[accordion] [accordion_panel title="Adding Junior Membership to AKC Member Club Bylaws (November 2022 Board meeting)"] The Board VOTED to permit existing clubs to add “Junior” as a membership option to their club Bylaws without AKC reviewing and approving each club’s Bylaws. The Board will receive notice from Club Relations of the clubs that have added “Junior […]

The AKC now works with several non-AKC service and sports organizations to recognize the titles that AKC-registered dogs earn in their programs. This includes the AKC Therapy Dog titling program and the AKC Search & Rescue title program. AKC also recognizes titles of the Barn Hunt Association (BHA); North American Diving Dogs (NADD); and the […]

In its ongoing pursuit to recognize outstanding members of the fancy, The American Kennel Club Lifetime Achievement Awards were created and first awarded in 1999 to honor our very best. The purpose of the awards is to celebrate those individuals whose many years of dedication have led to significant contributions to our sport on a […]

last updated 1/9/2026 How do I join the AKC National Junior Organization? Everyone who has a Junior Showmanship number is automatically entered in the AKC National Junior Organization. How do I get a Junior Showmanship number? E-mail: juniors@akc.org or download form. What is a Junior Showmanship number and do I need to have one to […]

***NEW*** AKC now offers a quick and easy way to submit your Farm Dog Title Application! Submit your application now here. Your dog responds well to commands at home and in public, but how would he respond in a farm environment? There’s an easy way to find out: Sign him up for a Farm Dog Certified test. […]

(Originally edited and written by A. Hamilton Rowan, Jr.; updated by M. Sue Richey, from material submitted by George C. Wanner.) In the early 1930s, the short-lived U.S. Dachshund Field Trial Club held the first organized field trial for Dachshund. The hounds were put to ground in artificial rabbit burrows and were judged by rules […]

The roots of the Earthdog program go back to the beginnings of small game hunting. Farmers and hunters used the small terriers and Dachshunds to pursue vermin to its lair and then to follow the game into to the ground. These dogs had to possess not only the physical attributes that would allow them to […]

Rowdy Cuz E Iz CD BN RAE owned by Mary Patterson of St. Michael, MN Mary brought Rowdy home when he was an 8-week-old puppy and started training soon after. The now 6-year-old Shih-tzu – Poodle mix is “extremely smart and a wonderful performance dog,” Mary said. “I've never really cared for obedience until I […]

AKC GoodDog! Helpline trainer Christie Canfield, who teaches therapy dog classes and works with service dogs, explains the difference in therapy dogs and service dogs. A question we are frequently asked at the AKC GoodDog! Helpline is 'Can I train my dog to be a therapy or service dog?'  The difference is often confusing, yet the […]

Waltzing Matilda RAE CGCA CGCU owned by Jill Lindsay of Bismarck, ND Tillie is a Border Collie mix who was found in a cardboard box along a North Dakota highway in 2009 and was rescued with the other members of her litter. After finishing an obedience class at a pet supply store with her other […]