The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is delighted to announce the judging panel for the 2016 AKC National Owner-Handled Series Finals (NOHS). The Finals will be held in December in Orlando, Florida as part of the AKC National Championship, hosted in partnership with Royal Canin. Breed and group judging will be held Friday, December 16th, with […]

New York, NY – The American Kennel Club wishes to acknowledge those individuals that have excelled at breeding dogs that have proven to be outstanding in AKC sports. The commitment to preserve, protect and improve a breed represents the very essence of the AKC. The AKC Breeder of the Year by Sport Award is given […]

BREED 2015 2014 2013 Retrievers (Labrador) 1 1 1 German Shepherd Dogs 2 2 2 Retrievers (Golden) 3 3 3 Bulldogs 4 4 5 Beagles 5 5 4 French Bulldogs 6 9 11 Yorkshire Terriers 7 6 6 Poodles 8 7 8 Rottweilers 9 10 9 Boxers 10 8 7 Pointers (German Shorthaired) 11 12 […]

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 […]

On the day we celebrate all things American, let’s remember that dogs have played a vital role in the formation of our national character. They occupy such a special place in our hearts that some states have designated particular breeds as local treasures. Here are five AKC breeds that are official state dogs. STATE DOG […]

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 […]

The Gordon Setter is the largest member of the setter breeds. Learn more about this breed with these Gordon Setter fun facts.

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 […]

  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 […]