Chapter 2 A. Licensed & Member Events The Event Secretary or a Club Officer may fill out the Application and Judge Panel Questionnaire. A Club Officer must sign this application. The application fee is $35.00 per day at this writing and must accompany the application. If you are planning an event with back to back Trials, one following another, […]

Chapter 3 A. First Meeting: First organizational meeting select/elect Chairperson and each committee's leadership. Determine scope of event and necessary work force. Make a list of preferred judges, possible event facilities, dates and livestock contractors. Timeline 12 to 18 months prior to event: Have organizational meeting B. Chairperson: Communication is important to conducting a successful […]

Frequently Asked Club Questions   Agility Rule Changes 1. What is an "Agility Online Entries System?" An Agility online entry system accepts entries into trial or accepts entries for the random draw. An online program that transmits entries to a trial secretary who makes the entry acceptance determination is NOT an "Agility Online Entries System." […]

Agility - Frequently Asked Questions   1. How do I find a local Agility training class for my dog? Look in the Yellow Pages under Pets or Dog Training for your local AKC club or dog school. Check this website for the training resources page and search for upcoming Agility Trials in your area.   […]

(c) 2007 Ernest Hartnagle and Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor Some historians propose Basques and their sheepdogs from the Pyrenees played an insignificant role in the history of the Australian Shepherd breed. Secondly, Basques did not to go Australia with their "little blue dogs" and then come to the U.S. with boatloads of sheep. Thirdly, the Basque […]

Clinic by Lori Herbel "My dog has become really pushy lately. We seem to be in constant battle all the time. I can't figure out why!" "I've never started a dog in herding before. I have no clue what to do. Help!!" "Why does my dog quit when I try to teach him new things? […]

by Lori Herbel Judging a herding trial is a tremendous responsibility. Consistency and fairness are the top priorities of the day, and the ability to comfortably make sensible split second decisions under pressure is a necessity. In order to help carry out this responsibility, a judge needs a trustworthy assistant by his side that he […]

I remember the first time I put a shepherd's whistle in my mouth--a silent little bubble dribbled out one side while my eyes nearly popped from the unreleased pressure behind the instrument. By day two, a reedy pitiful note would moistly eek out on occasion if I held my mouth just right. A few days […]

By Joyce Hughes -- Event Secretary and PKC Treasurer The Coursing Ability Test (CAT) is a new AKC coursing event for all dogs -- purebreds and mixed breeds. It's an event filled with amusement, entertainment and comical antics from our beloved canines. Pocatello Kennel Club, Inc. in Southeast Idaho, held its first CAT Event in […]

  By: Stephanie Kennerley “Just how fast is my dog?” Many owners have found themselves wondering that at one time or another. The FAST CAT®, one of AKC’s newest events, offers an answer. Launched in March of 2016, the FAST CAT® is a variation on the Coursing Ability Test. In the FAST CAT®, dogs chase […]

Luis Neves and Betinho do Choupal -- Our Road to Master Hunter -- July 30, 2012 I was born in Portugal and spent my youth hunting with my father and our dogs. It was there that I developed my life-long love of hunting. I moved to America when I was 18 years old. I continued […]

By Milton S. Holcombe On the weekend of April 18-19, 2009, the first revised edition of the AKC Advanced Judges and Handlers Seminar was held at Forest Lake, Minnesota. This seminar was sponsored by the Northern Flight Hunting Retriever Association and the Lake Country Retriever Club. Chuck Stokes was the lead person for Northern Flight […]

First NAVHDA based club to host an AKC Hunt Test By Bonnie Hidalgo, Executive Field Representative A reciprocal agreement for dog registration between the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) and the American Kennel Club (AKC) was announced in July 2007. The reciprocal agreement makes it easier to register a dog with AKC if […]

Check out the array of trick dog training books that provide simple, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions on how to train your dog to learn tricks. All these books are available thru the AKC online store. For Additional Trick Dog merchandise such as ribbons, rosettes, patches or evaluator pins visit the AKC online store.

