The Most Rare Dog in the World

In a world with hundreds of different types of dogs, it is not surprising many breeds have fallen out of favor or are not easy to breed, limiting their numbers. There is disagreement on what is the rarest dog or breed in the world, with several in the running for the title.

  1. Glen of Imaal

    • The Glen of Imaal is a terrier breed of Irish descent. It is often touted as the "rarest domesticated dog in the world," as there are roughly only 35 of them registered in the United Kingdom and 500 to 600 in the United States as of September, 2010. It is possible this breed could go extinct by 2020, according to Pet Meds Online.

    Thai Ridgeback

    • The Thai ridgeback is an ancient breed of dog and experts are unsure of its specific origin. It is found mostly in Thailand and is known for the strip of hair growing along the spine in the opposite direction from the rest of the coat. They are not very common outside of Thailand and have only been bred in the United States since about 1994. Ridgebacks are not very well known so they remain rare outside their native country.

    New Guinea Singing Dog

    • The New Guinea singing dog originated in New Guinea, and probably descended from a form of Asian wolves. By the beginning of the 20th century the breed was nearly extinct, and all pure-blooded singing dogs can be traced back to two pairs of dogs. This dog breed is very closely related to wild dogs and very little is known about its behavior in the wild. Female singing dogs only come into heat once a year rather than twice and they are not recommended as house pets because of their wild nature, so demand for them is low. It also takes time to recover a breed from low numbers and breeders are working carefully to try and restore the singing dog to acceptable population numbers.

    Norwegian Lundehound

    • This Norwegian lundehound is also a very old breed. It was used as a hunting dog by the Vikings. A distemper epidemic in the 1940s reduced the breed to only six dogs. There are an estimated 1,500 in the world as of September, 2010.

    Catahoula Leopard Dog

    • The Catahoula hound can trace its origin back to the state of Louisiana in the United States of America. No one is sure what type of wolf or dog it evolved from, but some people think they came from Nordic wolfhounds. They are a herding dog, used mostly to round up boars, pigs and cattle. The Catahoula cur was only accepted into the American Kennel Club in 1996, so they remain relatively unknown as a breed and their numbers are generally low outside Louisiana.