Meet Colonel Charles Beckwith RN THDD CGCA owned by Kevin & Kathi Zornes of Lucasville, OH Beck has earned the AKC Therapy Dog – Distinguished title for making more than 400 visits to help others! Beck is a Beagle/English Setter mix whom Kevin and Kathi adopted in February 2010. “With a sweet yet fun personality, […]

PACH Mojo! MX MXJ MJB MXP5 MXPS MJP5 MJPS PAX OF owned by Nancye Scalamandre and Jack Bandel of Roswell GA Mojo has not had an easy life. When he was 18 months old, Nancye and Jack decided to foster him, as he was heartworm positive and the shelter had him scheduled to be euthanized the […]

In addition to the renowned conformation show, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show presented by Purina® Pro Plan® hosted the third annual Masters Agility Championship and the inaugural year of the Masters Obedience Championship.   Masters Agility Championship Agility is an athletic event designed to demonstrate a dog's willingness to work in a variety of […]

For Riley Capton, the best part of Junior Showmanship and the hardest part are the same. Riley loves her Russell Terrier — Indy — but she admits showing a terrier comes with some difficulties. “They're little, headstrong dogs and they know what they want, and they'll do what they want when they feel like it," […]

If your dog is suffering from ataxia, the most common symptom you might notice is a change in their gait, making them very unsteady. What is ataxia?

There just seems to be no stopping the Labrador Retriever! For a record 29th year (2019), the versatile sporting breed reigns supreme on the American Kennel Club registry list, a run like no other breed has seen in the record books. Changes in the top ten Little changed in the top ten standings from 2018. Following […]

As the fastest Dachshund in the nation, Nugget was invited to compete in Fastest Dog USA. The event will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 12 p.m. ET on December 25. Owner Anne Rosenberg shares Nugget's journey to becoming the speediest of his breed. As a child, I had a Beagle named Peanuts. Then, after I […]

A phone call from a puppy buyer delivered news to Darlene Stewart that no breeder wants to receive. Their beloved family pet had been ill. The Beagle male was having recurring urinary tract infections that did not respond to antibiotics. Stewart’s thoughts immediately went to the dog’s grandmother that she had lost to bladder cancer, […]

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 […]

Have you ever wondered how sled dog trainers keep their dogs in shape during the snow-free “dry" season? Instead of pulling sleds, they let their dogs pull them. The trainer and dog run together with the dog out front pulling the trainer along. This activity, sometimes called urban mushing, has grown in popularity over the […]

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! AGILITY Congratulations to these dogs on earning the Agility Grand Champion title: AGCH MACH3 PACH Resq's Dopamine Rush BN RN MXG PAD MJC PJD […]

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 […]

Marthina Greer First presented Pure Dog Talk Jan 2023 Bladder stones are the quintessential “which came first, the chicken or the egg” question. By this, we mean that a dog can have a bladder symptoms that are caused by a bladder stone, or the bladder infection can cause bladder stones to form. Which then becomes […]

Nominees in Conformation Michael Canalizo Michael Canalizo has spent many years in the Dog Show World as a Breeder/Owner, Professional Handler, turned Judge. His first exposure to his primary breed: the Afghan Hound came in 1961 as a member of “the typical Hobby Breeder family” with their purchase of “Babu Bamn of Grandeur”. He showed […]

The following breeders have met the requirements for the Breed and Levels recorded at the time of the application. The American Kennel Club is pleased to recognize these breeders for their contribution to the sport and maintaining the tenets of the Breeder of Merit program. (current as of  7/16/26, last updated 7/17/26) [accordion] [accordion_panel title="Platinum"] […]

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! AGILITY New AGCH (Agility Grand Champion) AGCH MACH4 Gorman's Athena MXB2 PDS MJS2 PJS MFG TQX T2B6 owned by Diane Fairfax Gorman of St. […]

The AKC Outstanding Sportsmanship Award Program was established in 2006 to provide each AKC Member Club with an embossed AKC medallion to award on a yearly basis as an ongoing effort to celebrate its volunteer club members. This award honors those individuals who deserve special recognition that have made a difference in the Sport of […]

[AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship]   Gun Dog Homepage Day 1  |  Day 2  |  Day 3  |  Day 4  |  Day 5  |  Day 6  |  Day 7  |  Photo Coverage Day 8  |  Day 9  |  Day 10  |  Final Day  |  In Conclusion  |  Photo Coverage   Day 1 – AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship The 2013 AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship returns to Branched Oak Lake near Lincoln, NE for the 20th […]

The spotlight shines on a mother and son of a Working breed not seen often in agility – the Alaskan Malamute. Zenny and her son, Pickle, run with the Dream Acres teams in Wisconsin and excel at a number of other endeavors, including sledding and carting. Their breeder and trainer, Jen Effler, has had a […]

2010: NAFC FC AFC Fourleaf's Ice Breaker Breed: Labrador Retriever (male) Owner/Handler: Peter & Kelly Hayes 2009: NAFC FC AFC Barton Creek's O Mustad Breed: Labrador Retriever (male) Owners: Mike Haring & Loren Morehouse 2008: NAFC FC AFC Hawkeye's Coast Guard Breed: Labrador Retriever (male) Owners: Jeffery Talley & William Hillman 2007: NAFC FC AFC […]