Small dogs—those weighing less than 20 pounds—have held a steady place in the hearts of Americans over the past four years according to American Kennel Club registration statistics. Since 2000, four of the top ten most popular breeds have been small dogs, indicating that while Americans may be gravitating towards bigger cars and appetites […]

Daily Life Smaller dogs don’t necessarily need to work off loads of energy, so they are quite suitable for apartment life. But not all small dogs live to be lap warmers! Certain breeds like Dachshunds or small terriers would also love country life and the opportunity to run around on a farm. If your family […]

The AKC® National Championship presented by Royal Canin has a grand total of 5,557 dogs that will compete for the title of America’s National Champion on December 13 and 14, 2025 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Additionally, 1,602 puppies and juniors will vie for Puppy/Junior of the Year in the AKC/Royal […]

Now that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has chosen his vice president, it's time for him to concentrate on another important selection: family dog. The American Kennel Club® (AKC) announced today that the public has elected a Poodle as their breed of choice for the Obama family. The AKC launched its poll to find a […]

The AKC® National Championship presented by Royal Canin has a grand total of 5,637 dogs that will compete for the title of America’s National Champion on December 14 and 15, 2024 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Additionally, 1,756 puppies and juniors will vie for Puppy/Junior of the Year in the AKC/Royal […]

Canine Athletes from the 50 States, Washington, D.C. and 13 Countries Will Vie for Best in Show The AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin continues to draw impressive numbers. An entry of 5,051 dogs will compete for the title of National Champion on December 18 and 19, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. Combined with the […]

Dogs from All 50 States and More Than 50 Countries Vie for $225,000 in Cash and Prizes   AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Broadcast on ABC Television Network - Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013   Thousands of dogs will compete over five days in a variety of world-class dog sporting competitions on December 12-16, 2012 in Orlando, Florida […]

The AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin has a new record-breaking entry. Five thousand three hundred eighty-five (5,376) dogs will compete for the title of America’s National Champion on December 17 and 18, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Combined with the other weekend events, including the AKC/Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy and Junior Stakes, the […]

The American Hairless Terrier (AHT) is a small-to-medium-sized terrier that is intelligent and curious. These active and trainable dogs are completely hairless, although some can have whiskers and eyebrows. Here are some fun facts about this truly American dog. 1. The American Hairless Terrier is directly descended from the Rat Terrier, a dog that was […]

ESPN is going straight to the dogs in the best way possible. On August 26, the American Kennel Club is proud to participate in ESPN Dog Day for the second time, with dog sports broadcast live on ESPN2 and the ESPN app. What better way to spend a hot August day than by watching dogs […]

Many of us originally selected our breeds based on general appearance, compatible temperament, and acceptable grooming and exercise requirements. While we each remain staunchly faithful to our breeds of choice, the time may come when downsizing, for whatever reason, becomes a desired option. Perhaps it’s a move to smaller living space or the inability to […]

Is your dog scared of the vacuum cleaner? We explain why dogs fear these cleaning machines, and what you can do to get your dog used to the vacuum cleaner.

The Xoloitzcuintli has long been associated with death in Aztec Society, most recently depicted in the Pixar movie "Coco." Here's the Xolo's breed history.

When Maria B. Moya was growing up, she always wanted a dog, but it wasn’t possible where her family lived. Then she got out on her own and moved to Hoboken, New Jersey. In her new town, everyone, it seemed, had a dog. Many of them were the trendy mixed-breeds, known as "Goldendoodles." Moya, who […]

AKC registration continues to expand for the sixth year in a row. The most popular dog breeds of 2018 were released on March 20, 2019, according to AKC registration statistics. Registration is not only beneficial for your dog, but for dogs everywhere. The American Kennel Club and its affiliates have donated over $38 million to canine […]

Wondering how popular your pooch really is? Now you can find out. The most popular dog breeds of 2019 were released on May 1, 2020 (also National Purebred Dog Day) based on 2019 AKC registration statistics. It may come as no surprise that the Labrador Retriever takes the top spot for the 29th year in a row, […]

By Allan Reznik   By Allan Reznik (Reprinted with permission from Dogs in Review and author Allan Reznik, from the November 2014 issue of Dogs in Review magazine. People get into a new breed for all kinds of reasons: the need to downsize, a desire for less grooming, a thirst for greater challenges, even the search […]

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, […]

Happy Father's Day! To celebrate all things paternal, we are featuring eight great sires in AKC history. These studly champions did some of their best work outside of the show ring. Standard Poodle: Ch. Nunsoe Duc de la Terrace of Blakeen Ch. Nunsoe Duc de la Terrace of Blakeen, the 1935 Westminster Best in Show […]

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 American Kennel Club (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for AKC Virtual Top Dog Challenge III. This virtual conformation event is open to all AKC-recognized breeds and Miscellaneous class breeds. Best in Show and Best Puppy Michael Canalizo   Regular and Puppy Groups SPORTING Mr. Douglas A Johnson HOUND Mr. Eugene Blake […]

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 […]

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 […]

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

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

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

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

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

The AKC currently registers 205 dog breeds. The chart below lists all AKC recognized breeds and the year they first became registrable with the AKC.  (last updated 1/1/26) DATE – BREED 1878 – Pointer  1878 – Retriever (Chesapeake Bay)  1878 – Spaniel (Clumber)  1878 – Spaniel (Cocker)  1878 – Setter (English)  1878 – Setter (Gordon)  […]

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