The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2017 AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 16 and Sunday, December 17, 2017. The 2017 event will showcase the top national and international canine athletes […]

Looking for something for your family to watch on your next movie night? Check out our picks for the best dog movies for all ages.

AKC Breeder Spotlight: Amy Shaffer of Crivitz Standard Schnauzers Each month the American Kennel Club profiles breeders to hear how they got started and learn about their breeding program and their experience with AKC Marketplace. We recently spoke with AKC Breeder of Merit Amy Shaffer of Crivitz Standard Schnauzers. Amy originally started with Irish Setters […]

Giving your dog’s mind a workout has many benefits for your dog, as well as for you, and is easier and more fun than you might think.

Most dog owners have experienced those frustrating moments when, despite all the training and practice, their dog simply doesn't listen to them. As you and your puppy get to know each other, it's important to remember that listening is a two-way-street: he's learning what you expect just as you're learning to tune into his signals. […]

Humans have much longer lifespans than dogs. This is a basic fact of dog ownership and one that many owners struggle with when the time comes to say goodbye. While we may wish our dogs could live forever, knowing how long dogs live helps prepare us for their needs as seniors, ensuring that we give […]

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 […]

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 […]

Money Penny,  a Cocker Spaniel puppy, really liked the taste of her bed – plus the hassock for a snack, but who could get mad at that cute face, says her owner Jackie Curr of Spring, TX. It is natural for dogs to chew, and puppies chew a lot when they are teething. Teething typically […]

Jethro Leroy Kromer RAE owned by Brenda Kromer of Punxsutawney, PA Jethro is a 5-year-old Border Collie/ Cocker Spaniel mix. He and his brother Bo came to live with Brenda as puppies, and Jethro began obedience training when he was 5 months old. “We enjoyed it so much that we have continued ever since,” Brenda […]

AKC GoodDog! Helpline Trainer Breanne Long shares some tips on introducing your dog to the water so they have a positive experience and learn to love to swim. Many breeds are natural-born swimmers. Many retrievers and spaniels will swim with little encouragement, but dogs with body types less suited to swimming, like Bulldogs, may need more […]

Anyone who aspires to be a breeder rather than merely a producer of puppies must first understand the nuances of correct type, following the recipe given in the breed standard. Just what is type? In general, with regard to purebred dogs type means those physical features and characteristics that define the breed—that make a Golden […]

The only breed to rank in the top ten breeds every decade since the founding of the American Kennel Club became the nation’s top breed in the 1950s—the Beagle. Not coincidentally, Charles Schultz’s pet Beagle, Snoopy, made his illustrious first appearance in national newspapers on October 4, 1950, and swiftly became a pop phenomenon. The […]

No doubt spurred on by the famous Best in Show wins of My Own Brucie in the early 1940s, accompanied by this handsome dog’s likeness appearing on the cover of Life, the Cocker Spaniel became the country’s number-one dog. The breed enjoyed the number-one ranking for sixteen years, from 1936 to 1952. Although the Pekingese […]

The Boston Terrier, a top-ten breed for six decades of the 20th century, has reached the number-one position twice, including in the 1910s. The Airedale Terrier reached the number-two position, the highest the breed would ever claim, appearing in the top ten for three consecutive decades and then never regaining its national popularity. The decade […]

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 […]

  Welcome to the AKC . We have put together definitions for dog words that you may not be familiar with. If you have additional questions regarding the glossary, please contact our Special Services Department. A Abdomen The belly or under surface between the chest and the hindquarters. Acetabulum The concave lateral portion of the […]

  Proving that Snoopy is the hippest dog of all, "Joe Cool" himself was named the top dog in pop culture by the American Kennel Club (AKC) and AOL’s PawNation.com today during a press conference in front of a special Snoopy exhibit at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.  The […]

-- Responsible Breeders Part of a Long Tradition of Presidential Pets -- Yesterday, America finally got their first peek at the Obama family settling in with their new AKC-Registered Portuguese Water Dog, Amigo's New Hope, affectionately known as "Bo." Since the first mention of a potential "first" dog many months ago, the Obamas have taken […]

Is Tibetan Mastiff just a bit too large for your taste? And a Chihuahua maybe, well, a little too small? You might find one of these eight breeds to be just right. Learn more about popular medium-sized dogs here: Bulldog: Gentle and protective, Bulldogs make excellent family pets. They form strong bonds with children and have a loveable disposition. Bulldogs don’t […]

​To see him now, whippy tail wagging as he greets a group of children or takes a treat from his old pals at the waterfront, it’s hard to believe that he once cowered at the sight of a human hand. To see him now, as he zips from weaves to jump, to tunnel, to tire, […]

Movie fans mourn the passing of Lauren Bacall, star of such classics as “To Have and Have Not,” “Key Largo,” and “How to Marry a Millionaire,” who died Tuesday at age 89. Bacall was famous as half of one of Hollywood’s great power couples. She married Humphrey Bogart in 1945, and together they reigned as […]

A reader posed this question to us, so we dug into the American Kennel Club archives to give the answer: At least two dogs were aboard the Mayflower during the 66-day voyage from England to the New World. Thanks to journals kept by the Pilgrims, we know much about their early tribulations. But the historical […]

Bulldog Makes the List for First Time in Nearly 75 Years; Labrador Retriever Continues to Fetch Top Spot AKC Appears on NBC Today Show to Announce 2007 Registration Statistics - New York, NY – Today the American Kennel Club® announced that the Bulldog, a popular sports team mascot and one of the most recognizable and iconic […]

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 […]