Breed Weight Male Weight Female Affenpinschers 7-10 pounds 7-10 pounds Afghan Hounds 50-60 pounds 50-60 pounds Airedale Terriers 50-70 pounds 50-70 pounds Akitas 100-130 pounds 70-100 pounds Alaskan Malamutes 85 pounds 75 pounds American English Coonhounds 45-65 pounds 45-65 pounds American Eskimo Dogs 6-10 pounds (toy), 10-20 pounds (miniature), 25-35 pounds (standard) 6-10 pounds (toy), […]

Beagles are not only great family dogs, but excellent hunters as well. Beagles have also had some mighty interesting jobs. How well do you know the Beagle?

If you’ve landed on this page, you probably already know that the lovable Beagle is an irresistible pet. But these merry little hounds with the shoe-button eyes and melodious bark weren’t bred to be just the perfect companion hound. Here, five dog experts, past and present, explain the original working function of the breed and how […]

An intense drive to find birds and a loyal companionship in the field and home traces the Pointer's history. The medium-to-large-sized hunting dog has...

“Is that a Labradoodle?” “No, it’s an Otterhound.” “A what? I never heard of them. What were they bred to do?” “Hunt river otters.” “Oh. My friend has a Labradoodle.” Probably every Otterhound owner has been part of a conversation like this. “Doodles,” whether “Labra–” or “Golden–,” are a popular trend, as are a number […]

American English Coonhounds are sweet, mellow, and too friendly to perform as a guard dog. Bred to hunt raccoons, the breed descends from English Foxhounds brought to America in the early 1800s. American English Coonhounds sound a distinctive howl when locating their quarry. On a rugged hiking trail, a young couple turns around and realizes […]

What’s better than owning a top-winning show dog? Simple: Breeding one. In theory, anyone can purchase a canine competitor: All you need is a checking account with enough zeroes in it. But it’s far more challenging to produce quality purebred dogs that are consistently sound, well tempered and typey — that is to say, that […]

The Basenji is arguably more unique than most breeds, from its yodel-like vocalizations to its lack of a distinctive doggie odor.

American-made and a long-kept secret of South Carolina, Boykin Spaniel History goes back to the early 1900s. Today, the breed is seen across the South.

Joseph and Brenna Carlisle are AKC Breeders of Merit Bronze and AKC Bred with HEART breeders. Their kennel, Heritage Hounds, is located on about 80 acres just outside of Birmingham, Alabama. Brenna has bred and shown Standard Longhaired Dachshunds her whole life, and Joseph has bred Treeing Walker Coonhounds and competed in competition hunts with […]

Originally published in the AKC Gazette Almost all the spaniels and setters were developed in the British Isles—but of the AKC pointing breeds, only the Pointer has its roots in England. The rest come from all over Europe. European breeds are less specialized than those of the British Isles. None of the retrievers—developed as the […]

In the early days of organized dog shows, many breeders were also horse people. You can still feel the tug of their reins in almost all the breed standards, which use equine terms to describe dog anatomy, such as “withers” instead of “shoulders” and “hock” rather than “ankle.” Perhaps predictably, some of those early “doggy” […]

Anyone foolhardy enough to be outdoors in Le Harve, France, on a stormy, windswept evening in October 1789 would have beheld a curious sight: a conspicuously tall, ginger-haired gentleman striding through a soaking rain, urgently searching for something he apparently held quite precious. Onlookers in the old port city might have wondered if he was […]

Each year, we are proud to recognize and celebrate the men and women who dedicate their lives to improving the health, temperament, and quality of purebred dogs. These breeders are the heart of our organizations and they deserve to be recognized for their incredible work. One breeder is chosen from each of the seven groups […]

Working members are every club’s greatest asset. Yet most clubs haven’t changed their style of recruiting new members in decades. That’s a problem when longtime members are getting older and many newbies in the sport mistakenly think they can learn all they need to know by chatting on Facebook. Thankfully, we have smart dog people […]

Through the years, many different breeds have won Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show, including the 2024 winner, "Sage" the Miniature Poodle.

There was a time not long ago that nearly every advertisement featuring a child with a dog seemed to include a Lab or a Golden Retriever, consistently among the most popular dog breeds in America. Today, there’s a bit more variety in the breeds being photographed with children for commercial advertising. Perhaps the public perception […]

Test for what is recommended for your breed. Order AKC DNA + Health Kit The AKC DNA Program recommends that breeders perform DNA tests that are relevant to their breed. The AKC DNA + Health Kit includes over 328 markers for health and traits, and every dog receives results for all tests. However, not all […]

The Smooth Fox Terrier, called the “gentleman of the terrier world,” is a lively, gregarious terrier with a devil-may-care attitude, originally developed for Britain’s traditional foxhunts. They are close relatives to Wire Fox Terriers.

Upbeat, lively, inquisitive, and friendly, the jaunty Russell Terrier was developed by England's "Sporting Parson" for use in foxhunts. The adorable Russell Terrier looks like a plush toy come to life but is an eager, tireless working terrier.