There's something irresistible about toy breeds. They pack so much personality into a small package. And that's especially true for the Toy Fox Terrier and the Miniature Pinscher. Whether it's the TFT's alert intelligence or the Min Pin's fun-loving fearlessness, these two dogs have a lot to offer. But do you know how to tell […]

You would think picking out a leash and collar for your new puppy is a simple enough task — until you walk into a pet store and are met with an overwhelming number of options. Which is better for my puppy: collar or harness? What are all these different types of collars and harnesses for, […]

Breed Rank Retrievers (Labrador) 1 German Shepherd Dogs 2 Retrievers (Golden) 3 Beagles 4 Bulldogs 5 Yorkshire Terriers 6 Boxers 7 Poodles 8 Rottweilers 9 Dachshunds 10 French Bulldogs  11 Doberman Pinschers 12 Pointers (German Shorthaired) 13 Siberian Huskies 14 Shih Tzu 15 Great Danes 16 Miniature Schnauzers 17 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 18 Pomeranians […]

Breed Rank Retrievers (Labrador) 1 German Shepherd Dogs 2 Retrievers (Golden) 3 Bulldogs 4 Beagles 5 Yorkshire Terriers 6 Poodles 7 Boxers 8 French Bulldogs 9 Rottweilers 10 Dachshunds  11 Pointers (German Shorthaired) 12 Siberian Huskies 13 Doberman Pinschers 14 Great Danes 15 Miniature Schnauzers 16 Shih Tzu 17 Australian Shepherds 18 Cavalier King Charles […]

Breed Rank Retrievers (Labrador) 1 German Shepherd Dogs 2 Retrievers (Golden) 3 Bulldogs 4 Beagles 5 French Bulldogs 6 Yorkshire Terriers 7 Poodles 8 Rottweilers 9 Boxers 10 Pointers (German Shorthaired)  11 Siberian Huskies 12 Dachshunds 13 Doberman Pinschers 14 Great Danes 15 Miniature Schnauzers 16 Australian Shepherds 17 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels  18 Shih […]

Breed Rank Retrievers (Labrador) 1 German Shepherd Dogs 2 Retrievers (Golden) 3 Bulldogs 4 Beagles 5 French Bulldogs 6 Poodles 7 Rottweilers 8 Yorkshire Terriers 9 Boxers 10 Pointers (German Shorthaired) 11 Siberian Huskies 12 Dachshunds 13 Great Danes 14 Doberman Pinschers 15 Australian Shepherds 16 Miniature Schnauzers 17 Pembroke Welsh Corgis 18 Cavalier King […]

Breed Rank Retrievers (Labrador) 1 German Shepherd Dogs 2 Retrievers (Golden) 3 French Bulldogs 4 Bulldogs 5 Beagles 6 Poodles 7 Rottweilers 8 Yorkshire Terriers 9 Pointers (German Shorthaired) 10 Boxers 11 Siberian Huskies 12 Dachshunds 13 Great Danes 14 Pembroke Welsh Corgis 15 Doberman Pinschers 16 Australian Shepherds 17 Miniature Schnauzers 18 Cavalier King […]

  Breed Rank Retrievers (Labrador) 1 German Shepherd Dogs 2 Retrievers (Golden) 3 French Bulldogs 4 Bulldogs 5 Beagles 6 Poodles 7 Rottweilers 8 Pointers (German Shorthaired) 9 Yorkshire Terriers 10 Boxers 11 Dachshunds 12 Pembroke Welsh Corgis 13 Siberian Huskies 14 Australian Shepherds 15 Great Danes 16 Doberman Pinschers 17 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels […]

    Breed Rank Retrievers (Labrador) 1 German Shepherd Dogs 2 Retrievers (Golden) 3 French Bulldogs 4 Bulldogs 5 Poodles 6 Beagles 7 Rottweilers 8 Pointers (German Shorthaired) 9 Pembroke Welsh Corgis 10 Dachshunds 11 Yorkshire Terriers 12 Australian Shepherds 13 Boxers 14 Siberian Huskies 15 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 16 Great Danes 17 Miniature […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2021 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 18 and Sunday, December 19, 2021. The 2021 event will showcase the top canine athletes and will also […]

Dogdom has quite a few breeds that take their inspiration from other species: The dainty Papillon is named for its butterfly-evoking ears. The Shar-Pei is always channeling its inner hippopotamus. And a number of Asian breeds, from the Pekingese to the Tibetan Spaniel, were intentionally bred to evoke the king of beasts in miniaturized form. […]

For millennia, the Cirneco dell’Etna has lived in the shadow of Mount Etna. Scrambling over the rocky, volcanic Sicilian soil in pursuit of rabbit, these small red dogs were invaluable sources of sustenance and protection for their peasant owners. But by the time the 20th Century dawned, the Cirneco was facing its own sunset of […]

