Dog Breed - Which One Is The Most Popular

Dogs are known as the man's best friend. It is widely believed that the dog was one of the first animals to be domesticated by the human race. It is believed to be domesticated while the human race was still a hunter-gatherer. Hence our relation with the canine race has been quite a long one. Dogs have faithfully acted as guards and companions for us for a long time.

Since the domestication of the dogs (roughly 15000 years ago according to some estimates), there has been a wide range of breeds available. There are about 475 registered breeds in the world today. This is due to the selective breeding of the dogs which allow pups with certain desirable trait in them. Some breeds are more suited to heavy works such as Siberian Husky, others are more suited to family life such as the Labrador, while there are other breeds like the Chihuahua which are more of a playful pet.

While there are a number of breeds but the most popular breeds for the year 2008 in the U.S.A according to the AKC (American kennel club) registration records is the Labrador Retriever. The other popular breeds in the top five according to the registration records were Yorkshire terrier, German Shepherd Dog, Golden Retrieve, Beagle in the decreasing order of popularity. The bulldog was the eighth popular breed, making it to the top ten for the first time in more than 70 years.

The Labrador Retriever has been the most popular dog in America since 1991. The popularity of the Labrador Retriever speaks of its ability to adapt in the role of a family dog. Some qualities and attributes of the Labrador Retriever are:

General Temperament - The Labrador Retriever is an intelligent and family loving dog. It is quite affable and energetic, adapting well to indoors as well as outdoors, and its great love and patience for children make it the ideal dog for a home. It adapts easily to the apartment life. Also its good intelligence, loyalty, patience and eager to please attitude make it ideal for the role of helper dog. In its role as a helper dog it is used a guide dog to the physically challenged as well as companions to the elderly people.

Physical Appearance - The male weighs about 30-35 kg while the female is lighter, in range of 26-32kg. Their coat is quite short and straight. The tail is otter like, broad and strong, while the toes are webbed. Their coat is interwoven and hence somewhat waterproof.

Life Expectancy - The average healthy Labrador Retriever is expected to live for 12- 14 years. It is quite prone to obesity. Due to its floppy ears, it may get ear infections.

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