Canine Partners Blog

The weave poles are one of the toughest obstacles for agility dogs to master. In the AKC Novice class, dogs must complete six poles. When they advance to the intermediate Open and advanced Excellent levels, the number of  weave poles doubles to 12. In this training tip, professional dog trainer Michele Godlevski of Youngsville, NC, […]

This article originally appeared in the AKC Canine Partners News newsletter. Chris Moore and her family were content with owning two small dogs until a crime stripped their security away. The family returned home one day to discover a theft had taken place. Their home had been broken into, but thankfully, their Miniature Dachshunds, Mocha […]

MACH Hailey Bell CD BN MXB MJB THD & Danielle Oss of Prior Lake, MN Danielle Oss and her family adopted Hailey, a Border Collie-retriever mix, from a shelter in 2008. The following summer on a trip to the Minnesota State Fair, Danielle saw an agility demonstration and knew that she had to try the […]

Canine Care Tip Brought to You by the AKC GoodDog! Helpline Team School will be out soon and summer vacation is coming up! Planning to bring Fido on your family road trip? A little planning ahead will make your trip smoother. Here are a few tips to keep your dog cool and comfortable! Before your trip: […]

This article originally appeared in AKC Family Dog magazine. Alaska wags her tail and wiggles her body every time a person approaches. She has a great grin and calm demeanor but, turned in as a stray to a small rural shelter, her adoption chances were slim. She was an adult. She was black (the least […]

This training tip is contributed by dog trainer Kay Lackey of Lodi, OH, owner of Katie’s Ark Dog Training. She is the owner of an AKC Canine Partner named Rocky, a pitbull mix who is a certified therapy dog and rally competitor. Lackey, who has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife science, has worked with animals […]

Congratulations to two dogs in the AKC Canine Partners program who will represent the AKC and the United States on the AKC European Open Agility Team. The world competition takes place  July 24-26 in Germany. Dynamite Dynamite and Monkey Joe (white dog pictured exiting tunnel) both earned spots on the team during the AKC World […]

This training tip offers great advice on teaching and building desire to play the “touch” game – a great way to get your dog’s attention even in distracting situations. It is brought to us by Shannon Jones, AKC Rally Judge. She also teaches basic obedience, competitive obedience and rally obedience at two training centers in […]

Can you find Lilly, one of our AKC Canine Partner members, in this adorable photograph submitted by her owner Jeannie Battagin? The photo is just one of many great pics in the My Favorite Toy gallery in the current issue of the AKC Canine Partners News newsletter. The newsletter is distributed quarterly to owners of […]

KOKO HERZ ... JAN. 3, 2003 - FEB. 19, 2015 Steven Herz of New Jersey wrote this moving memorial for Koko Herz who was the first All-American Dog to earn the AKC Therapy Dog title and who passed away from cancer in February at age 12. We are honored to share it with you. "I […]