- 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® […]

  The American Kennel Club® is pleased to announce that James S. Covey will join the Executive Field Staff covering the Northern California, Nevada area effective January 8, 2007. For more than 35 years, Covey has been an active participant in the Sport of Purebred Dogs. In his early teens he worked at a major […]

  -- 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. […]

  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 […]

  From Washington's Foxhounds to Bush's "Barney," presidential purebred pups are as traditional as baseball and apple pie. Twenty-two U.S. presidents have owned purebred dogs and most shared the White House with them. While some dogs had jobs - "Millie" authored a book, "Him" and "Her" modeled for Life magazine, and "Laddie Boy" oversaw high-level […]

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 […]

  The American Kennel Club (AKC) is pleased to welcome the ten students who have been chosen to participate in the AKC Internship Program. The program--open to college students with a background and interest in purebred dogs--is designed to further their professional development as well as help the AKC identify potential employees with experience in […]

  Please be advised - We have just been notified that the Cabrillo and Del Sur Kennel Club dog shows that were to take place May 15 and 16th have been canceled due to problems with the show site. The status of the independent specialties, the group show, and the other events surrounding the weekend, […]

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 […]

  The official drawing of Champion Trackers that will exhibit in the first AKC National Tracking Invitational took place Thursday, July 24th at the American Kennel Club office in Raleigh, NC. President and CEO, Alfred Cheaure along with Senior Vice President and COO, Dennis Sprung pulled little "tracking feet" from a paper gift bag to […]

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 […]

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 […]

–Award Presented at AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin – Orlando, FL — Kent Boyles and Liz Oster were presented with the 2018 AKC Breeder of the Year award for their Kenlyn/Marquis German Shepherd Dogs at the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin on Saturday, December 15, 2018.  The annual award honors those […]

In the last 27 years, things have changed dramatically. Facebook launched, Apple took over the mobile world, the United States has gone through four different presidents, and the AKC launched agility, Scent Work, Trick Dog, and more. One thing, however, has remained the same. Since 1991, the Labrador Retriever has been the most popular dog breed in […]

By Robin Tingley, English Cocker Spaniel Club of America Are your dogs protected? Of course they are, you are thinking—you keep up with all vet checks, vaccinate according to best practices, microchip, and do health testing. You are careful with whom you place your puppies, and you follow their welfare. But what if something happens to […]

Think you know dog breeds? Let's see how good you are when all you have to identify the breed is the silhouette.

Strolling with a happy, tail-wagging companion securely by our sides is one of life’s greatest joys. We love our furry, four-legged friends.  While dogs are America’s most beloved pet, humans have bred and domesticated dogs for thousands of years for important work functions. Modern day working dog are employed in tasks ranging from drug and […]

A goal for nearly every dog owner is to have a dog that is a joy to live with. This is a dog who is well-mannered at home and in the community. The AKC’s Canine Good Citizen program provides a perfect starting point in training for all dogs. Canine Good Citizen test is a nationally […]

Middleburg, Virginia—Paintings from the American Kennel Club collection will be part of the National Sporting Library & Museum’s “Side-by-Side with Gun and Dog” exhibition, celebrating three centuries of the unique partnership of hunter and gundog. The ambitious show contains American, British, and French "fur-and-feather" art on loan from the collections of the Adirondack Museum, Detroit […]

The display will include eleven works of art from the AKC collection, including seven paintings and two bronzes of previous “top dogs,” a 1906 trophy and an 1879 certificate awarded at the WKC’s third show. The exhibit will be available for viewing Booth # 3 at Pier 94 (55th Street and the West Side Highway), […]

Lisa Gaertner of Pinecliff Cockers is a lifelong New Jersey resident and has owned Cocker Spaniels for the past 30 years. She is an AKC Breeder of Merit, member of the American Spaniel Club, treasurer of the Keystone Cocker Spaniel Club, and board member of the Cocker Spaniel Club of New Jersey. In addition to […]

The annual AKC Breeder of the Year award honors those breeders who have made an impact on their breed and dedicated their lives to improving the health, temperament, and quality of purebred dogs. On December 18 at the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin, Kent Boyles and Liz Oster were awarded the 2018 Breeder of the Year award […]

Dog owners are nothing if not fickle in their tastes. Breed popularity is cyclical through the years and, too often, based on a dog’s random star turn in a movie, TV commercial, or YouTube video (with little research done on the breed’s exercise and grooming needs.) What Happened to Afghan Hounds? Most people are surprised […]

People in the sport of dogs can wear many hats, and Bonnie Threlfall of Cary, North Carolina, has pretty much donned them all: Born into a dog-show family, she has been breeding her Edgewood English Cocker Spaniels for more than 40 years. After a decade-long stint as a professional handler in the late 1970s into […]

Veterinarians are diagnosing an increasing number of dogs with a disease known as gallbladder mucocele. Is this because ultrasonography – the tool required for diagnosis - is more commonly available and they are more adept at recognizing the disease? Or is the incidence truly on the rise? What causes a gallbladder mucocele? And how can we better […]

Education is paramount to the AKC’s mission. Through education, we preserve history, stay relevant to the needs of today’s dog owners and fanciers, and invest in the future health and well-being of dogs, dog sports, and the human-canine relationship. The AKC recognizes and appreciates the enormous contributions that Parent and All-Breed Clubs give to the […]

In its endless pursuit to recognize outstanding members of the fancy, The American Kennel Club Lifetime Achievement Awards were created and first awarded in 1999 to honor our best. The purpose of the awards is to celebrate those individuals whose many years of dedication have led to significant contributions to our sport on a national […]

In its ongoing pursuit to recognize outstanding members of the fancy, The American Kennel Club Lifetime Achievement Awards were created and first awarded in 1999 to honor our very best. The purpose of the awards is to celebrate those individuals whose many years of dedication have led to significant contributions to our sport on a […]

The concept of the Spaniel Hunting Test began as a request for an AKC sanctioned event to be known as the "Spaniel Gun Dog Qualification." It had been recommended that AKC sanction Spaniel breed specialty clubs to hold these tests for the purpose of gauging a dog's natural abilities during demands of actual hunting conditions. […]

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