What Does it Take to be an AKC Registered Breed?  The American Kennel Club, founded in 1884, maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world, and currently registers 200 breeds, representing a wide variety of sizes, colors, coats, temperaments and heritages.  A dog that has full registration with the AKC is eligible to participate in [...]

Click the links below to learn about AKC's Foundation Stock Service® Program. Foundation Stock Service® Program Home FSS Checklist - Updated May 2026 (PDF) FSS Acceptable Domestic Registries FSS Pamphlet - Updated May 2026(PDF) FSS FAQs FSS News Parent Club Best Practices First Certificate of Merit Earned for Miscellaneous Breeds How to Count Certificate of Merit [...]

Ready to register your mixed breed dog or other dog not eligible for AKC Purebred Registration in the AKC Canine Partners Program? It’s easy to enroll -- and before you know it, you and your dog will be able to participate in some of our most popular dog sports, earn title recognition, sign up [...]

Each of the AKC registered breeds are assigned to one of seven groups representing characteristics and functions the breeds were originally bred for. Current as of June 17, 2025 [accordion] [accordion_panel title="Herding Group"] HERDING GROUP The Herding Group, created in 1983, is the newest AKC classification; its members were formerly members of the Working Group. All [...]

  The American Kennel Club created the Foundation Stock Service® (FSS®) to answer the needs of today's rare breed fanciers. The Foundation Stock Service® is an optional record-keeping service for all purebred breeds not currently registrable with the American Kennel Club. Originally the Foundation Stock Service (FSS) program was used to bring in breeds such [...]

The Spotlight shines on one of the rarest breeds competing in League this season – the Croatian Sheepdog. The breed is in the AKC Foundation Stock Service, moving towards recognition. Liya hails from her home country of Croatia, and her owner, Lorie, was inspired to get the breed because of her own heritage. Her father is [...]

The National All-Breed Puppy & Junior Stakes is a competition created especially for purebred dogs aged 6-18 months (Puppies 6-12 months/Juniors 12-18 months). The event is open to all AKC-registered breeds, including Miscellaneous breeds, and provides an opportunity for breeders and exhibitors to showcase their breeding program. This event creates a standalone moment in [...]

Think your dog is an A+ student? Are your friends and family jealous with how well you’ve trained your dog? Then you might want to take things to a new level by participating in Obedience competitions (known as "trials"). Developed in the 1930s, Obedience is one of the AKC’s oldest sporting events, and [...]

The spotlight shines on one of the rarest breeds competing in the AKC Agility League. Koda is a Karelian Bear Dog (KBD) – a breed in the AKC Foundation Stock Service (FSS). Koda is the first of his breed to earn an AKC agility title! He is no slouch in other areas as he is currently [...]

The Foundation Stock Service (FSS®) program was developed in 1995 to assist the needs of rare breeds fanciers. Mari-Beth O’Neill, Vice President of Sport Services, and Christine Weisse, Senior Subject Matter Expert, assist these breeds through the process of becoming a fully recognized AKC breed. There are three major steps of the FSS® program: Acceptance [...]