Dog breeds of the 1960s: which dogs Americans actually kept

Part 1

What made the 1960s a turning point for dog breeds

Purebred dog popularity boomed after World War Two. In the mid-1950s the AKC was already sponsoring about 1,750 events a year, with roughly 300,000 dogs taking part. By 1960, the American Kennel Club was registering 443,000 dogs a year, and about 850 AKC dog shows were held that year, drawing as many as 250,000 participants and a million spectators. That scale gives you a sense of how many households were adding a purebred dog to the family, rather than a farm dog picked up locally.

Part 2

The most popular breeds of the decade

The Poodle had been recognized by the AKC since 1887, but it did not crack the top ten until the 1950s, when it ranked seventh. In the 1960s it jumped to the number one spot, becoming the first breed to hold that position for two consecutive decades. The Poodle then kept the top spot from 1960 all the way to 1982, the longest run of any breed in AKC history.

The German Shepherd Dog had been the top breed of the 1920s, and it settled into second place for both the 1960s and the 1970s. Breeders and owners valued the German Shepherd for its loyalty, courage, and ability to learn special work such as police duty and guiding people who are blind. The Beagle had been the AKC's number one breed from 1952 until 1959, then slipped to third once the Poodle took over.

1. The Poodle ranked first in the AKC's top ten breeds of the 1960s.
2. The German Shepherd Dog ranked second.
3. The Beagle ranked third.
4. The Dachshund ranked fourth.
5. The Chihuahua ranked fifth.
6. The Pekingese ranked sixth.
7. The Collie ranked seventh.
8. The Miniature Schnauzer ranked eighth.
9. The Cocker Spaniel ranked ninth.
10. The Basset Hound ranked tenth.

Part 3

Famous dogs and pop culture influence

In the 1950s, French fashion trends brought poodle-themed clothing, jewelry, and hairstyles into American magazines such as Vogue. By the 1960s, the Poodle had become, in one account, the talk of the town, right as it took over the AKC's number one spot. The AKC itself later described 1960 as the era of the poodle skirt, the same year Poodles became its top breed.

Disney's animated film about Dalmatians came out in 1961 and was one of the year's top ten films. Even so, Dalmatians never cracked the AKC's top ten breeds of the 1960s. The bigger, better-documented surge in Dalmatian demand came later, after the film's 1985 and 1991 re-releases, when annual AKC Dalmatian registrations jumped from about 8,170 to 42,816. If you are choosing a dog because you loved it in a film, it is worth remembering that a breed's screen appeal and its everyday needs are two different things.

Part 4

Changing roles: from farm to family room

The German Shepherd Dog came from old herding and farm stock before it was developed for police work and guide work. The Poodle had started out as a water retriever in Germany or France, long before it became a show dog and companion.

Dog shows themselves became more organized in the decades leading up to the 1960s. The Professional Dog Judges Association had formed in the mid-1940s, and by 1951 the AKC had limited each judge to seeing 200 dogs a day. By 1960, the AKC was holding about 850 shows a year, and within a few years of moving its headquarters in 1964 it began using computers to store the growing number of pedigrees.

Part 5

How 1960s trends still shape breeds today

Two of the top ten breeds from the 1960s are still near the top of the AKC's rankings today. The German Shepherd Dog and the Dachshund both sit in the AKC's top five breeds as of 2025. The Beagle, another 1960s top-three breed, also returned to the top five in the mid-2010s. The Poodle's run at number one lasted from 1960 to 1982, longer than any other breed has held the top spot, though it has since dropped out of the top five. Today's number one breed, the French Bulldog, was nowhere near the 1960s top ten.

The Poodle is intelligent, active, and known for learning quickly from people.