If you're a musician, there's the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. If you're an actor, there are the Oscars. And if you're a dog breeder, the maraschino cherry atop a lifetime of hard work is to be named an American Kennel Club Breeder of the Year. After all, anyone can have a one-hit wonder, […]

Photos courtesy of Wavemaker Staffords Lynn and Jim Caswell of Grayson, Ga., own, show, and breed Staffordshire Bull Terriers. They travel around the country promoting health, exercise, and the breed standard, with a focus on the total dog: temperament, structure, movement, and type. The Caswells have been involved with this breed for 14 years and […]

AKC Gazette breed column, Toy Fox Terriers This talented little dog is a smart, adaptable companion. The Toy Fox Terrier, or TFT, is a truly American breed of dog. We have heard so many stories from people of all ages who lovingly remember growing up with one of these devoted little clowns. Always willing to […]

The Manchester Terrier is named after the English city where much of the breed’s early development took place. Sleek dogs who possess a terrier’s ratting instinct and the graceful contours of coursing hounds, Manchesters are spirited, bright, and athletic. They combine the streamlined grace of a coursing hound and the instincts of a fearless Rat Terrier. […]

Amanda Halsey, a hobby breeder of Toy Fox Terriers (TFTs), lives in West Central Ohio. Her dogs are bred under the kennel name DynAsty Toy Fox Terriers. She has been breeding and showing TFTs for 16 years. AKC: How did you get started in breeding dogs? Halsey: I showed horses competitively, starting around age 12, and […]

The AKC National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) Finals Best in Show honors went to GCHG CH Lamz Strike A Pose RN CAA CGC TKN, a Bedlington Terrier known affectionately as “Vogue” owned and handled by Gabrielle Gilbeau and bred by Laurie Zembrzuski & Gabrielle Gilbeau. The 2018 NOHS Finals Best in Show winner was crowned by […]

The top 10 owner-handled dogs from each breed came to compete at the AKC National Owner-Handled Series Finals on December 15. After intense competition at the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canine, the Best in Show honors went to GCHG CH Lamz Strike A Pose RN CAA CGC TKN, a Bedlington Terrier known affectionately as […]

Linda Jarvis, an AKC Breeder of Merit, started breeding Airedale Terriers in 1984. A resident of New Bern, NC, Linda is a past president and current board member of the Airedale Terrier Club of America and is very active in the sport of dogs, attending seminars and judging. AKC: How did you get started in […]

Among the marvels of human ingenuity is the way various breeds of dog were developed, mentally and physically, to tackle specific jobs. Consider the farmer’s eternal war against rodents and other burrowing mammals that devastate grain stores, raid henhouses, tear up fields, dig away riverbanks, and carry disease. As their number-one weapon in subterranean warfare, […]

It’s good to be King. On Feb. 12, the Wire Fox Terrier Grand Champion Kingarthur Van Foliny Home was crowned Best in Show at the 143rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, presented by Purina® Pro Plan® at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The victory was nothing if not dynastic: Wire Fox Terriers are the […]

Among the marvels of human ingenuity is the way various breeds of dog were developed, mentally and physically, to tackle specific jobs. Consider the farmer’s eternal war against rodents and other burrowing mammals that devastate grain stores, raid henhouses, tear up fields, dig away riverbanks, and carry disease. As their number-one weapon in subterranean warfare, […]

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 […]

Leaping over a broad jump, hopping through a hoop, and digging furiously underground to find rats. Add in a sniff-out session, some snappy switchbacks around poles, and a 100-yard dash in tizzy time and it looks like a dog in supersonic shenanigans. If this sounds like a flashy, popular breed who always stands in the […]

Kathy Wakefield, from Tualatin, Oregon, grew up with two Rat Terriers — Kelly and Turbo. They were her best friends and learned every trick quickly and willingly. As an adult, Kathy decided it was the right time to get her own dog. She met a few different breeds, but they didn't feel like the right […]

The popular Yorkshire Terrier or 'Yorkie' is often confused with the rarer Silky Terrier or 'Silky,' a breed for which it played a part in the development.

