Top Dog Breeds. Dog lovers across the country have been polled and have voiced their opinions as to America’s favorite canine breeds for 2012. From Designer Dogs to the “Heinz 57” here are our countries most beloved canines.
1. Leading the pack for the second year in a row and pictured on the left in pink is the Maltipoo. This little bundle of fur was created by crossing a Maltese with a Toy Poodle. Maltipoo’s are notorious for their warm, loving personalities. They are good with kids, make great family pets and work well as therapy dogs.
2. Referred to as the original “designer dog”, and retaining spot number two for the second year in a row is the Cockapoo. Shown lying on a blue blanket below, this breed resulted from crossing a Toy Poodle with a Cocker Spaniel. Many say Cockapoo’s inherited the best of both breeds.
3. More popular this year than last, the Maltese-Shih-Tzu was derived by combining a Maltese with a Shih-Tzu. Photographed below the Cockapoo with a white and tan hair-coat, this well rounded, small breed family dog was initially bred not to shed.
4. Dropping one point in popularity from 2011, the Bishon Frise ranked fourth this year. These sensitive, friendly yet delicate dogs are often recommended for people with pet allergies. These dogs do shed and require regular grooming. Bishon’s are well suited for mature families and adults and prefer to spend their time with people as opposed to being left alone.
5. The Shih-Tzu jumped up two notches and this year came in fifth. Shih-Tzu’s make wonderful companions for adults, require regular grooming and can be temper mental.
6. Breeding a Pekinese with a Poodle, resulted in creating the Peekapoo. Moving up four notches this year, these dogs are small, friendly and energetic. They make great adult companions, need regular grooming and are prone to breed related eye issues.
7. Loving, loyal and smart, the Standard Poodle jumped up five places, ranking seventh in popularity for 2012. Poodles are well suited to adult living and shedding is minimal. This large breed dog needs lots of room to run and regular grooming is an absolute must.
8. Combining the Schnauzer with the Poodle resulted in America’s eighth favorite breed, the Schnoodle. These medium sized canines make loyal, fun loving family pets.
9. An American staple, the Laborador-Retriever ranked ninth in popularity this year. Warm, loving and fun, these large breed canines require minimal maintenance and make great family pets. Labrador’s are smart, loving and easy to train. They make good hunting companions, are successful in “search & rescue missions and offer extreme versatility to pet lovers.
10. Coming in at number ten, the Puggle resulted by crossing a Beagle with a Pug.
This small short coated breed requires minimal daily maintenance. Puggle’s are active and energetic as well as, social and vocal.
They make good family pets, integrate well into multi-pet homes and can be slightly domineering in personality.
Ear infections can be an issue for some, due to their long, floppy ears.
