From one of the most popular breeds to one of the rarest, the American Kennel Club (AKC®) celebrates Mexico’s two native breeds in honor of Cinco de Mayo.    While neither will be shaking their maracas in celebration of their country’s heritage, both have played integral parts in Mexico’s history, having been known as healers. […]

Lab Ties Poodle for the Longest Consecutive Reign at #1 and Bulldog Enters Top 5   Check out a Slideshow of the Top 10 Breeds at TODAY.COM   New York, NY – Proving that bigger really is better, the American Kennel Club (AKC®) announced today that the Bulldog has muscled its way into the top […]

Dogs from 45 States and Canada Vie for National Agility Champion Titles Nearly 1,000 of the top agility dogs and handlers in the nation will vie for the title of American Kennel Club® (AKC®) National Agility Champion in their height classes on March 30 – April 1, 2012 at the Reno Sparks Livestock Event Center […]

The holiday season inspires many to donate their time and money to charitable causes.  The November/December 2010 issue of the American Kennel Club’s AKC Family Dog magazine reports that for dog owners, volunteering at a breed-club rescue is a great way to help dogs in need of homes, medical attention, or simply a good scratch […]

  -- New 500 Square Foot Area Facilitates Collection Preservation -- The AKC Archives has expanded its collection preservation area as a result of the tremendous volume of archival material recently submitted by Parent Clubs. The Archives new 500-square-foot addition, located at AKC’s headquarters in New York City, will be used to process newly submitted […]

Dogs from 43 States and Canada Vie for National Agility Champion Titles! Nearly 1,000 of the top agility dogs and handlers in the nation will be vying for the title of American Kennel Club® (AKC®) National Agility Champion in their height classes on March 26-28, 2010 at the Built Ford Tough Livestock Complex at Expo Square. […]

  -- Labrador Retriever Remains America’s Most Popular Dog as  German Shepherd Makes A Move For The Top Spot -- -- Breeds That Help Keep Us Safe Dominate the Top 5 -- Photos and Coverage For the 19th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America, but could this be […]

  -- Dog Experts Say "Put Your Pet in a Leading Role:" Research Breeds and Find a Responsible Breeder -- With the release of "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" the American Kennel Club® (AKC®) reminds moviegoers about the importance of making careful, educated decisions when considering adding a dog to their home. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures […]

New York, NY -The American Kennel Club® has announced that an AKC® “Educational Match” will be held Saturday, September 29th on the grounds of the Hunterdon Developmental Center in Clinton, N.J. AKC held the first Educational Match in Raleigh, NC in March 2007. The purpose of these events is to offer the general public and […]

- 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® […]

New York, NY – The American Kennel Club announced today the winners of the seventh AKC Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE), the award designed to commemorate loyal, hard-working dogs that have made significant contributions to their community. The ACE awards are given annually to dogs in each of the following five categories: Law Enforcement, Search […]

  -- Gina Weiser, Rosalind Kraus and John Leininger Join Executive Field Staff; Walter Bebout Named Director of Canine Legislation; Penny Leigh and Phil Guidry to Internal Consulting Group; Michael Shea to Retire -- American Kennel Club Chief Operating Officer John Lyons today announced the appointments of six longtime fanciers to key positions at AKC. […]

-- Tiny Terrier Poised to Overtake the Great Golden Retriever as Second Most Popular Dog in U.S.-- New York, NY — For the 15th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America, according to AKC® registration figures released today. The Golden Retriever held onto the number two spot and the […]

  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 […]

  The American Kennel Club and The Iams Company announced today a total of 2,451 entries were received for the 2005 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship on January 15 and 16 in Tampa, Fla. The event will be simulcast live on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel, starting at 8 p.m. (EST) both nights. In addition a […]

While many of the dog breeds we know and enjoy today originated in other countries, there are a number of AKC registered breeds which were developed on American soil, and each has its own unique history and heritage: Alaskan Malamute - The Alaskan Malamute, one of the oldest Arctic sled dogs, was named after the […]

As seen in the 1/18 issue of USA Weekend Magazine, the AKC has just released its registration numbers for 2003. For the 14th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America, according to registration figures released today by the American Kennel Club*. Nearly three times as many Labs were registered […]

  Just like our immigrant ancestors, most of the dog breeds we know and enjoy today originated in other countries and came to the United States later on. However, there are a number of AKC registered breeds which were developed on American soil, and each has its own unique history and heritage: Alaskan Malamute - […]

  The recipients of the AKC 2003 Lifetime Achievement Awards were announced at the December 10 Delegates meeting in Orlando, FL. The Lifetime Achievement Awards honor those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the sport of purebred dogs on a national level. The recipients were selected by votes cast by AKC member clubs for […]

  --AKC Releases Registration Statistics for 2002-- For the 13th consecutive year, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America, according to registration figures released today by the American Kennel Club. Nearly three times as many Labs were registered in 2002 as any other breed. Golden Retrievers were a distant second, with […]

  The American Kennel Club has announced that as of January 1, 2003 two new breeds - the Toy Fox Terrier and the German Pinscher - have been granted regular status as AKC-recognized breeds and are eligible for competition in the Toy and the Working Groups, respectively. The Toy Fox Terrier The Toy Fox Terrier […]

AKC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY ROYAL CANIN DRAWS LARGEST ENTRY IN HISTORY OF EVENT Dogs from 50 States and 44 Countries Will Vie for Best in Show   The AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin has drawn record entry numbers in its 17th year. An entry of 4803 dogs will compete for the title […]

Like many young people who have become involved in dog showing, I first heard about it from others.  In my case, I learned a lot about it when I was in sixth grade and did a project for one of my teachers, who enjoyed raising and showing dogs.   That’s when I knew that it was […]

For more than 30 years, Mike Woodson has bred pure-bred dogs. He is an AKC Breeder of Merit, and his dogs have won many honors in conformation and performance events. Woodson often gives advice to people getting started in the dog fancy. An educator by profession, he could easily teach a course on breeding quality […]

Showing dogs is a fun sport where the thrill of competition is combined with the joy of seeing beautiful dogs. Dog shows, or conformation events, originated as a way for breeders to evaluate their breeding stock. While the purpose remains, dog shows are a great opportunity to socialize with people in your breed and develop […]

To raise strong, healthy puppies, you need a strong, healthy brood bitch. As a breeder, you choose your potential brood bitch carefully, probably earning conformation and/or performance titles with her and making sure she has all the health and genetic testing recommended for the breed. Extensive research goes into choosing a worthy sire that has […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2018 AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 15 and Sunday, December 16, 2018. The 2018 event will showcase the top national and international canine athletes and will also […]

Canadian photographer Pete Thorne got the idea of using his camera to explore aging at his grandmother's 100th birthday party. He later decided to turn his lens toward dogs. "I was naive going into it. I was initially interested in photographing old dogs as caricatures of old guys and gals," he says. Then, as he […]

Most of us put our all into producing fabulous puppies. We select breeding stock with care, emphasizing things like health clearances and temperament. We raise our pups in enriched pens and feed the best nutrition we can to sires, dams and pups. Yet we may be overlooking the importance of a key period in puppy […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to recognize breeding programs from the Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding groups as 2018 AKC Breeder of the Year group honorees. “The individuals that make up these breeding programs have dedicated their lives to the advancement of their respective breeds, producing dogs that are true […]