Ever hear of the phrase, “the-nose-knows”? It’s something that Beagle owners know well: Their keen sense of smell means they follow their noses wherever they take them. It also means they’re excellent hunting companions -- and why Beagles competed in one of the first field trials (“competitions”) we ever held over 125 years ago in 1888. In […]

The roots of the Earthdog program go back to the beginnings of small game hunting. Farmers and hunters used the small terriers and Dachshunds to pursue vermin to its lair and then to follow the game into to the ground. These dogs had to possess not only the physical attributes that would allow them to […]

American Kennel Club Updates on COVID-19 Pandemic Please see the following message from the AKC Board of Directors and AKC Staff: Covid-19: Participating in Dog Sports The American Kennel Club continues to encourage each of its 5,000 clubs to adhere to federal, state and local restrictions pertaining to minimizing the spread of COVID-19.  As states […]

“I am so very happy I activated the (30-day pet insurance policy). I thought for sure she would never need it, but I filled it out anyway. I wanted to be a good puppy owner. I figured . . . you really never know what could happen! Then, even if nothing happens to her, what's […]

Breeders have a lot to observe when they have a new litter: health, structure, and temperament. And Labrador Retriever breeder Debby Kay keeps close tabs on another factor she considers crucial — how the pups use their noses. Kay has been a pioneer in scent-detection work for more than 40 years. Many of her Chilbrook […]

Dogs both transcend history and reflect it in a colorful, meaningful way. And that epochal and tender human-animal bond springs vividly to life in Anthony Cavo's new book Love Immortal: Antique Photographs and Stories of Dogs and Their People. Picture Perfect Cavo, a longtime antiques dealer, appraiser, and collector, has been collecting photographs since he […]

The Toy Fox Terrier has a unique distinction in being the only breed whose AKC standard implies that a fondness for televi­sion viewing is a breed trait. Don’t believe it? The introduction to the breed standard states that not only is the Toy Fox Terrier an athletic, bold, lively pup who will happily go to […]

The shortage of bomb-sniffing detection dogs in the U.S. and across the world is increasing, while demand is on the rise. In 2021, global terrorist attacks increased to 5,226. In many of these situations, explosive (bomb-sniffing) detection dogs could serve as a deterrent. The problem is there are not enough dogs to meet the growing […]

A family I know recently decided to get serious about spending quality time together. It began with banishing cell phones at meals in favor of face-to-face communication. The husband is a high-powered lawyer, the wife a university professor, and their kids own every electronic device on the market. One set of grandparents got tired of […]

In Aesop’s ancient fable about the hare and the tortoise, the flashy, fast, head­ strong rabbit lost the race to the slower but steady turtle. The moral demonstrated the virtues of a methodical, well-thought-out approach to life. In the canine sporting world, flash and speed certainly play an important role, but it can also be […]