Toby’s Sister Shiloh RN CAA RATN owned by Joe Horne of Florence, SC Joe discovered lure coursing while researching ways to keep his Border Collie mix, Shiloh, entertained.  “I had never been involved in any kind of dog related events, but I started looking for any kind of sport to keep her busy so she […]

Hula Lula CAX  owned by Susan Lewis of Wildomar, CA Hula Lula is a mixed-breed that was adopted from a local shelter when she was about 3 months old. She was born at the shelter and came from a very large litter. “She is a very sweet girl but shy,” Susan said. “I try to […]

Woodacre’s Soidog Mali CAX (“June”) owned by Jackie Phillips of San Leandro, CA Jackie adopted June from Soi Dog Foundation, a Thailand rescue group, in February 2012. “She is a dog meat trade survivor and was on a large flatbed truck with 350 other dogs stuffed into tiny cages, bound for Vietnam,” Jackie said. “The […]

PACH Dudley Do Right CD PCDX RAE MXP3 MXPB MJP3 MJPB PAX OFP T2BP CGC owned by Elizabeth Ann Piper of Albuquerque, NM Dudley is Beth's very first dog. He was 2 years old when she adopted him from a local shelter and started basic obedience training so that he could be a well-behaved pet. […]

Mix a high-drive Labrador with an active 8-year-old boy, and you cook up a mother looking for an outlet. Lucia Pink found it when her eyes landed on a newspaper advertisement for a Kids and Dogs Day Camp at the Imperial Polk Obedience Club. The camp ran for a week and Lucia thought it would […]

Dottie of W Spalding CAX was a rescue dog who had gone through several homes when Brenda Williams of Atlanta, GA, saved her from going to the shelter and took her to training class to channel her energy. The training class led them to the discovery of dog sports and recently Dottie earned the highest […]

Luce Carter BN RE FDC ACT1 SWN SINE SENE SBNE SEA CGCA TKE FITB owned by Jennifer Carter of Louisa, VA Luce, a 9 ½ year old hound/herding dog mix, was 12 weeks old when she was adopted by Jennifer. “Her journey is one of resilience and determination,” Jennifer said. “Luce is the kind of […]

In 2002, I pulled a tiny, emaciated red female Doberman from a local shelter. She was just 13.5 weeks old, and had been in the shelter more than four weeks. Since I had a young male that was taking a lot of my time, I thought I would get her healthy, and find a great […]

Repo was just a 5-pound puppy dodging cars in a busy parking lot when the Munden family of Pasco, WA, spotted him and saved him. Unable to find an owner, the Mundens kept him and discovered that they had an extremely smart pup on their hands. Christie Munden tells how Repo has become an AKC […]

Iyong Tapat Kaibigan CAX16 FDC DCAT DN owned by Stephanie Markgraf of Graham, NC Kai continues his reign as the top mixed-breed dog in Coursing Ability Tests with 400 clean runs. He earned his CAX16 at the Winter Wonderland Cluster in Perry, GA over the Thanksgiving holiday running with the Greyhound Association of Northern Georgia. […]

This spring consider investing some time in training and spending time with the four-legged member of your family. With longer daylight hours and warmer weather, there's no better time. There are quite a few fun activities you can do with your dog, in addition to walking and hiking. Treibball, agility, and dock diving are just […]

RATCHX Rex Von McKinney Rausch BCAT CGC owned by Jeanette Rausch of Mount Juliet, TN Eight-year-old Rex was once a stud dog at a kennel that was shut down by the authorities.  “I stumbled across his photo online and fell in love with him so I reached out to the organization to arrange meeting him […]

RATCHX Rex Von McKinney Rausch BCAT CGC owned by Jeanette Rausch of Mount Juliet, TN Eight-year-old Rex was once a stud dog at a kennel that was shut down by the authorities. “I stumbled across his photo online and fell in love with him so I reached out to the organization to arrange meeting him […]

Brenda Riemer grew up a California girl surrounded by sunshine, sand, and surf. These days, though, she struggles with another "S" element – snow. All of these, however, have sublimely shaped the dynamics affecting the sport psychologist/mental skills trainer and her approach to teaching dog handling seminars nationwide. “I hate snow," Riemer says. “I hate winter. As someone who grew up in L.A., driving […]

Finding an AKC Sport that Fits Your Mixed-Breed DogSince 2010, the AKC has awarded thousands of titles to mixed-breeds. Why shouldn’t your clever, athletic mix join the fun? And why shouldn’t you enjoy the dog-park bragging rights that come with putting an AKC title on your dog? Here’s an overview of the competitions. Obedience Dog-and-handler […]

Although giant breeds aren't necessarily what people first think of when it comes to canine athletes, these biggest dogs love having a job to do. Most...

