Is Your Dog The Most Popular Breed In New York?

LONG ISLAND, NY — If you think New York's favorite dog is a big breed, think again.

Ahead of National Dog Day on Aug. 26, U.S. News & World Report released its Most Popular Dog Breeds in Each State report.

The report comes during National Dog Month, an observance founded in 2020 to celebrate the joy dogs bring to families and to promote rescues and adoptions.

According to U.S. News, New York dog owners are among those in the roughly 56 million U.S. households that have at least one dog. Their preferred breeds are:

1. Yorkshire terrier
2. Shih Tzu
3. French bulldog

The top 10 breeds in the nation, according to U.S. News, are as follows:

1. Chihuahua
2. French bulldog
3. Labrador retriever
4. Yorkshire terrier
5. Shih Tzu
6. Golden retriever
7. German shepherd
8. American pit bull terrier
9. Goldendoodle
10. Dachshund

Here are some of the biggest changes nationally compared with last year's rankings:

• The Chihuahua moved from No. 2 to No. 1, taking the top spot the Labrador retriever had held since 2024.
• The French bulldog jumped up from No. 6 to No. 2.
• The Yorkshire terrier rose from No. 9 to No. 4.
• The Shih Tzu climbed from No. 8 to No. 5.
• The goldendoodle, which is not a breed recognized by the American Kennel Club, has dropped from No. 7 to No. 9.
• The American pit bull terrier has been bumped down from No. 4 to No. 8.
• The German shepherd no longer sits in the top five and is at No. 7.

For the report, U.S. News analyzed more than 3.5 million data points from insurance industry partner Fletch, covering January 2022 through June 2026.

Researchers looked at dog breeds and where owners live to determine the most popular breeds in each state and Washington, D.C.

The study found some regional preferences. In New Jersey and New York, the Yorkshire terrier, Shih Tzu, and French bulldog comprise the top three.

New Hampshire and Maine also share the same top three breeds, although residents of those New England states prefer big dogs over small ones. Their three favorite dog breeds are Labrador retriever, golden retriever, and German shepherd.

Alabama and Georgia residents are partial to Yorkshire terriers, Chihuahuas, and Shih Tzus.

The study also found that large dogs dominate in seven states — Alaska, Wisconsin, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Montana. And speaking of big dogs, only 14 states don’t have either a Labrador retriever or a golden retriever in their top three.

Toy breeds — Chihuahuas, Yorkshire terriers and Shih Tzus – take the top spots in five states: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Rhode Island and West Virginia.

The dachshund, which ranks No. 10 nationwide, only cracks the top three in Vermont, where it ranks behind the golden retriever and Labrador retriever.

Only one state, North Dakota, has a most popular breed that didn’t rank in the nationwide top three. The Afghan hound tied for No. 2 with the Labrador retriever in North Dakota.