The American Kennel Club (AKC®), a not-for-profit organization, the world’s largest purebred dog registry and leading advocate for dogs, is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 AKC Trick Dog Competition. This 6th Annual competition was a virtual event, open to Elite Performers, AKC’s highest level of trick dogs. Nearly 200 competitors from all over the country submitted videos of outstanding performances that were evaluated by judges.
The winners were Christina Jones from Odessa, Florida, and her All-American dog, Chloe. Their routine, “Chloe for President,” featured twenty-six entertaining tricks. “This performance was outstanding,” said Mary Burch, AKC Family Dog Director. “The judges commented on Chloe’s accuracy and eagerness to perform the tricks while she frequently worked at a distance from her handler. A joyfulness and an eagerness to work so consistently is ultimately what trick training is all about. We are so proud of all the AKC Elite Performer Trick Dogs in this year’s competition and their extremely creative handlers. Some of these handlers spent a year creating props and getting their routines ready for the competition.”
The two semi-finalists in the competition were Lisa Rickards and her Labrador Retriever, Java, and Terri Fookes and her All-American dog, Keiki.
“It was such a pleasure to judge these extraordinary dogs,” said Danielle Blasingame, one of the competition judges who is an award-winning professional dog trainer. Blasingame has trained dogs for professional animal acts, and at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. “There were so many talented dogs in this year’s competition. In the end, we looked at the difficulty of the tricks along with the whole presentation including how happy the dogs were when they were working and if there appeared to be a bond between the handler and dog. Congratulations to all the 2024 competition participants!” See these amazing dogs showcase their talents below!
Overall Winner:
handled by Christina Jones of Odessa, Florida
Semi-finalists:
handled by Lisa Rickards of Kansas City, MO
handled by Terri Fookes of Pasco, WA
All teams that entered will receive a qualifying rosette. The three winning teams will receive a personalized trophy. To learn more about teaching your dog to do tricks, click here.