For the 20th straight year, the Labrador Retriever was named the top dog in the United States by the American Kennel Club.

The rankings remained largely unchanged from last year with the German Shepherd in second place in 2010, followed by the Yorkshire Terrier. The Beagle beat out the Golden Retriever, which ended up fifth.

Most surprising was a jump in popularity for the Bulldog (ranked #7 last year).

The Boxer, the Dachshund, the Poodle and the diminutive Shih Tzu rounded out the top 10 most popular dogs in the list of 167 breeds. The ranking is based on the number of registrations for the breed with the American Kennel Club.

For next year, the club will expand its breed registry by adding the Norwegian Lundehund, the Xoloitzcuintli (aka: Mexican hairless dog) and the Entlebucher Mountain Dog.

Source: Reuters