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 [...]

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 [...]

The Entlebucher Mountain Dog, the Six-Toed Norwegian Lundehund and the Ancient and Rare Xoloitzcuintli Gain Full AKC Recognition  The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) expanded its litter of registered breeds on January 1, to welcome the Entlebucher Mountain Dog, the Norwegian Lundehund and the Xoloitzcuintli --growing AKC’s family to 170 breeds. "The AKC [...]

Three Breeds Gain Full AKC Recognition The American Kennel Club® is pleased to welcome the Irish Red and White Setter, the Pyrenean Shepherd and the Norwegian Buhund as the 159th, 160th, and the 161st AKC® registered breeds. The Irish Red and White Setter will join the Sporting Group while both the Pyrenean Shepherd and the [...]

Plus, Hairless Breeds: Nothing To Sneeze At  While no dog is 100 percent hypoallergenic, there are many breeds which the American Kennel Club (AKC®) suggests people with allergies consider. Most of these breeds have non-shedding coats, which produce less dander. It's the dander, not the hair, which causes most pet allergies. For those who can't do [...]

Three Breeds Gain Full AKC Recognition The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to welcome the Cane Corso, Icelandic Sheepdog and Leonberger as the 165th, 166th, and 167th AKC recognized breeds. The Icelandic Sheepdog will join the Herding Group while both the Cane Corso and Leonberger will join the Working Group. The new breeds became [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]