Event Management (Event Plans) is the page from which you can gather and track the logistical details for any AKC events that you are responsible for organizing or promoting. The level of detail available or visible to you varies depending on your role within a dog Club. Event Management and Event Planning are only accessible […]

This is the master calendar for all AKC-sanctioned and AKC-sponsored dog sports events in the United States and its territories. You can search the calendar by event type, breed, location, and month. Event Type is the controlling and default category. After you've selected an event type (select just one!), you can narrow your search using […]

The AKC Grand Championships application is your online reference for the top dogs in every state, sorted by breed and by the number of points accumulated annually. Dogs are ranked by their points totals, and may appear in the listings for more than one state if their owners of record reside in multiple states. The […]

Members of the P Litter puppies (Labrador Retrievers) move about on their first day of training at the center. The P Litter (TSA/Penn Vet Working Dog Center) was whelped by a foster family and began their training at 8 weeks of age. Each member of this litter is named after a victim of the 9/11 […]

AKC Government Relations now has information available on the economic impact of dog shows in each state in 2016.  This information, downloadable by state, helps demonstrate to legislators a tangible reason to support dog shows, fanciers and breeders.  To view this information, visit the Government Relations Toolbox and scroll down to “Economic Impact of Dog […]

As recent history has shown, many anti-breeder animal rights extremists continuously advocate for incremental breeding and sales restrictions that they hope will eventually lead to outright bans on all animal breeding and ownership.  They collectively consider all breeders and pet stores as substandard and inherently not interested in practicing or promoting animal welfare.  These politically-aware […]

In last November’s election, we saw a fair amount of misuse of the term “animal rights” and even outright support for “animal rights” by candidates that otherwise seemed to support the human-animal connection, kindness to animals, and proper care of animals based on sound science. Policymakers know semantics matter. We urge every policymaker and their […]

On Friday, June 2nd, 2017, Delaware Governor John Carney (D) signed House Bill 13, which is intended to protect the rights of responsible Delaware dog owners by prohibiting any dog from being declared “potentially dangerous” or “dangerous” under state law simply based on the dog’s breed. The bill would also prohibit municipalities from enacting laws […]

  The AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin has drawn record entry numbers in its 16th year. An entry of 4,710 dogs will compete for the title of National Champion on December 17 and 18, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Combined with the other weekend events the AKC Agility Invitational, the AKC Obedience Classic, AKC National Owner-Handler Series Finals, NADD/AKC Diving Dogs […]

  GCHB CH Cordmaker Mister Blue Sky, a Puli known as “Preston,” owned by E. Charles, J. Beaudoin, L. Pitts, P. Kelly and S. Huebner triumphed over nearly 5,000 dogs to earn a $50,000 cash prize and the title of Best in Show at the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin, held this weekend […]

  "APO" is a magnificent German Shepherd Dog born 2/1/2012 and has had a most interesting, unusual, and intriguing life. He is now retired from the U.S. Army and did complete two tours of duty in IRAQ in 2013 and 2014 as an Explosive Detection Officer. If he could only talk, can you imagine what […]

  After a one-year hiatus, the Detroit Kennel Club dog show returns to the Motor City this weekend with events Saturday and Sunday, June 20–21, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in the Detroit suburb of Novi, Michigan. This year’s show features a number of special attractions, including obedience and rally trials, demonstrations, AKC National Owner-Handled […]

  We have all heard the heartbreaking stories: A child brutally attacked by a dog. A beloved family pet or a farmer’s livestock killed or injured by a stray dog. Such stories are far too common, and everyone agrees our communities must be protected from dangerous animals. When faced with this dilemma, many public officials […]

  A groundbreaking shelter study released today by the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) reveals that U.S. animal shelters are reporting an all-time low in the number of purebred dogs available. The study finds that only about five percent of the dogs available in U.S. shelters are purebred; a significant departure from the 25% figure […]

  Dog lovers had the chance to see teams of police K-9s show off their skills at the second annual Western Connecticut Police K-9 Challenge. This family-friendly event, held on Saturday, October 8th, was hosted by the Newtown Kennel Club as a fundraiser for Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard (2GHG). The charity event raised funds […]

In the future, might more dog breeders take advantage of technology to predetermine the sex of puppies in a litter? In mammals, the male determines the sex of an offspring, while the female determines the size of a litter by the number of eggs she drops that become fertilized. We have all heard that there […]