The friendly, and often clumsy, Labrador retriever has retained its long held title as the most popular dog breed in the United States, while the fearless Rottweiler has climbed to its highest ranking in 20 years.

The nation's most sought after dogs of 2016 were unveiled in New York City on Tuesday by the American Kennel Club, a purebred dog registry that releases a list of top dog breeds each year.

Labrador retrievers, commonly called "labs," have held their slot as the most popular breed for each of the past 26 years, making them the longest reigning leader of the pack.