. They don't say that too loudly as they'd be laughed out of the park. You can't go to a dog shelter without seeing a retired racer or three and they're a common sight in town and country. But no show papers!

As you say so eloquently, working dogs are rarely rare. There is no shortage of long dogs, hounds, gun dogs, sheep-herding dogs and livestock guardians... but the inbred pool selected to catch ribbons, there may be a tad bit less of.