The Public Education department offers many resources to teach children about purebred dogs, dog sports, responsible dog ownership, and safety around dogs. If you are looking for a resource on a specific topic please email publiced@akc.org. The links below contain valuable resources that can be accessed for free at any time. Teachers Pay Teachers Store […]

Disc Dogs 101: Getting Into Disc Sports with Your Dog  This month’s tip is designed to get you started in the fun, fast sport of Disc Dogs. The AKC now recognizes the titles of the UpDog Challenge disc organization that features a variety of games for all skill levels. Timothy Lake, UpDog judge and head captain of the […]

Meet Brianna Fryer: Life Happily Engulfed by Dog Sports Brianna Fryer, 18, and a recent graduate of the Florida Virtual School (Class of 2017), has competed successfully in agility with her All-American, Jazabell CGC BN NA NAJ NF OA OAJ OF AX AXJ XF MXJ. A visit to a 4H dog day piqued her interest in agility, and she has big plans for even more success in […]

How To Plan And Run A Herding Test And Trial TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Planning Chapter 2: Applications and Judges' Panel Questionaire Chapter 3: Committee Duties in Preparation for and During Event INTRODUCTION This manual is designed to assist you in conducting an AKC Herding Test/Trial from start to completion. No single publication can cover every issue […]

Meet Tessa Trusner: The Family Pet Became Her Sports Partner Name: Tessa Trusner Age: 14 Grade: Eighth Hometown: Stephens City, VA Family: Sisters, Audrey and Ella; Parents, Katie and Ryan Trusner Just a few months after Molina became the Trusner family pet, it became clear that she would really be Tessa’s dog. Now the pair […]

NOHS Best in Show Bred By:   Toy Working Terrier Hounds Sporting Herding Non-Sporting Best Bred by Exhibitor in Show Group Judging Miscellaneous Veterans   Terrier Sporting Non-Sporting Hound Toy Working

Bassett Hound Field Trials are exciting and a lot fun for the hound and huntsman. These events date back to the 1930's. Basset field trials are designed and conducted for the purpose of selecting those hounds that display sound quality and ability to the best advantage. Shortly after the formation of the Basset Hound Club […]

4-H Club Encourage Dog Sport Participation By Jane Myers, Executive Field Rep Recently I was invited to attend the Sierra 4H Junior event for Project Dog, a program to encourage dog sports within the 4H community. This event was coordinated by 4H leader Melanie Koons. Melanie's vision was to unite 4H kids with AKC Dog […]

By AKC Field Representative Jim Odle Bassett Hound Field Trials are exciting and a lot fun for the hound and huntsman. These events date back to the 1930's. Basset field trials are designed and conducted for the purpose of selecting those hounds that display sound quality and ability to the best advantage. Shortly after the […]

The spotlight shines on a special team composed of all Junior Handlers and Australian Shepherds – the Wiggle Butt Crew. The team, which competes in Regulation Senior, is based at Ashley’s Dog Sports in Jacksonville, FL. Dog trainer and mother Ashley Escobar coaches this cute and talented bunch. She tells us more about the team […]

My name is Skylar Sowiecki and I am a 15 year old junior handler. I train dogs and compete with my own in various sports. The biggest thing that people seem to forget about when training for dog sports is that having a good relationship with your dog will always make your 'performance' better. Having […]

Getting involved in AKC Virtual Sports and Titling opportunities is an easy and exciting way to get started in dog sports! Whether you and your dog are looking to get active in AKC Agility, earn a training title in home manners, or plot a crowd pleasing AKC Trick Dog routine, the opportunities to get started virtually are endless. Virtual programs act as a great steppingstone to further in-person AKC Sports and Events, and participation allows […]

A well-behaved dog is a joy to live with, and proper dog training helps ensure that your pup can participate in almost everything you do together. Puppies can begin very simple training starting as soon as they come home, usually around 8 weeks old. Whether your goal is puppy socialization and or participating in dog sports, […]