ASK AKC   Dear AKC: My two-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever usually has a black nose but this winter it turned a very light pink. His nose is not dry, but looks like someone drained the color out of it. What causes this? Is there anything I can do to fix it? -- In the Pink Dear […]

Pup Culture, By Bud Boccone   George Plimpton was an all-around man of letters, known to literary types as editor of the little-read but highly influential Paris Review. But in the 1960s and ’70s, he became an unlikely celebrity as a pioneer in the field of “participatory journalism,” in which a writer tries his hand […]

The 1880s was the only decade that the English Setter reigned as the number-one breed and it remained in the top ten for four decades, but hasn’t been in the top ten since the 1910s. Irish Setters, the number-two breed of the decade, fell to number seven in the 1890s and then did not make […]

Big dogs equal big love and loyalty. Here are the large dog breeds that earn their place at the top of the size chart. Most people will know the Great Dane but what about the lovely Leonberger? When considering getting a dog, size is a factor, but only one of them. The dog’s personality, activity […]

We often hear dog shows accused of being nothing but “beauty contests.” In reality, they’re organized more like job fairs. At AKC shows, dogs are exhibited in seven groups organized by the original work the breeds were created to do. The dog judged best in each group becomes one of the final seven to vie […]

By Margery Morstein Every Welsh Terrier owner knows the Stink Eye, that intense look that conveys both independent thinking and annoyance when things aren’t going the Welshie way. The look has become an endearing trademark of this feisty breed, and for the past two years, the logo behind the WTCARES (Welsh Terrier Rescue) yearly fundraiser, […]

The Westminster Kennel Club recently announced that Mr. Thomas H. Bradley III is scheduled to judge Best in Show at the club’s 141st dog show Feb. 13–14, 2017. A lifetime participant in the dog sport, Mr. Bradley competed in his first dog show as a teenager in 1955, showing his German Shorthaired Pointer at the […]

How cool is this? The Fox Terrier Club of Northern California (FTCNC) has a mobile app especially for club members! According to the club's website: New FTCNC Mobile App The FTCNC mobile app allows members to view and reserve seats at upcoming shows and events, pay dues, and keep up to date with breaking news […]

Jane Kamp Forsyth—breeder, handler, all-breed judge, AKC Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and towering figure on the international dog-show scene—died on July 3. She was 86 years old. “The entire American Kennel Club mourns the loss of Jane Forsyth, and we send our condolences to Bob and Sioux,” AKC President/CEO Dennis Sprung says. “Janie was an inspiration […]

I'm Just Little! – Important Reminders for Toy Dog Owners AKC GoodDog! Helpline Trainer Breanne Long, owner of two Papillons, discusses the different needs of toy dogs and important things to keep in mind if you own a small dog. The world of a small dog is a very big place. People and dogs are […]

Got a minute? If so, you can learn the essentials of any breed. Not enough to call yourself an expert, of course. But in the time it takes to watch a TV commercial, you can pick up just enough breed knowledge to bluff your way through a conversation at the dog park. The average adult […]

Francis Redmond’s “Totteridge” Smooth Fox Terriers were a famous British line of the late 19th century. Redmond was a master dog man who did much to standardize his breed, and the Totteridge kennel was pivotal in the creation of the modern Smooth. It was the custom to immortalize dogs of such renown on canvas. These […]

On the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina wreaking havoc in the southeastern United States, Seattle Times journalist Ranny Green reflects on his time in Louisiana on assignment with Noah's Wish, an organization that helps animals affected by natural disasters. Read Ranny's diary of his trip below, which originally ran in The Seattle Times in 2005. -- […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) and Royal Canin are pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2016 National Championship to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18, 2016. The 2016 event will showcase the top national and international dogs and will also […]

For 141 years, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show judges have chosen one dog, and one dog only, as Best in Show. You would think that, with 141 different dogs being chosen, America's favorite breeds surely must have won a few times. You'd be wrong. Every year, the AKC ranks the breeds that are most […]

OK, try to pronounce it. I dare you: Nederlandse Kooikerhondje. But better get used to it because it’s now a member of the American Kennel Club’s companion events family. Which means, you’ll be seeing plenty more of these orange-red, parti-colored characters in the breed ring, Sporting Group, and Best in Show rings, as well as […]

An event such as the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin offers an amazing opportunity to meet the many breeds competing in the ring. This year, the AKC Meet the Breeds individual booths represented more than 100 breeds. Like every breed, and, in fact, every dog, every booth is truly unique. Each breed club […]

AKC Breeder of Merit Oksana Fagenboym, of Rock ’n Rolla Poodles, was born in Ukraine and has lived with dogs all her life. As a little girl, she picked up puppies and kittens from the street and brought them home. Unfortunately, her family could not keep them because they lived in a hostel. So, they […]

This article originally appeared in AKC Family Dog magazine. Alaska wags her tail and wiggles her body every time a person approaches. She has a great grin and calm demeanor but, turned in as a stray to a small rural shelter, her adoption chances were slim. She was an adult. She was black (the least […]

THE FOLLOWING DOGS HAVE EARNED VCD TITLES ON THE DATES LISTED BELOW: 8/20/2017 VCCH Webshire's Three Point Shot UDX3 PCDX OM4 BN GN GO MXS MJSRET-GOLD. Owned by: Susan Ruth Oviatt-Harris of CASTLE ROCK, CO. 1/7/2017 VCD1 CH Rolyart's Go Out On A Limb VCD1 BN RM RAE OJP RATO CGC TKISPAN-WELSPR. Owned by: Merrielle Turnbull/Shelley Traylor/Cindy Ford […]