In a world of good boys, maybe there are better boys. While I like mutts (mixed breeds in my opinion can bring fun and quirky traits from all over the place into the same dog) many prefer a purebred. It can be more of a sure thing if you’re looking for certain characteristics.

Between breeders and so many animal rescues seeming to focus on one particular breed, you have plenty of opportunity to get exactly what you want in a family dog.

What do people want most?

The American Kennel Club says it has determined the top most popular dog breeds for the state of New Jersey. Some breeds are the same as the national popularity, some are not.

shulgenko
shulgenko
loading...

Last year a new breed won the puppy popularity contest. The French Bulldog dethroned the Labrador retriever to take top spot. Was it a fluke?

It was not. For the second year in a row, the breed was the most popular in the Garden State.

Labrador retrievers remain in second place. They’re followed by golden retrievers, German shepherds and poodles.

That’s the same Top Five nationally. But from there New Jersey goes more its own way.

Here are the Top 10 most popular dog breeds in New Jersey according to the American Kennel Club. 

1️⃣ French bulldog

Celiaaa
Celiaaa
loading...

2️⃣ Labrador retriever

Hungry labrador retriever is waiting for feeding.
Chalabala
loading...

3️⃣ Golden retriever

Portrait of a golden retriever sitting down in a beautiful farm
Capuski
loading...

4️⃣ German Shepard

SB Arts Media
SB Arts Media
loading...

5️⃣ Poodle

image of gray poodle on a green lawn
Sergiy1997
loading...

6️⃣ Rottweiler

Tatjana Damjanovic
Tatjana Damjanovic
loading...

7️⃣ English bulldog

Beautiful English bulldog outdoor,selective focus and blank space
badmanproduction
loading...

8️⃣ Doberman pinscher

Photo by Laith Abushaar on Unsplash
Photo by Laith Abushaar on Unsplash
loading...

9️⃣ Boxer

A purebred Boxer dog standing outdoors and listening with a head tilt
Mary Swift
loading...

🔟 Havanese

Dorottya_Mathe
Dorottya_Mathe
loading...

Check out these 50 fascinating facts about dogs:

LOOK: Longest-living dog breeds

To find out the longest-living dog breeds, Stacker examined data from the journal Genetics and American Kennel Club's 2023 breed popularity rankings. 

Gallery Credit: Sophia June

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.