Newest Dog Breeds You've Probably Never Heard of Before

The latest breed to gain recognition is the Belgian laekenois. The laekenois was added in July 2020. This dog makes for a great pet but needs more exercise than most dogs. Of the four officially recognized Belgian herding breeds, the Laekenois is the rarest. There have been fewer than 400 in the U.S. since 1995.

Before it was the biewer terrier, the dog was called German Yorkshire terrier. The dog can be traced back to the 1970s and to a German married couple who had decided to breed, raise, and sell Yorkshire terriers instead of having children.

Known in English as Italian pointing dogs or Italian pointers, these hunting dogs are very sweet family companions. They have endless energy, especially when in the field, making them a perfect match for active kids.

As its name suggests, the Russian toy is a very small breed of dog originally from Russia. Bred from the English toy terrier in the early 18th century the wealthy, Russian toy dogs, which were a symbol of high status in society, were nearly exterminated during the 1917 revolution. Breeding them resumed in the late 1950s.

The mudi — a spitz type dog that is a close cousin of the puli and pumi — is a herding dog breed from Hungary. This particular medium-sized breed has been around since the 19th century. There are not a lot of mudis around the world – certainly not many outside of Hungary, according to the AKC.