Bonding with your canine companion, meeting new people, keeping your dog physically and mentally active, and good, pure fun—just some of the reasons people participate in AKC dog sports. For people with disabilities, these benefits may seem inaccessible. AKC dog sports can be and are enjoyed by individuals with disabilities. Today, people of varying physical ability […]

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 […]

Bonnet started as Horton's Novice A dog. The pair competed successfully all the way to a UDX title. The Norwegian Elkhound survived a stroke and was "truly a hero," showing her owner "what was important in life that I did not already know" he says. While he doesn’t have an iconic Superman "S" on his […]

Barking…chasing..rushing..splitting…gripping…overflanking…ignoring…not stopping…these are just a few of the negative things our dogs may exhibit on occasion during the training process. Running…hollering…pushing…repeating…allowing…grudging…Well, folks, these are just a few of the negatives things handlers may exhibit while in the training process! And, if you haven't guessed it by now, these things are, more often than not, closely […]

On this Veterans Day, we want to say thank you to everyone who has served and fought for our country, human and canine. Jeremy Angenend, an Afghanistan veteran, shared his story as a K-9 handler with USA Today, telling of his experience working with Fito, a German Shepherd, and how they were reunited after four […]

In December, a photo went viral showing Rocky, a military working dog, and his handler, Army Specialist Andrew Brown, recovering in a hospital bed together. Both had been injured when an IED exploded during a tour of Afghanistan.     (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); […]

After three long years, U.S. Army Specialist Vance McFarland finally has his war dog back. McFarland hadn't seen Ikar, the tactical explosive detection dog (TEDD) he deployed to Afghanistan with, since 2012. Until last week, when the pair was reunited. While deployed, Ikar and McFarland searched for roadside bombs and IEDs. “We had a dangerous […]

Name: Brittaney Allen Age: 16 Hometown: Cambridge, OH Grade: High School Junior Parents: Jay & Brenda Allen How did Ollie come into your family’s life? How old is Ollie and do you know what breed/mix he is? Ollie is a Border Collie mix who was adopted from our county’s animal shelter in 2012. He is […]

Seventeen-year-old Linnea Corlette and her All-American Dog, Reece, won first place in the Rally Advanced class with a nearly perfect score of 99 at the AKC Juniors Classic. The annual national competition spotlights junior handlers working with their dogs in Obedience and Rally. The event was held in December in Orlando, FL, in conjunction with […]

Melanie Woods and her mother Colleen Woods of Sewickley, PA, rescued Luci, who is now a multi-dog sports titled competitor through AKC Canine Partners. Both Melanie, a junior handler, and her mother show Luci in AKC Agility, Obedience, Rally and Coursing Ability. Luci also competes in Barn Hunt through the Barn Hunt Association (BHA); the […]