Every year in conjunction with the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin the general public is given the exciting opportunity to meet (and more importantly, play with!) over 100 different dog breeds at AKC Meet the Breeds. Attendees get the opportunity to learn about the different breeds and find out which dog might be […]

The American Kennel Club will help breeders be more successful with the start of a new program that makes available on-line educational materials and marketing support for participants. AKC Bred with H.E.A.R.T stands for Health, Education, Accountability, Responsibility, and Tradition. Preparing breeders to produce healthy, excellent examples of their breeds is the program’s goal. The […]

How do you feel about a grand adventure, with a bit of challenge and surprise tossed in? If this appeals to you, the Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen may satisfy that urge. With fewer than 400 in the United States, the rough-coated scenthound, a native of France, is one of two new breeds the American Kennel […]

Recently AKC-recognized, this hound dog has roots in France, and is a great hunter and family companion. Learn more about the Basset Fauve de Bretagne!

The Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen came into prominence in the United States nearly 20 years ago. Although there had been a few PBGVs in the country as early as 1971, it was a puppy named Alexander that started the PBGV frenzy in 1983. Since then, the reaction to this scruffy little hound has gone from […]

For more than 30 years, Mike Woodson has bred pure-bred dogs. He is an AKC Breeder of Merit, and his dogs have won many honors in conformation and performance events. Woodson often gives advice to people getting started in the dog fancy. An educator by profession, he could easily teach a course on breeding quality […]

The American Kennel Club is the world's largest registry of purebred dogs, and uses these statistics to rank the most popular breeds — and the rarest breeds. The numbers are in: these are the rarest dog breeds according to AKC registration statistics. In 2025, 202 total breeds were counted in the registration statistics. In 2026, […]

It took 400 years of evolution to produce the loyal Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen, or GBGV. Here are 10 fun facts about this outgoing breed.

The American Kennel Club (AKC®) joins the world of online learning with the launch of AKC Canine College -- an initiative that will extend robust, interactive learning content to breeders and judges, adding subject matter for groomers and trainers in the near future. Anyone interested in learning more about the dog world will find a […]

I first started showing dogs in the early 2000s, taking my mixed-breed dog Rocky to our local 4-H dog training group. Under the guidance of Ms. Rita LaPointe and the Cave Canem 4-H group in Massachusetts, students learned how to handle our dogs in obedience, present them in conformation, and understand the health and well-being […]