Golden retrievers, poodles, and German shepherds are all instantly recognizable dog breeds. But these are only a fraction of the 202 pooch types officially recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC). While the French bulldog retained its status as the most popular breed in the United States for the fourth year in a row, there was a bit of a shakeup this year when it comes to the rarest dog in the country. According to the AKC’s tally, you should consider yourself lucky if you spotted a Norwegian lundehund in 2025—the diminutive breed nudged out the English foxhound for the least common canine companion in the country.
“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.”
So, what is a Norwegian lundehund? The unfamiliarity is understandable, even abroad. The roughly 15-pound dog is an extremely old breed, specifically designed to hunt puffins roosting in craggy cliffsides and caves. The word “lunde” is actually Norwegian for puffin. The earliest historical mention of a lundehund dates back to 1591, when a bailiff visiting the town of Værøy noted that, “one cannot easily retrieve the birds from the depth without having a small dog accustomed to crawling into the hole and pulling the birds out.”
Puffin hunting is now illegal in Norway, and the lundehund nearly disappeared during the 1960s before concerted breeding efforts brought them back from the brink of extinction. However, that doesn’t mean they are commonplace today. In 2022, researchers estimated only around 1,500 lundehunds existed around the world—about 900 of which live in Norway.
While the English foxhound made major strides as a U.S. breed in 2025 (it’s now the 16th rarest breed), the grand basset griffon vendéen hound remained solidly in third-place. Meanwhile the Greyhound-reminiscent sloughi ascended to second rarest dog.
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