– "AKC Breeder of the Year" to be Announced at AKC/Eukanuba National Championship – The American Kennel Club® announced today the seven group recipients of the 2009 AKC® Breeder of the Year Award.  The award honors breeders who have dedicated their lives to improving the health, temperament and quality of purebred dogs. "The AKC […]

How exactly do lost dogs find their way home from so far afield? New research from the Czech Republic might hold the answer.

  From Washington's Foxhounds to Bush's "Barney," presidential purebred pups are as traditional as baseball and apple pie. Twenty-two U.S. presidents have owned purebred dogs and most shared the White House with them. While some dogs had jobs - "Millie" authored a book, "Him" and "Her" modeled for Life magazine, and "Laddie Boy" oversaw high-level […]

Jane Kamp Forsyth—breeder, handler, all-breed judge, AKC Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and towering figure on the international dog-show scene—died on July 3. She was 86 years old. “The entire American Kennel Club mourns the loss of Jane Forsyth, and we send our condolences to Bob and Sioux,” AKC President/CEO Dennis Sprung says. “Janie was an inspiration […]

The Black Russian Terrier is large, majestic, and even a little mysterious, especially when all that hair is hiding his eyes. But there's no mystery behind where this breed came from. Here are five interesting facts about the Black Russian Terrier: 1. This Is a Very New Breed The Black Russian Terrier (BRT) has been […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®), a not-for-profit organization, the world's largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, is pleased to announce the winners of the AKC Agility League Season 2. Champion and Reserve Champion Teams were named in three divisions: International (ISC courses), Regulation (Masters courses) and Limited (Shorter courses for smaller spaces). […]

The 10th AKC National Tracking Invitational was he ld at the gorgeous Branched Oak Recreation Area in Raymond, Nebraska. The American Kennel Club sincerely appreciates the hard work, and dedication to the sport of Tracking the Nebraska Kennel Club and Cornhusker Kennel Club of Lincoln, Nebraska members showed by hosting this National Tracking Invitational. Results Saturday, September 9, 2023 Judges - Jeanne […]

Whether you learned about it in history class or, at the very least, from the iconic movie of the same name, there are very few people who don’t know the story of the RMS Titanic, the luxury ocean liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912. More than 1500 people died […]

AKC Canine Health Foundation reaches out to owners of several breeds for participation in important genetic studies. Your dog can help researchers make advances in the study of many canine diseases. Participation is currently needed in the following trials and studies: Immunolight Therapy Clinical Trial for Canine Malignancies Dr. Michael Nolan and his team at […]

Long before smushface" and "wigglebutt" became the ubiquitous dog monikers, these seven breeds were given nicknames crafted specifically for them.  the Clown Prince of Dogs At various times devotees of at least a dozen different breeds have claimed this title for their dogs. But to our knowledge only one group of fanciers has incorporated canine clowning […]

Organizations partner together to raise funds for canine cancer research The American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog announced today that pet food leader Blue Buffalo awarded $1 million to the Museum of the Dog over the next five years. The donation is being made in remembrance of the Airedale Terrier “Blue” for which the […]

The AKC Agility League recently concluded its fifth season of competition and honored its top teams and competitors. Team champions were named in each of the eight divisions. The AKC Agility League is sponsored by Purina Pro Plan, YuMove and AKC Pet Insurance. The League offers three 12-week long seasons a year. Teams, composed of […]

Spaniel Hunting Test Newcomers Have Early Success! First Irish Water Spaniel Master Hunter Upland Airedales Earn Their First Field Titles  

Among the marvels of human ingenuity is the way various breeds of dog were developed, mentally and physically, to tackle specific jobs. Consider the farmer’s eternal war against rodents and other burrowing mammals that devastate grain stores, raid henhouses, tear up fields, dig away riverbanks, and carry disease. As their number-one weapon in subterranean warfare, […]

Award Presented at AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Claudia Orlandi, Ph.D. of Essex Junction, Vermont was honored with the 2009 AKC Breeder of the Year Award for her Topsfield Basset Hounds at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship on Sunday, December 13, 2009.  The annual award honors those breeders who have dedicated their lives to improving the health, temperament […]

From the Airedale Terrier to the Whippet, AKC Meet the Breeds® is an encyclopedic celebration of dogs. The 11th annual event, held on January 25 and 26, 2020, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, will feature more than 100 different booths, representing some of the AKC's 195 recognized breeds. Each booth will be dedicated to a […]

