They’re a rare breed.
The American Kennel Club has released its list of the rarest dog breeds in America.
The world’s largest registry of purebred canines, the AKC, analyzed registration statistics to determine the most prevalent and uncommon canines in the United States.
These rarity and popularity rankings shift from year to year as new breeds are added.
In 2025, the AKC recognized 202 total breeds in its stats.
As previously reported by The Post, the AKC added three new breeds to its roster earlier this year. Say hello to the Basset Fauve de Bretagne, the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka, and the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, all of whom have received full AKC recognition, putting them in the running for next year’s assessment.
According to the AKC, the rarest dog breed in the United States this year is the Norwegian Lundehund.
Recognized by the AKC in 2021, the Lundehund dethroned the English Foxhound for the uncommon hound crown.
The Norwegian Lundehund traces its origins to the remote, rocky island of Vaeroy in Norway’s Lofoten archipelago.
The Lundehund holds the dubious distinction of being the only dog bred to hunt puffins (lunde is Norwegian for puffin).
When nets were implemented as the main means of capturing puffins, Lundehunds fell out of fashion and were nearly driven to extinction, much like their puffin prey.
By the 1960s, only six purebred Lundehunds were still in Norway.
Disconcertingly, evert Lundehund alive and sniffing today is directly descended from four of those dogs, all of whom were related.
Breeding efforts increased their numbers, albeit modestly. In 2022, researchers estimated there were 1,500 lundehunds in existence, 900 of which live in Norway.
Increasingly rare, the Lundehund was ranked as the No. 3 rarest breed in 2024.
These pint-sized, spitz-type dogs have a dense double coat, an extra digit to help them climb, and an anatomy that supports all manner of canine cortition, including an “elastic neck” that can bend back far enough to touch the spine, and flexible shoulders that allow their forelegs to extend perpendicular from the body.
These qualities enabled the breed to navigate rocky terrain, tunnels, and narrow crevices.
Rounding out the top three for rarity are the Sloghi, which took second place for the second year in a row, and the Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen, which took third.
The Sloughi, one of the oldest dog breeds in existence, is also known as the Arabian Greyhound and the African Sighthound. Originally bred by the Berber people and Bedouin tribes to hunt game in desert environs, these dogs were prized for their ability to out-sprint and catch gazelles, hares, foxes, wild boar, and jackals.
As the name suggests, the Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen, or GBGV, originally hailed from France. According to the AKC, GBGV roughly translates to ‘Large, low, shaggy dog of the Vendeen.’
Scent hounds, GBGV, were bred for hunting hare, roe deer, and wild boar, a role they still fulfill in France today.
Top Ten Rarest Dog Breeds in the US
“With the additions of new breeds recognized nearly every year, it’s hard to gauge whether breeds are becoming rarer or if other breeds are just becoming more popular,” the AKC explained in its announcement. “In some cases, there are certainly surges in popularity, but for other breeds, the registration numbers are so low that even one fewer dog registered makes a difference.”
While the Lundehund is the rarest dog breed, the French Bulldog maintains its four-year reign as the most popular dog breed in America. The bat-eared lap dogs overtook the Labrador Retriever in 2022, ending the latter’s 31-year reign.
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