Once the loyal companions of Chinese royalty, today's Pugs live to please their owners. With their friendly, fun-loving personalities, it's no wonder that this largest member of the Toy Group makes the ideal companion. Prepping a Pug pup to follow good behavior guidelines isn't tricky. Forget intense training, as a little planning and consistency will [...]

Seventeen-year-old Isabella Ruffoni from Gilroy, CA is a third-generation dog show handler, but didn't get involved in the sport until she was 15.

In its endless pursuit to recognize outstanding members of the fancy, The American Kennel Club Lifetime Achievement Awards were created and first awarded in 1999 to honor our best. The purpose of the awards is to celebrate those individuals whose many years of dedication have led to significant contributions to our Sport on a national level [...]

AKC is published bi-monthly. It is not available on any newsstand. Subscribe now and be on the mailing list for the very next issue! One year (6 issues) of AKC is only $9.95. SUBSCRIBE NOW! See a sneak peak of the September/October 2017 issue: The Puppy Issue When Bulldogs Fly They have a surprising repertoire of talents [...]

The other day, Molly and I were working the puppies through Tractor Supply. As I got out Pitter Patter, an older woman was in the parking lot with a German Shepherd puppy. Her puppy was showing obvious aggression toward the Malinois puppy, so I moved quickly and got the pup in a routine of following [...]

Rescue Pup Uses Her Nose to Keep America Safe  Beagle-mix Millie was seeking a new home through a rescue group when the US Customs and Border Patrol found the energetic pup and put her to work with its Beagle Brigade. Now Millie is employed at the Miami (FL) International Airport, stopping contraband from entering the [...]

The other day, Molly and I were working the puppies through Tractor Supply. As I got out Pitter Patter, an older woman was in the parking lot with a German Shepherd puppy. Her puppy was showing obvious aggression toward the Malinois puppy, so I moved quickly and got the pup in a routine of following [...]

It has only been three days with the new puppy “Trip” but here are some things that might not be second nature to everyone- Patience is my greatest ally- I have 10 to 14 months to bring out the best in this pup. I haven’t put a leash on him yet. I want independence, not control [...]

It has only been three days with the new puppy “Trip” but here are some things that might not be second nature to everyone- Patience is my greatest ally- I have 10 to 14 months to bring out the best in this pup. I haven’t put a leash on him yet. I want independence, not control [...]

It has only been three days with the new puppy “Trip” but here are some things that might not be second nature to everyone- Patience is my greatest ally- I have 10 to 14 months to bring out the best in this pup. I haven’t put a leash on him yet. I want independence, not control [...]

Earlier this month we had a prime training opportunity: a Christmas Market held just two blocks away. With pop-up stalls, crowds, lots of unusual objects, overhead announcements, music, generators, and dancing, the market provides quite a challenge for socialization and environmental stability. We knew that these two pups were not ready for that level of [...]

This video pops up frequently in social media. What I like about it: -Time saving exercise with low requirement on the training knowledge of the care giver -Great use of social learning within the litter What I don’t like, based on my experience: – Difficult to capture performance data on the individuals in the litter [...]

This video pops up frequently in social media. What I like about it: -Time saving exercise with low requirement on the training knowledge of the care giver -Great use of social learning within the litter What I don’t like, based on my experience: – Difficult to capture performance data on the individuals in the litter [...]

Earlier this month we had a prime training opportunity: a Christmas Market held just two blocks away. With pop-up stalls, crowds, lots of unusual objects, overhead announcements, music, generators, and dancing, the market provides quite a challenge for socialization and environmental stability. We knew that these two pups were not ready for that level of [...]

Training Plans and Development Overview How Training Frequency Impacts Learning Lemonade Starting with an 8 week old pup The Play Ideas Video Assessment versus training Play is Pay!!! Putting it all together Content versus Context Raising Criteria in Odor Recognition Stuff Creating Behavioral Pathways Training with Food Machines A Puppy named Task Possession, possession, possession! Ten [...]

Canine Partners Spotlight: Abandoned Pup Grows Up to Perform Heroic Act Zoee started life as an unwanted puppy, left by a Minnesota road with her littermates. Good Samaritans rescued the pups, and Zoee went to a foster home with the hopes of eventually becoming a service dog. Even though that career was not for Zoee [...]

