-- Barkfest at Bonhams Benefits AKC Humane Fund -- If you are planning to visit New York City for next month's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show don't miss an opportunity to discover fascinating canine artifacts and fine canine art as well as support the good works of the AKC Humane Fund by viewing one of […]

If your dog loves the water and loves to retrieve, then the fun sport of dock diving should be a natural. The AKC began recognizing titles of the new North America Diving Dogs (NADD) organization in June 2014 so now you can also add a dock jumping title to your dog’s AKC records. The sport […]

Deborah Tung is a Virginia teenager who does it all with her dogs. Deborah competes in Agility and the fun new sport of Barn Hunt with her All-American Dog, Nigel. Barn Hunt tests all dogs’ hunting ability in finding vermin, which many breeds were developed to perform. Rats are placed in heavy, safe PVC tubes […]

This article originally appeared in the summer 2013 issue of the AKC Canine Partners News. Since that time, Diesel, now 4 years old, has added many other achievements, including earning the top AKC Rally title of Rally Advanced Excellent. His full name is now Tennessee Diesel Smoke CD BN GN RAE CGCA. The pointers and […]

Meet Colonel Charles Beckwith RN THDD CGCA owned by Kevin & Kathi Zornes of Lucasville, OH Beck has earned the AKC Therapy Dog – Distinguished title for making more than 400 visits to help others! Beck is a Beagle/English Setter mix whom Kevin and Kathi adopted in February 2010. “With a sweet yet fun personality, […]

The rescue group, which focuses on English Setters, agreed to take her. When the transport driver arrived and asked for “the setter,” he was given Amber who was clearly not a setter. But the driver was true to his mission and took her any way. After a few months of fostering, Amber got posted to the A&B […]

AKC Celebrates 125th Anniversary and Tips its Hat to Two Irish Breeds That Were Among the First Recognized In honor of St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th, the American Kennel Club® (AKC) celebrates the loveable breeds of Irish descent. Notable Irish breeds include the Irish Red & White Setter which was welcomed into the AKC […]

-- AKC Celebrates 125th Anniversary with a Look Back at First AKC Registered Breeds in History -- For the 18th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America, according to 2008 registration statistics released today by the American Kennel Club® (AKC) But, while more than twice as many Labs were […]

While going through boxes of dog-related material one day, I came across some interesting facts about porcupines. I live in a small country town nestled in an area consisting of mostly woods, streams, stone walls, and rock formations, where an all-too-curious Red and White might possibly encounter this prickly creature. Since two of my Red […]

The 1880s was the only decade that the English Setter reigned as the number-one breed and it remained in the top ten for four decades, but hasn’t been in the top ten since the 1910s. Irish Setters, the number-two breed of the decade, fell to number seven in the 1890s and then did not make […]

Always on the go and looking to keep a canine by your side? We have rounded up the most active dog breeds. They have no short supply of energy and are a perfect fit for an owner looking for a running buddy or an agility partner. Pembroke Welsh Corgi Pembroke Welsh Corgis are strong, athletic […]

We often hear dog shows accused of being nothing but “beauty contests.” In reality, they’re organized more like job fairs. At AKC shows, dogs are exhibited in seven groups organized by the original work the breeds were created to do. The dog judged best in each group becomes one of the final seven to vie […]

The Westminster Kennel Club recently announced that Mr. Thomas H. Bradley III is scheduled to judge Best in Show at the club’s 141st dog show Feb. 13–14, 2017. A lifetime participant in the dog sport, Mr. Bradley competed in his first dog show as a teenager in 1955, showing his German Shorthaired Pointer at the […]

At the Annual Meeting of the American Kennel Club on March 8, 2016, the AKC Board of Directors Class of 2020 was elected. The three Directors elected were:     •       Patricia M. Cruz, Delegate from the Heart of the Plains Kennel Club.     •       William J. Feeney, Delegate from the Sir Francis Drake Kennel Club, Inc. […]

“Please show me the bite.” When determining if a dog exemplifies his breed standard, this portion of the judging exam can be as vital as the down-and-back. And in some breeds, dental structure is among their most defining characteristics. Many standards are explicit in their bite description, down to an exact number of teeth. Other […]

Swarms of setters, hordes of herders, oodles of Poodles— with the seemingly endless variety of dogs gaiting around AKC show rings, you might assume every breed in creation is represented. Actually, hundreds of breeds from around the world are outside the AKC orbit. Here are just a few:   ESTRELA MOUNTAIN DOG Birthplace: northern Portugal Job […]

Seeming to float around the dog show ring, with a silky, lustrous coat waving, some long-coated breeds may inspire envy in their human admirers: As a silver Afghan Hound glided past, a spectator turned to her companion and said, “I’d kill to have hair like that!” But even dogs who’ve never stepped foot in a […]

There is a general movement within the dog world that has breeders and their clubs looking for new ways to make breed improvements. This is occurring because of the growing arsenal of tools available to breeders and their clubs. Given these conditions, the opportunity for making improvements is well within the reach of most clubs […]

For Picks of The Litter, a regular book review series, Ranny Green critiques “Two Dogs and a Parrot: What Our Animal Friends Can Teach Us About Life" (Blue Bridge). This cranial jukebox of enriching stories reflects a tough realism throughout whether the subject is an Irish Setter, Golden Retriever, or a medium-sized parrot. The internationally […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) and Royal Canin are pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2016 National Championship to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18, 2016. The 2016 event will showcase the top national and international dogs and will also […]