Barbara Miller of Glen Head, New York, is synonymous with Norfolk Terriers. And not just those from her top-winning Max-Well Kennel. The 2007 AKC Breeder of the Year (and 2002 AKC Terrier Breeder of the Year), Miller was the president of the parent club when her breed amicably split in 1979, creating the drop-eared Norfolk Terrier and the prick-eared Norwich Terrier. However, her earliest years in […]

Fleet St Forged At Hampton Court, a Wire Fox Terrier known as “Pierce” triumphed over more than 1,300 dogs ages six months to 18 months to become the AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Junior of the Year, held today in Orlando, Fla in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin. “Pierce,” owned […]

Who's the best puppy? More than 1,300 puppies later, we have an answer. Hundreds of puppies and junior dogs ages six months to 18 months competed for AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy of the Year on Friday, December 13. Only one came out on top: "Pierce" the Wire Fox Terrier. Fleet St Forged At Hampton Court […]

With a true terrier temperament, Welsh Terriers are friendly and feisty, and can have a knack for trouble. Learn more about this black and tan breed.

Taylor Schwartz, of Lakeville, Minnesota, partners with Belfox and Misty Hollow Smooth Fox Terriers to both breed and show. She got her start in the breed when she was asked to show a puppy. That puppy eventually came home with her, and “the rest is history,” Taylor said. “I have been fortunate to partner with Terri […]

Heroism during wartime can propel an average Joe into the spotlight. Just ask the Airedale Terrier. Called the “King of Terriers” because he is the largest in that family of earth dogs, the Airedale is believed to be the result of crossing various terriers with another British original, the Otterhound. That shaggy-haired hound contributed not […]

Getting ready to welcome a Yorkshire Terrier puppy into your home for the first time? Be prepared for that high Terrier energy and many important firsts in your young dog's initial weeks, months, and year of life. One of the most beloved and famous breeds of the toy group, Yorkies—known for their diminutive stature—require extra […]

English novelists of centuries past gave us timeless characters who hopscotched from the printed page into our cultural consciousness, from Daniel DeFoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” And in the dog world, there is one exceedingly rare terrier that owes its name – and arguably its continued existence – to a peripheral character in […]

Bred from the Bulldog, terrier, and more, the public was fascinated with the Bull Terrier, a good-natured dog that wasn’t spoiling for a fight.

Despite the word "terrier" in their name, the Boston Terrier is actually in the Non-Sporting Group and is known for being a world-class companion breed. With their large, round eyes, intelligent expression, and unique "tuxedo" coat, the Boston Terrier makes people fall in love with them at first sight. Here's what to know about this […]

As one of the AKC’s top 10 breeds year after year, Yorkshire Terriers are popular toy dogs, offering a big personality in a tiny package. Here are six surprising facts about Yorkies and the people who love them: 1. Yorkies are called the “Tomboy Toy.” Don’t be fooled by this toy breed’s tiny stature—they are […]

One of the most famous dogs in movie history is little Toto, following Dorothy along the yellow brick road to see the wizard of Oz. Toto was played by a Cairn Terrier named Terry. You might think every little wire-haired terrier you see is a Cairn, but in fact there is a similar breed called […]

Jean Tuggle and Emily Foster became friends after they each got a Black Russian Terrier from the same breeder. They lived in the same area, and a mutual love of the breed led to a partnership in a breeding program. Jean has called many places home, being from a military family (she was born in […]

Dogs can suffer from diabetes mellitus, which resembles Type I or insulin-dependent diabetes in humans. In this condition, the pancreas does not make any insulin, the hormone needed to move sugar from the bloodstream into the body’s cells that use it as fuel. Insulin must be given as treatment for the body to function. Since […]