AKE 20.3 1889-1908 1.75 linear ft (in 2 flat boxes.) Processed by Brynn White, 2016   Click here for a printable PDF of the collection finding aid   The collection includes clippings of the 204 pen drawings by promiment dog painter and show judge Gustav Muss-Arnolt published between 1889 and 1908 in the American Kennel Club […]

The title of Master Groomer is hard-earned through years of consistency, integrity, and support of our best friends. Yet we all have to start somewhere. We encourage you to begin the Master Groomer journey wherever you're comfortable. Are you a pro with Bichons? Then get started with the Curly coat type! It's up to you. […]

The 2022 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin took place on December 18 and 19 in Orlando, Florida. Thousand of dogs competed for Best of Breed; the winner of each breed then went on to Group competitions. The winners of each of the seven Groups then competed for the coveted title of Best in […]

WINNER Leslie Gelesh & Eli (Miniature Poodle) Batman FURever SEMI-FINALISTS Muriel McMullen & Maddie (Australian Terrier) The Grrrinch Faye Roche & Brio (Miniature Poodle) My Olympic Gold Medal Star: Brio Outstanding Performances from the 2021 AKC Trick Dog National Competition In addition to the competition winners listed above, here are some outstanding performances from 2021 (in random order). Many […]

The following are the group designations that AKC breeds have been assigned. There are currently 205 breeds and 9 breeds with 21 varieties.  The varieties are by size, color or group.   The varieties are marked by **(Revised 3/10/26) [accordion] [accordion_panel title="Sporting Group – 33 breeds"] Sporting Group Naturally active and alert, Sporting dogs make likeable, […]

Erica Max lives on a 35-acre horse ranch outside of Durango, Colorado, where for the past 22 years, she has bred Danish Warmblood Sport Horses. She and her husband had an Airedale Terrier and two Giant Schnauzers, but one day, when he was at an outlet mall in New York, he saw a dog that […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®) is pleased to welcome ten students chosen to participate in the 2005 AKC Internship Program. The program- open to college students with a background and interest in purebred dogs- is designed to further their professional development as well as help AKC identify potential employees with experience in both AKC operations […]

Breed Rank Retrievers (Labrador) 1 German Shepherd Dogs 2 Retrievers (Golden) 3 Beagles 4 Bulldogs 5 Yorkshire Terriers 6 Boxers 7 Poodles 8 Rottweilers 9 Dachshunds 10 French Bulldogs  11 Doberman Pinschers 12 Pointers (German Shorthaired) 13 Siberian Huskies 14 Shih Tzu 15 Great Danes 16 Miniature Schnauzers 17 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 18 Pomeranians […]

Some breeds at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show presented by Purina® Pro Plan® seem destined for stardom — and prove it by winning Best in Show repeatedly. Since the very first Westminster Best in Show in 1907, many of the winners have all come from the same breed groups, if not the same breed. […]

To perform in movies, musicals, and other live performances, dogs must be trainable, reliable, and predictable. One dog that comes to mind when many people think of dogs in theater is Sandy, the dog belonging to little orphan Annie. So what dog played Sandy? In the original 1977 Broadway production, Annie was played by an […]

Monday, March 30 Welsh Springer Spaniel Tuesday, March 31 Belgian Laekenois Wednesday, April 1 Ibizan Hound Thursday, April 2 Puli Friday April 3 Airedale Terrier Monday, April 6 Sloughi Tuesday, April 7 Affenpinscher Wednesday, April 8 Lagotto Romagnolo Thursday, April 9 Rottweiler Monday, April 13 Finnish Spitz Tuesday, April 14 Welsh Terrier Wednesday, April 15 […]

Each of the AKC registered breeds are assigned to one of seven groups representing characteristics and functions the breeds were originally bred for. Current as of June 17, 2025 [accordion] [accordion_panel title="Herding Group"] HERDING GROUP The Herding Group, created in 1983, is the newest AKC classification; its members were formerly members of the Working Group. […]

Typically, the breed we choose to raise and show over many years and generations is the one to which we are committed for life. Yet sometimes, there are reasons - physical or emotional - that we are drawn to another breed. As exhibitors, we probably all have dozens of breeds that we admire at shows […]

- Labrador Retriever Continues to Reign Supreme - New York, NY - The American Kennel Club® announced today that the Yorkshire Terrier, fondly called the “Yorkie” by millions of enthusiasts, has overtaken the beloved Golden Retriever and the iconic German Shepherd Dog to become the second most popular purebred dog in America according to AKC® […]