Learning Objectives Students will analyze poetry relating to dogs and create their own dog poem utilizing poetic structure.  *Note:  This is a multi-day lesson.   Grade Levels 6-8   Common Core English Language Arts Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; […]

Learning Objectives Students will be able to identify and create different types of story introductions.   Grade Levels 3-5   Common Core Standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.A Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer's purpose.   Materials Needed The Incredible Journey by […]

  Welcome to the AKC . We have put together definitions for dog words that you may not be familiar with. If you have additional questions regarding the glossary, please contact our Special Services Department. A Abdomen The belly or under surface between the chest and the hindquarters. Acetabulum The concave lateral portion of the […]

Science has long told us that enriched environments creates animals more highly adapted to cope with higher levels of stimulation. I saw the reverse of this in a population of government bred detection dogs who had daily changes in their play pen. Their stress did not come from an environment that was too challenging, but […]

We discussed this before here- https://www.akc.org/akc-detection-dog-task-force/akc-pilot-detection-puppy-rearing-program/blogs/training-science/behavioral-circuits-motor-patterns/ However, now that everyone is spending a good amount of time with your dogs on environmentally stability, we should revisit what we are trying to do. The goal is that the pup will negotiate an object “because it is there.” A dog that only negotiates the object with cues, […]

We discussed this before here- https://www.akc.org/akc-detection-dog-task-force/akc-pilot-detection-puppy-rearing-program/blogs/training-science/behavioral-circuits-motor-patterns/ However, now that everyone is spending a good amount of time with your dogs on environmentally stability, we should revisit what we are trying to do. The goal is that the pup will negotiate an object “because it is there.” A dog that only negotiates the object with cues, […]

We discussed this before here- https://www.akc.org/akc-detection-dog-task-force/akc-pilot-detection-puppy-rearing-program/blogs/training-science/behavioral-circuits-motor-patterns/ However, now that everyone is spending a good amount of time with your dogs on environmentally stability, we should revisit what we are trying to do. The goal is that the pup will negotiate an object “because it is there.” A dog that only negotiates the object with cues, […]

Science has long told us that enriched environments creates animals more highly adapted to cope with higher levels of stimulation. I saw the reverse of this in a population of government bred detection dogs who had daily changes in their play pen. Their stress did not come from an environment that was too challenging, but […]

Season 13 - Spring/Summer Season 2026 [accordion] [accordion_panel title="Extended Ph.D."] Top Three Teams Champion – Michigan Border Patrol – Michigan Reserve Champion – Misfits on the Run – West Virginia Third Place – Let’s Play TAG – North Carolina Individual Dog Placements 8-Inch Regular 1st – Smirk, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Pluff Mudd Brats 12-Inch Regular 1st – […]

Competition/Titles Update We have some big news to report about All-Americans succeeding at earning the top titles in Agility, Coursing Ability, Rally, Obedience and Tracking. This past quarter delivered the first Agility Grand Champion and the first Rally Master title holders! There is also a new Champion Tracker and lots of exciting news about All […]

The AKC Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Program was established in 2006 to provide each AKC Member Club with an embossed AKC medallion to award on a yearly basis as an ongoing effort to celebrate its volunteer club members. This award honors those individuals who deserve special recognition that have made a difference in the Sport of […]

Rio Grassle Rozzi TD CA DCAT SWM CGC TKI owned by Mariana & Cory Rozzi of Westfield, IN The Rozzis rescued Rio in November of 2021 and at the time, they knew nothing about dog performance sports. They began private lessons with their dog trainer, John Krasich, shortly after getting Rio. “Starting those lessons turned […]

by Tammie Rogers I am amazed at a herding dog's courage. We often ask our dogs to control and pilot animals that can weigh hundreds of pounds more than they do. We ask them to manage ewes with baby lambs and cows with newborn calves. We ask them to move livestock that doesn't want to […]

AKC Group Standards Download AKC approved breed standards by complete group for use on any portable electronic device. Sporting Hound Working Terrier Toy Non-Sporting Herding Misc. Judges Study Guide No single written guide is ever comprehensive enough to be the only learning tool utilized in preparation for judging a new breed. We urge you to […]