When people start training their dogs, "sit" is usually where they start. It’s an easy basic.  I've taught lots of dogs to sit! Then I got a retired racing greyhound.None of the usual methods worked; his back legs were pillars of unbending granite. No amount of luring or tricks would get him to fold those […]

When it comes to canine architecture, The Creature doesn’t fit any mold. But when you see Nessie (her call name, for the Loch Ness monster) in action at an American Kennel Club Agility trial you’re left grinning with a wow factor – and wondering what was that? In other words, once you see her, you […]

Imagine driving 883 miles in 15 hours to watch your dog run 100 yards in 6.346 seconds. Well, that’s the commitment co-owners Krista Shreet and Ted Koch of Crownsville, Maryland, made in early December and Phelan didn’t disappoint! Wailin’ Phelan The Bearded Lass, a 4-year-old All-American Dog (rescued and thought to be a Greyhound, Borzoi, […]

AKC registration continues to expand for the sixth year in a row. The most popular dog breeds of 2018 were released on March 20, 2019, according to AKC registration statistics. Registration is not only beneficial for your dog, but for dogs everywhere. The American Kennel Club and its affiliates have donated over $38 million to canine […]

Wondering how popular your pooch really is? Now you can find out. The most popular dog breeds of 2019 were released on May 1, 2020 (also National Purebred Dog Day) based on 2019 AKC registration statistics. It may come as no surprise that the Labrador Retriever takes the top spot for the 29th year in a row, […]

Hoping to meet a specific dog breed (or cat breed), or do you just want to meet all 150+ breeds? Find your favorites on our list of breeds so you won't miss a single wag, whisker, or woof! They'll all be there to meet you at the January 25-26, 2020 AKC Meet the Breeds event. […]

Dr. Jerry Klein In early March 2015, there appeared to be a significant outbreak of Kennel Cough in Chicago. Our hospital, a 24-hour emergency and critical care facility, regularly sees a high volume of sick and injured dogs and cats. But what we were seeing in Spring 2015 was different. Suddenly, a large number of coughing, sick […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panels for the 2021 National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) Finals and the AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy and Junior Stakes to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin. The […]

Puppies' eyes open at 14-21 days old, but their sight is still limited Hearing is the last sense that puppies fully develop — they can't hear until about three weeks old Puppies navigate by smell from the moment they are born — it is their strongest sense Puppies come tumbling into our lives full of […]

There are times when it makes sense for a breeder to stamp more than just a "thumbprint" of influence on a breed. Dogs are generally thought to have descended from wolves. Kim Campbell Thornton's recent article "Looking Back to the Beginning" (AKC GAZETTE, September 1999) describes research that has determined, through DNA sequences, that the […]

With a joyful bark and bound, Philo, a 5-year-old Samoyed, pressed his shoulders against his padded harness. Behind him, a cart loaded with gray concrete cinder blocks slowly moved forward, as his handler called out, “Work, work, work.” On that day, Philo pulled a load of more than 1,800 pounds—winning the event at Doggie U […]

Much has been written about the need for socializing puppies at an early age, but sometimes even an experienced breeder might forget about this necessity, especially if it's been a while since they raised a litter. One of the things I’ve learned during my almost 50-year involvement with Italian Greyhounds is that this breed is […]

While all dogs should have a basic soundness, their construction varies depending on breed and purpose. Understanding a dog's conformation requires looking at the canine from all angles. Even though there is nothing you can do to change your current dog's genetics, you can prevent injury and work on strengthening weak areas. Let's be honest: […]

The 2019 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin on Dec. 14 and 15 had a record number of dogs in its 19th year. The competition began with 5,284 dogs each competing for best in their breed. Best in Group Best of Breed winners then advanced to compete in the group competitions. Each AKC-recognized breed falls […]

As you work up a sweat with your huge, loose-jointed Mastiff puppy, trying to hold up his mid-section while keeping all four of his feet pointed in the same direction, it’s not surprising you’ll watch the Doberman Pinscher handler with a touch of envy. The Dobe glides around the ring, head held high, then nails […]

The 2020 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin on Dec. 12 and 13 hosted 3,680 dogs who all competed for the coveted title of Best in Show. The competition began with each dog competing for best in their breed. Best in Group Best of Breed winners then advanced to compete in the group competitions. Each […]

Talk about an intoxicating win. Last month, Bourbon the Whippet left the 2020 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin with a career-capping victory: Best in Show under judge James Moses at the AKC’s flagship show, held December 12 and 13 in Orlando, Florida. The show, which is the largest in the country, aired on […]

AKC Gazette, "Times Past"Through the 1920s and early '30s, a debate raged among Russian Wolfhound fanciers: Keep the breed name, or change it to "Borzoi"? Louis Murr, Gazette breed columnist and leading "Wolfhound" advocate, insisted that "any sane breeder can see why the name Russian wolfhound should be retained."   In his November 1928 column, […]