A Canine for the Kids? What to Know When Considering a New Dog Choosing the right breed to fit your family's lifestyle After hearing "Please can we get a dog?" from your children for the one-thousandth time, perhaps you are considering adding a canine to the family portrait. There are many suitable options for families [...]

Training Tip: Teach Your Dog to Wave This month’s Training Tip comes from Deborah Hoeflich of California, who adopted California’s Little Orphan Annie NA OAJ OF THDN CGCA as a 4-month-old puppy from a rescue organization. Annie’s high energy and smarts have made her a talented agility competitor, working toward her MACH [...]

Competition/Titles Update Winter 2022 We have some big news to report about All-Americans succeeding at earning the top titles and honors in Agility, Coursing Ability, Fast CAT Rally, Obedience, Scent Work, Tracking, and Trick Dog. Many dogs are also having success in AKC’s Virtual Titling programs! AGILITY Agility Grand Champion (AGCH) AGCH MACH3 Up [...]

Meet Lauren Luckey: Bitten by the Dog Training Bug Name: Lauren Luckey Age: 17 Hometown: Georgetown, TX Grade: 12th Family: Parents, Mike and Gretchen Luckey; younger sister, Danielle Photo by Gretchen Jernigan Lauren’s family already owned a few dogs and other pets, but when Jax came along, his high energy and sniffy ways made it [...]

Learning Objectives Students will understand the importance of making sure a dog has enough water to drink daily and will demonstrate an understanding of measurement and estimation of liquid volumes of water.   Grade Levels 3-5   Common Core Mathematics Standards CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.A.2 Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects [...]

We have some big news to report about All-Americans succeeding at earning the top titles and honors in Agility, Coursing Ability, Fast CAT, Rally, Obedience, Scent Work, Tracking, and Trick Dog! AGILITY Congratulations to these dogs on earning the Agility Grand Champion title: AGCH MACH3 PACH Resq's Dopamine Rush BN RN MXG PAD MJC PJD [...]

by Lacey Herbel "Don't chew on that!" "Bad puppy! We don't potty inside!" "No! No! No! Stop barking!" When buying a new puppy, many people find that they don't come already trained. There are plenty of things that need to be tweaked before beginning training for a herding dog. Many times a new or even [...]

The Spotlight shines on one of – if not the – rarest breed competing in League over the Fall Season. Allie is a Stabyhoun – a Dutch breed that is an all-around farm dog, doing any task needed, including hunting birds and small game. They also can run agility – as proven by Allie who has earned a number [...]

AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy: 20 Steps for Success The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy program focuses on all the things every puppy and owner need to have a great start together. STAR stands for Socialization, Training, Activity and a Responsible owner and in six weeks of STAR puppy classes, puppies and dogs learn [...]

1st AKC Rally Masters Title: PACH Uggie Bug Jones CDX RM RAE FDC AX AXJ MXP7 MXPG MJP7 MJPS PAX2 OF MFPB T2BP2 SIN SEN SBN CGCA CGCU TKP & Shannon Jones of Cary, NC It was a cold day in February 2003 when a tiny puppy, freezing and starving, was discovered hiding in Shannon [...]

This article is brought to you by Christie Canfield of the AKC GoodDog! Helpline training team. The helpline is a seven-day-a-week telephone support line staffed by experienced dog trainers. It can be bewildering. Enter a pet supply shop to buy your dog a present and face aisle after aisle of different toys. Which one and [...]

Photo by Kathleen Schaffer/Pup Art PACH Cross Fire Copper Cricket, owned by Lydia Sharp of Gilbert, AZ, recently earned one of the highest honors in AKC Agility – the Preferred Agility Championship (PACH). But as a puppy, Cricket lived wild in the Arizona desert, just getting close enough to the Sharps’ business to grab an [...]

  Coppertone was near death when California residents Heather & Lori Sims rescued her as a young puppy. They spent nights feeding the Miniature Dachshund with an eye dropper because she was too weak to eat on her own. The veterinarian gave her little chance of survival, but the puppy pulled through. The Sims say [...]

JuliAnna Munden is a lifelong dog lover, but training classes and competitions never occurred to her. A bark in her backyard changed all that. One day five years ago, JuliAnna was trying to study but a persistent bark outside her home in Pasco, WA, kept interrupting. “I went out back and saw this dog inside [...]