By Joan Harrigan and Susan BeegelMuch is demanded of show dogs – they must be adaptable, calm, and tolerant in addition to meeting the requirements of their breed standards. Two Beaucerons, both champions and exhibited at the 2011 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, have show careers that are secondary to their day-to-day work. For Beaucerons […]

To understand just how respected Ellsworth Gamble was, let us eavesdrop at a 1967 dinner where the legendary judge gave a speech to the members of the Kerry Blue Terrier Club of Northern California. Gamble stood to address the assembled fanciers whose dogs he had judged earlier that day. Though he was a slight man, […]

Thanks to technological advances and a robust economy in the years following the second world war, the modern media took off like a rocket—and the Westminster Kennel Club dog show took off with it. Of course, the big event at Madison Square Garden had been America’s most prestigious dog show since it began in 1877. […]

In the early 1950s, a stunning Doberman Pinscher came charging out of California to vanquish the best show dogs the East Coast elites had to offer. In the process, he became an international superstar. Among the treasures of the AKC Library & Archives is the Len and Shirley Carey collection of photos, clippings, scrapbooks, correspondence, […]

Along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail at Buzzard Rock, in Virginia, Rhetta overlooks an area she and owner Will Ransom passed through. This section of the trail gives hikers some of the best views of the highest peaks in the state. To reach this point, it is a moderate steady climb through woods and high […]

He knew beforehand that it wasn't going to be your proverbial walk in the park. But when 31-year-old Will Ransom, of Unadilla, Ga., and his intrepid 6-year-old Australian Cattle Dog, Rhetta, finished the Appalachian National Scenic Trail hike last month, he confessed, "It was a bit more than I bargained for." Their trek began in […]

Sir Walter Scott referred to the Deerhound as “the most perfect creature of Heaven,” and breeders today likewise speak passion­ately of the breed. Those who know the breed appreciate its sterling attributes, in no small respect because of how those traits have withstood the test of time. Tracing Breed History The earliest clues to breed […]

After the airing of the popular special AKC Heroes: 2022 Awards for Canine Excellence on ESPN2, the AKC is excited to share the winners of this year’s AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE). These annual awards celebrate loyal, hard-working dogs that have significantly improved the lives of their owners and/or communities. Five remarkable dogs […]

Calm dog breeds can make great companions and therapy dogs. While any dog can be easy going, these breeds are known to be laid-back.

Loyal, courageous, and always up for a good game, Boxers never shy away from showing off their silly side. Learn more about Boxer history.

Breed Weight Male Weight Female Affenpinschers 7-10 pounds 7-10 pounds Afghan Hounds 50-60 pounds 50-60 pounds Airedale Terriers 50-70 pounds 50-70 pounds Akitas 100-130 pounds 70-100 pounds Alaskan Malamutes 85 pounds 75 pounds American English Coonhounds 45-65 pounds 45-65 pounds American Eskimo Dogs 6-10 pounds (toy), 10-20 pounds (miniature), 25-35 pounds (standard) 6-10 pounds (toy), […]

The American Kennel Club has released registration statistics for 2025. Who will be crowned the most popular breed?

Can all dogs swim? With a life vest and some dog swimming lessons from you, here's how to teach a dog to swim in a pool or lake.

Based on American Kennel Club registration statistics, we rank the most popular dog breeds in America each year. The French Bulldog takes the No. 1 spot!

Breed 2018 Rank 2017 Rank 2016 Rank 2015 Rank 2014 Rank Labrador Retrievers 1 1 1 1 1 German Shepherd Dogs 2 2 2 2 2 Golden Retrievers 3 3 3 3 3 French Bulldogs 4 4 6 6 9 Bulldogs 5 5 4 4 4 Beagles 6 6 5 5 5 Poodles 7 7 […]

The only breed to rank in the top ten breeds every decade since the founding of the American Kennel Club became the nation’s top breed in the 1950s—the Beagle. Not coincidentally, Charles Schultz’s pet Beagle, Snoopy, made his illustrious first appearance in national newspapers on October 4, 1950, and swiftly became a pop phenomenon. The […]