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 […]

All dogs six months of age or older from the following breeds are eligible to participate in Earthdog Events. AKC Recognized Breeds American Hairless Terrier (Oct 1, 2018) Australian Terrier Bedlington Terrier Border Terrier Cairn Terrier Cesky Terrier Dachshund Dandie Dinmont Terrier Glen of Imaal Terrier Jagdterrier Japanese Terrier Lakeland Terrier Manchester Terrier Miniature Bull […]

WINNER Debbi Snyder & Amos Hairy Pawter SEMI-FINALISTS Tracy Dulock & Gryffindor Indian Bones Sandi Taylor & Evie Evie’s Magical Dream  Outstanding Performances from the 2020 AKC Trick Dog National Competition In addition to the competition winners listed above, here are some outstanding performances from 2020 (in random order). The performances ranged from a pre-COVID performance in an auditorium […]

Does your terrier or Dachshund love to dig in the dirt? Maybe he squirms his way into animal tunnels and comes out with a surprise in his mouth. What is he thinking? Well, there's a reason Dachshunds and small terriers are classified as earthdogs. Rather than trying to stop this “bad” behavior, channel the go-to-ground […]

On Oct. 27, 2019, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois military working dog named Conan took part in the Barisha raid, which resulted in the death of the leader of ISIS. Conan joined a long list of heroic military working dogs. Call ‘em what you want — war dogs or military working dogs — they have been around for centuries […]

It goes without saying that in your house, your dog is the most popular. But what do the statistics say? The American Kennel Club has used registration data to compile the list of 2021’s most popular breeds. As always, the Labrador Retriever tops the list — this time for the 31st year!  The Lab's temperament […]

What do you do if your dog simply won't sit still or concentrate on tasks? New research shows that owners of hyperactive or inattentive dogs can learn a lot from understanding ADHD in humans. Not Just Disobedient: How Understanding ADHD Can Help Dog Owners Once upon a time, children who struggled to sit still and […]

There is, carved into a Scottish Highlands farm wall, the image of a short-legged, longheaded, prick-eared, cobbily built dog barking on a wheelbarrow. The image appears to date from around A.D. 200, and is about three-eighths of an inch in diameter, small enough that the viewer cannot make out if the dog is double-coated or […]

Dogs have fought alongside man since ancient times. The Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Romans, and others used dogs as sentries and scouts and sometimes brought dogs into combat. Attila the Hun used fierce Mastiff-like breeds that were sometimes armored and sent into battle. In more modern times, Germany created military dog-training programs late in the 19th […]

“No Ordinary Dog: My Partner from the SEAL Teams to the bin Laden Raid,” by Will Chesney with Joe Layden. St. Martin’s Press. $28.99 ($19.23 on Amazon). While this title is right on target, an equally appropriate one would be “Cheese & Cairo.” While it’s not a sandwich, it would capture the story of two […]

Did you know that there are amazing dog memorials located across the country? Whether they’re war heroes or stars of their local community, canines have inspired permanent monuments that dog lovers can visit. While we can't travel at the moment due to COVID-19, there are many dog memorials you can learn about from your living […]

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, […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panels for the 2022 National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) Finals and the AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy and Junior Stakes to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin. The NOHS Finals will be held […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®) is pleased to recognize its affiliated dog clubs which have been holding AKC events for over 100 years and are an essential part of the sport of dogs. Founded in 1884, AKC together with its affiliated organizations promote responsible dog ownership, conduct over 23,000 organized dog events per year, breed […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2021 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 18 and Sunday, December 19, 2021. The 2021 event will showcase the top canine athletes and will also […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panels for the 2021 National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) Finals and the AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy and Junior Stakes to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin. The […]

Hannah Naiburg of Milford, CT, was just 10 years old when she helped her family select Molly from a shelter. The little terrier mix and Hannah started doing agility in their backyard. Nine years later, MACH Hannah’s Molly MXB MJB is an AKC Master Agility Champion, and the team has had many national successes. Hannah […]

Competition/Titles Update Winter 2022 We have some big news to report about All-Americans succeeding at earning the top titles and honors in Agility, Coursing Ability, Fast CAT Rally, Obedience, Scent Work, Tracking, and Trick Dog. Many dogs are also having success in AKC’s Virtual Titling programs! AGILITY Agility Grand Champion (AGCH) AGCH MACH3 Up&Running A […]

The AKC works with several non-AKC service and sports organizations to recognize the titles that AKC-registered dogs earn in their programs. This includes the AKC Therapy Dog titling program and the AKC Search & Rescue title program. AKC also recognizes titles of the Barn Hunt Association (BHA); North American Diving Dogs (NADD); the North American […]

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 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 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 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 […]

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 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 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 […]

We have some big news to report about All-Americans succeeding at earning the top titles and honors in Agility, Coursing Ability, Fast CAT Rally, Obedience, Scent Work, Tracking, and Trick Dog. Many dogs are also having success in AKC’s Virtual Titling programs! AGILITY Master Agility Championships (MACH)  Congratulations to these dogs who have earned more […]

Dog Breed Health Testing Requirements Listed below are all AKC breeds and their health testing requirements. A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z Affenpinscher Ophthalmologist Evaluation Patella Evaluation Afghan Hound Hip Evaluation Ophthalmologist Evaluation Thyroid Evaluation Airedale Terrier Hip Evaluation Cardiac Exam Renal Disease DNA Test Ophthalmologist Evaluation Akita Hip Evaluation Ophthalmologist Evaluation Alaskan Malamute Hip Evaluation Ophthalmologist Evaluation Polyneuropathy DNA test American […]

Cairn Terriers are happy, busy little earthdogs originally bred to fearlessly root out foxes and other small, furred prey in the rocky Scottish countryside. Curious and alert, Cairns like having a place where they can explore and dig.