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I found this article and thought it would be interresting to share:

They’re the most popular dog breeds in America, the Nation’s best-loved canine companions. We recognize them instantly by name and sight. Most of us would say we’re very familiar with America’s top dogs, but how much do we really know about them? Here are some little-known facts about the American Kennel Club’s top ten most popular dog breeds:

1. LABRADOR RETRIEVER -- Its name notwithstanding, the Labrador Retriever doesn’t come from Labrador, but was brought to England by merchant ships from the island of Newfoundland in the 1800s. It used to be known as the Small Water Dog, to distinguish it from the larger dog still known as the Newfoundland.

Labs have a double coat - a soft downy undercoat and a harder guard coat. This helps keep them warm and dry when swimming.

Labrador Retrievers have been the most popular dog in America for 13 years in a row.

One of Britain’s foremost breeders of Labs is Queen Elizabeth, although she’s more famous as a corgi-lover.

2. GOLDEN RETRIEVER -- The Golden Retriever originated from the crossing of a wavy coated retriever with a Tweed water dog.

The first three dogs of any breed to achieve the AKC Obedience Champion title were all Golden Retrievers.

The color that a Golden Retriever puppy will become as an adult can often be predicted by the color of its ears.

3. GERMAN SHEPHERD -- Although many people think of this as an ancient breed, it was first bred in the 1880s by Max von Stephanitz, a German cavalry officer.

In the First World War, 48,000 German Shepherds were enlisted in the German Army, to carry messages under fire and across minefields.

The German Shepherd was also known as the Alsatian during the Second World War, to avoid anti-German feeling.

4. BEAGLE -- Beagles were mentioned in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in the 14th Century, and were popular with British monarchs.

Beagles were bred down in size from foxhounds, to create a dog slow enough to hunt with men on foot.

Beagles’ noses are dark at birth, only turning pink as the dog leaves puppyhood.

5. DACHSHUND -- The first images of dachshunds appear in the tombs of Ancient Egyptian Pharoahs dating back 5,000 years.

Dachshund is German for ‘badger dog’, as the breed was developed to hunt badgers.

In Germany, breeds of Dachshund are separated by chest size, to determine the size of badger sett they can enter.

6. YORKSHIRE TERRIER -- Yorkshire Terriers were developed by miners living in Yorkshire, England, to rid the mineshafts of rats.

The Yorkie is the smallest breed of Terrier.

A Yorkie first appeared on a show bench in 1861, as a ‘broken-haired Scotch Terrier’.

The smallest mature dog on record was a Yorkie standing only 2½ inches high at the shoulder.

7. BOXER -- The Official Breed Standard for the Boxer was issued in 1905, in Germany. They were introduced to the USA by servicemen returning from the First World War

Its German name means "bull biter".

It is often known as the ‘Peter Pan’ of the dog world, as it maintains its youthful exuberance long after puppyhood.

8. POODLE -- Although the Poodle is the National Dog of France, it originated in Germany as the Water Dog, or Pudel.

The Pudel’s thick coat was a hindrance in water, so huntsmen would shear their dogs’ hind quarters, leaving little cuffs around the ankles and hips to guard against rheumatism. This led to the poodle clip we see today.

In Germany, the dogs were used to pull milk carts and became stronger, whereas in France they were used as companion dogs and were bred to be smaller.

9. CHIHUAHUA -- The Chihuahua was sacred to the Aztec and Toltec tribes of Mexico.

It may have been introduced to Mexico by the Chinese.

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of Chihuahuas in human graves in both Mexico and the US.

The Chihuahua is officially the world’s smallest breed of dog, at an average height of 6-9".

10. SHIH-TZU -- The Shih-Tzu’s roots lie in Tibet and China. It was bred from Lhasa Apso and Pekingese lapdogs in Peking’s Forbidden City.

Shih-Tzus were first brought to the West in 1930.

It is often called the chrysanthemum-faced dog, as its hair grows outwards from its nose in all directions.