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Expert Advice: Advanced Training
How to Teach Your Dog to Swim (and Love It, Too!)
Start by showing your dog how to enter and exit. Use a small children’s pool to introduce your dog to the water. While on leash toss a special toy into the water. If she is still reluctant you can take a high-value treat and lure her in, placing the treat by her nose and praising […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/how-to-teach-your-dog-to-swim-and-love-it-too/
| January 1, 2009
Expert Advice: Feature
Take To The Streets: Keeping City Dogs Fit In Urban Areas
City dogs need exercise and stimulation, just like their suburban and country counterparts. Sports like rally, treibball, and dog parkour are creative and fun forms of urban fitness. Even mushing through Manhattan can be accomplished with the right equipment and attitude. For a fulfilling life, a dog must have a yard, green grass, and room […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/keeping-city-dogs-fit-in-urban-areas/
| September 26, 2019
Expert Advice: Feature
Black and Tan Coonhound ‘Storm’ Reps Breed at the AKC Rally National Championship
Storm, a Black and Tan Coonhound, and her owner-handler Laura Beth Waldrep placed in the top 100 at the Rally National Championships.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/akc-rally-national-championship-black-and-tan-coonhound-storm/
| July 29, 2024
Expert Advice: News
Westminster’s Masters Obedience Champion: You Gotta Have Heart
On Monday afternoon, a black Labrador Retriever named “Heart” earned the title of Masters Obedience Champion at the 143rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show – an accomplishment she has logged every year since the competition began in 2016. The 6½-year-old Lab is owned and handled by professional dog trainer Linda Brennan of Columbia, New Jersey, […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/westminsters-masters-obedience-champion-2019/
| February 13, 2019
Expert Advice: Dog Sports
Dog Athlete of the Month: Athena the Dock Diving Cavalier
“Oh my gosh, that little dog can jump 14 feet?" It's a question owner Angela Crawford is familiar with. After all, not many Cavalier King Charles Spaniels participate in Dock Diving, and 14 feet is an impressive distance to jump. But getting questions like this, and watching the excitement of the crowds at any Dock […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/dog-athlete-of-the-month-athena-the-dock-diving-cavalier/
| July 14, 2021
Expert Advice: Dog Sports
Junior Handler Spotlight: Dea Godlevsky
Eighteen-year-old Dea Godlevsky has just recently aged out of junior showmanship, but she's made her mark on the sport with her achievements as a Junior Handler.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/junior-handler-spotlight-dea-godlevsky/
| March 31, 2023
Expert Advice: Feature
How ‘Tully’ the All-American Dog’s Second Chance Led to the National Agility Championship
Haley Berman gave 'Tully' the All-American Dog a second chance, and together, they learned to excel at agility.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/national-agility-championship-tully-all-american-dog/
| March 11, 2026
Expert Advice: Dog Sports
Meet Junior Handler Ari Beaudoin
Fourteen-year-old Ari Beaudoin of Boise Idaho is now an active agility competitor, but she actually first discovered dog sports through Flyball.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/junior-handler-spotlight-ari-beaudoin/
| March 19, 2024
Expert Advice: AKC Family Dog
For Hogan the Parkour Frenchie, All the World’s an Agility Course
It happens fast, and he makes it look easy. "Hit it!" says Bea Page, and with a running start, Hogan the French Bulldog begins his sprint into parkour.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/family-dog/hogan-parkour-french-bulldog/
| July 9, 2025
Expert Advice: Events
New Entry-Level Agility Classes Added for Beginners
The AKC will now offer two new entry-level agility classes. These classes, Agility Course Test (ACT) 1 & 2 will allow beginners an easier entry into the sport. The classes will have shorter courses with basic obstacles specifically designed for beginners. ACT 1 & 2 will serve as the graduation exercise for training classes and […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/new-entry-level-agility-classes/
| May 17, 2016
Expert Advice: Breeding Tips & Best Practices
Win Shot: The Role of the Dog Show Photographer
Photographs capture one second in time. And time is fleeting. It rushes forward without bias, emotion, or care. Perhaps that’s why photos mean so much to the dog fancy: They preserve the moment when a champion was at his best. Without them, such paragons would be lost to those who study the past before charting […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/win-shot-the-role-of-the-dog-show-photographer/
| August 11, 2015
Expert Advice: Tricks
Norman the Briard is the Ultimate Trick Dog
Only 107 dogs have earned their RACH titles since November 2017. Of these dogs, only one is a Briard. And only one dog has earned a RACH the dark. While impressive, this is far from the only accomplishment of 10-year-old Norman the Briard. In fact, he has been a dog star all his life — earning […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/dog-star-norman-briard-trick-dog/
| July 25, 2019
Expert Advice: Dog Sports
Meet Junior Handler Delia DiPonio
Fifteen-year-old Delia DiPonio of Dorado, Puerto Rico got started training in agility at home with a small obstacle kit she purchased on the internet....
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/junior-handler-delia-diponio/
| January 11, 2024
Expert Advice: Fast CAT
How to Get More Involved in Fast CAT
Does your dog love to run? AKC Fast CAT (Coursing Ability Test) and is a popular and fast-paced dog sport for dogs of all sizes.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/get-more-involved-fast-cat/
| September 6, 2024
Expert Advice: Dog Sports
Flyball 101: How to Compete in Flyball for Dogs
When you watch dogs compete in Flyball for the first time, it can be fun but confusing. We're here to break down the sport of Flyball.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/flyball-101-how-to-compete-in-flyball-for-dogs/
| October 5, 2021
Expert Advice: Dog Sports
Scent Work Gave This High-Energy and Incredibly Smart Dog a Job to Do
When Allison Wilt first picked up her dog, Finn, from a rescue organization three years ago, he was a bundle of nerves. "People kept passing him off because they described him as being 'a lot of dog,'" Wilt recalls. "He was very reactive to people and other dogs, at first. He didn’t know who his […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/akc-scent-work-finn/
| June 27, 2018
Expert Advice: Dog Breeds
Get to Know the Bully Breeds
Small or large, with solidly built, wide bodies, and short coats, Bully breeds share some of the same characteristics. Meet the Bully breeds!
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/meet-bully-breeds/
| February 26, 2024
Sports & Events
Farm Dog Certified Test
***NEW*** AKC now offers a quick and easy way to submit your Farm Dog Title Application! Submit your application now here. Your dog responds well to commands at home and in public, but how would he respond in a farm environment? There’s an easy way to find out: Sign him up for a Farm Dog Certified test. […]
https://www.akc.org/sports/herding/farm-dog-certified-test/
| October 26, 2017
Sports & Events
AKC National Tracking Invitational 2025
The 11th AKC National Tracking Invitational was he ld at the gorgeous Branched Oak Recreation Area in Raymond, Nebraska. The American Kennel Club sincerely appreciates the hard work, and dedication to the sport of Tracking the Nebraska Kennel Club and Cornhusker Kennel Club of Lincoln, Nebraska members showed by hosting this National Tracking Invitational. EVENT RESULTS Saturday, October 11, 2025 Judges – […]
https://www.akc.org/sports/tracking/events/akc-national-tracking-invitational/past-events/akc-national-tracking-invitational-2025/
| September 3, 2026
Sports & Events
What Dog Breeds Can I Meet at AKC Meet the Breeds?
AKC Meet the Breeds events are a fun and educational way to spend a day with the whole family, and maybe even figure out which dog breed is right for you! If you are attending an AKC Meet the Breeds event, or are thinking about attending an event in the future, you can find out […]
https://www.akc.org/sports/akc-meet-the-breeds/dog-breeds-attending/
| January 13, 2024