After a long day of breed judging at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the best dogs came out to compete in their respective groups. A grand audience at Madison Square Garden watched closely as these beautiful dogs made their way around the ring. Here are the best winners of their groups, who will now move […]

It goes without saying that in your house, your dog is the most popular. But what do the statistics say? The American Kennel Club has used registration data to compile the list of 2021’s most popular breeds. As always, the Labrador Retriever tops the list — this time for the 31st year!  The Lab's temperament […]

In the final hours of one of the most exciting dog sports weekends of the year, 29 dogs qualified to run in the National Agility Championship Preferred Finals. In preferred competition, the jump heights are one height lower than the dog would ordinarily qualify to compete at. This makes it possible for senior dogs and other […]

The 2021 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin was held December 18 and 19, 2021 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. This event is the only all-breed dog show organized and presented directly by the AKC, the nation’s oldest and only not-for-profit purebred dog registry. Thousands of dogs from throughout the […]

The nation's top puppies — 1,395 of them to be exact — gathered in Orlando, Florida to compete for the title of AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy of the Year. The AKC/Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy & Junior Stakes event, held in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin, is open […]

Most dog owners would probably tell you that a cold, wet nose on their canine companion signals a healthy pup. Likewise, many believe a dog is sick when his nose is dry — but is this true? Before we get into that debate, we first need to understand why dogs have wet noses. The answer is […]

Following two nights of challenging competition, GCh. Ch. Lockenhaus' Rumor Has It V Kenlyn, a German Shepherd Dog known as “Rumor," has been awarded with the coveted Best in Show title at the 2017 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show presented by Purina® Pro Plan® at Madison Square Garden in New York on Feb. 14. The decision was […]

Best of Breed winners vied for top honors at the 141st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Among the Group First winners, six of seven were dogs fed Purina® Pro Plan® dog food. The success of Purina® Pro Plan®-fed dogs at the Garden reflects the record set in 2016 […]

The Golden Retriever may be America's third most popular dog breed, but Tammy Tomlinson is not your average Golden owner. From her Ligonier, Pennsylvania-based Hillock Goldens kennel, Tomlinson has bred, owned, and handled the adored Sporting Group breed for over 40 years, and produced scores of conformation champions and dog sport athletes across the spectrum. […]

Visitors and residents of Savannah, Georgia, who are hoping to catch a glimpse of something (or someone) otherworldly are getting a little help from a rather intuitive Golden Retriever. Bailey The Ghost Hunting Dog of Savannah accompanies his owner, Melynda Ware-Loomis, as she leads walking ghost tours of what is considered by some to be […]

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, […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panels for the 2022 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 NOHS Finals will be held […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®) is pleased to recognize its affiliated dog clubs which have been holding AKC events for over 100 years and are an essential part of the sport of dogs. Founded in 1884, AKC together with its affiliated organizations promote responsible dog ownership, conduct over 23,000 organized dog events per year, breed […]

National Champion Beats Out More Than 5,000 Dogs GCHG CH Lagniappe's From The Mountains To The Bayou, a Giant Schnauzer known as “Bayou” triumphed over more than 5,000 competitors to earn a $50,000 cash prize and the title of Best in Show at the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin, held December 18-19, 2021 […]

Ashwood She's Like The Wind, an Irish Setter known as “Windy” triumphed over 1,395 dogs ages six months to 18 months to become the AKC Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy of the Year, held today in Orlando, Fla in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin. “Windy,” owned by Genea White Jones […]

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 […]

 The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs is proud to announce the winners of the 2021 AKC® Lifetime Achievement Awards: Peter Green (Conformation), Betty Winthers (Companion Events) and Jim Basham (Performance). The Awards, created by AKC President and CEO Dennis Sprung, are presented in recognition […]

All dogs six months of age or older from the following breeds are eligible to participate in Pointing Breed Field Trials: AKC Recognized Breeds Bracco Italiano (6/29/22) Brittanys Pointers English Setters German Shorthaired Pointers German Wirehaired Pointers Gordon Setters Irish Red & White Setters Irish Setters Spinone Italiano Vizslas Weimaraners Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Wirehaired Vizsla […]

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. […]

In its endless pursuit to recognize outstanding members of the fancy, The American Kennel Club Lifetime Achievement Awards were created and first awarded in 1999 to honor our best. The purpose of the awards is to celebrate those individuals whose many years of dedication have led to significant contributions to our sport on a national […]

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 […]

Dog Breed Health Testing Requirements Listed below are all AKC breeds and their health testing requirements. A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z Affenpinscher Ophthalmologist Evaluation Patella Evaluation Afghan Hound Hip Evaluation Ophthalmologist Evaluation Thyroid Evaluation Airedale Terrier Hip Evaluation Cardiac Exam Renal Disease DNA Test Ophthalmologist Evaluation Akita Hip Evaluation Ophthalmologist Evaluation Alaskan Malamute Hip Evaluation Ophthalmologist Evaluation Polyneuropathy DNA test American […]

The AKC Lifetime Achievement Awards were created to recognize those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the sport of purebred dogs on a national level. The recipients were selected by votes cast by AKC Member Clubs for nominees in each of the following categories: Conformation, Companion Events and Performance. The American Kennel Club honors […]