The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, is excited to announce that the Bracco Italiano has received full recognition and is the AKC’s 200th breed. The Bracco Italiano is eligible to compete in the Sporting Group. “We at the AKC are thrilled to welcome our […]

The top dogs in the nation were crowned from an overall combined entry of 248 dogs this past weekend at the 8th AKC Obedience Classic. Competitions were held December 18-19, 2021 in conjunction with the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. The 10th AKC Juniors […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2024 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15, 2024. The 2024 event will showcase the top canine athletes and will also […]

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 […]

Labrador Retriever Leads the Pack as Most Popular for 27th Year - French Bulldog Leaps into Top Five, Knocking Out the Beagle - New York, NY – The Labrador Retriever continues to break records!  The American Kennel Club (AKC®) announced at a press conference today that the loveable Lab once again is the number one […]

  The official drawing of Champion Trackers that will exhibit in the first AKC National Tracking Invitational took place Thursday, July 24th at the American Kennel Club office in Raleigh, NC. President and CEO, Alfred Cheaure along with Senior Vice President and COO, Dennis Sprung pulled little "tracking feet" from a paper gift bag to […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to recognize breeding programs from the Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding groups as 2016 AKC Breeder of the Year group honorees. “We are proud to honor some of the nation’s finest breeders with this award,” said Dennis Sprung, AKC President and CEO. “The dogs that […]

  New York, NY – Highlights from the August 2006 meeting of the AKC Board of Directors as follows: The Board appointed members to all of the Trial Boards, effective September 1, 2006. The full list is included in the minutes for the August 2006 meeting. The Nominating Committee, which is to nominate candidates for […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 25th AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 13 and Sunday, December 14, 2025. The 2025 event will showcase the top canine athletes and will also […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2019 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15, 2019. The 2019 event will showcase the top national and international canine athletes […]

Orlando, FL (Dec. 14, 2018) – Aperture I Think I'M Going To Like It Here, a Whippet known as “Lizzie” triumphed over almost 1,300 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 […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®), a not-for-profit organization, the world's largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, is pleased to award the recipients of the Junior Versatility Scholarships to the top 10 Juniors who competed in a minimum of three different, competitive AKC Events between the eligible dates (July 1, 2021 – June […]

Once again, the Labrador Retriever took Atlanta’s top spot in the 2016 ranking of the most popular AKC-recognized dog breeds in the U.S. The Labrador Retriever was also recognized as the #1 pup in Denver, Boston, and Seattle, among others. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have climbed the ranks in Atlanta, increasing from eighth to fifth. Boxers, […]

Part of the 2024 AKC National Championship week includes crowning Best Junior in Junior Showmanship. See the winners of this coveted award.

Every year the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show comes to New York City to celebrate dogs, breeders, owners, handlers, and all others who are a part of a dog's journey. This year we had some wonderful moments, made some history, and crowned another champion. Come with us as we take a walk through a dog's […]

Do all dogs need a winter coat? If so, what are the best winter coats for dogs? We break down our favorites for dogs of all sizes and breeds.

Once again, the Labrador Retriever took Dallas’ top spot in the American Kennel Club’s (AKC®) 2016 ranking of the most popular AKC-recognized dog breeds in the U.S. The Labrador Retriever was also recognized as the #1 pup in Chicago, Austin, and Raleigh, among others. Yorkshire Terriers fell drastically in popularity this year in Dallas. The […]

​Stephanie Sherwood, a Canine Ambassador and member of the Kaystone Vizsla Club in Malverne, PA, visited a second-grade classroom with her Vizsla, Judit this past March and it was nothing short of adorable. Stephanie and Judit have been participating as AKC Canine Ambassadors for about a year now, visiting schools, nursing homes and partaking in […]

Judith C. of Connecticut wrote AKC for help with her German Shorthaired Pointer pup that loves jumping on people and the kitchen counter to steal food. Heather W. of Michigan said she is having the same issue with her pair of one-year-old Labrador Retrievers. Heather says, "We are constantly telling them to stay down and pushing them down. […]

Field trials are all about letting a dog do what comes naturally in a competitive setting. For the Pointing Breeds that means finding birds and showing off their courage, stamina, and keen desire to hunt.  Since 1993, the AKC Gun Dog Championship continues to be one of the largest and most prestigious pointing all breed field trial championship in […]

AKC Gazette, “Times Past”— Here’s an excerpt from our coverage of the 2011 Bonhams New York annual dog-art auction. It’s rare to see identifiable show dogs represented in the annual dog-art sale at Bonhams, so the painting Giralda’s Lola, with puppies instantly caught my eye. Lola is one of 200 dog portraits the British watercolorist […]

Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV), also known as bloat, is a disease dreaded by dog owners and veterinary professionals. In this emergency condition, the stomach fills with gas and rotates on its axis, leading to cardiovascular shock and abnormal function of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, kidney, and clotting systems. Known risk factors for bloat include breed, […]

Your dog is fast asleep, when suddenly he starts whimpering, moving his legs or tail, or engaging in some other odd behavior. Could your dog be dreaming? Scientists think so—in fact, they believe that dogs not only dream as we do, but also that they dream similarly to us, meaning that they replay moments from […]

The 2020 Junior Showmanship Finals at the AKC National Championship took place on Dec. 12 in Orlando, Florida. To qualify, juniors had to have at least three first-place wins in Open Class with competition present between Oct. 10, 2019 and Oct. 7, 2020. In addition, juniors must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 for the past […]

With so many events going on at the AKC National Championship Dog Show Presented by Royal Canin, how do you choose which ones to attend? Since 2014, a new exciting event has been added, and if you've never witnessed the intensity, grace, and sheer joy of a dog leaping off a dock to retrieve a favorite […]

  The AKC Detection Dog Task Force has launched its Pilot Detection Puppy Rearing Program – an opportunity for breeders and owners to work closely with experts on raising dogs that will have the potential to be trained for explosives detection work. The United States has a serious shortage of qualified dogs to perform the […]

Konrad Lorenz identified Fixed Action Patterns as innate or instinctual behavior patterns that were species specific. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_action_pattern In turn, Breland and Breland, students of B. F. Skinner, contributed their knowledge based on training hundreds of animals. http://www.operationtakemehome.org/sar/Canine%20Downloads/breland,%20breland%20(1961)%20-%20misbehavior%20of%20organisms.pdf They attempted to bridge the gap between early psychologists’ view that the mind was a blank slate and […]

By Gary N. Sadler It may be hard to imagine, but at 14, Kayla is an "old hand" when it comes to training and running pointing dogs in AKC Hunting Tests. Around dogs all of her life, Kayla was introduced at age six to German Shorthaired Pointers by her Grandmother, Stacie Smith. At seven, Kayla […]

Boone of the Big House BN RE CGC TKE owned by Sandra Muench of Plant City, FL Found wandering in Georgia, Boone, a 14-month-old probable pointer/Catahoula mix, was emaciated with evidence that showed he had been tied outside. He was fostered through a Florida rescue group before adoption. After seeing his online photo and bio Sandra knew […]

Hoping to meet a specific dog breed when you visit AKC Meet the Breeds during AKC National Championship in Orlando? Or maybe you just want to meet them all! Don't miss a single wag or woof with this list of breeds that will be in attendance at the 2019 show. Get your tickets now. Dog Breeds […]