The official term for dog shows is conformation -- as in, the act of conforming or producing conformity. While a dog show may look like a beauty pageant, it’s not. Dogs are not being compared to each other; they’re being measured by how closely they conform to the standard of their particular breed. Why? Because […]

You work hard to teach your dog good manners. There’s one area, though, where you probably won’t have much success: Asking them to “stop being so nosey!” It won’t work because your dog's keen sense of smell – which is 100,000 times stronger than humans – makes him naturally “nosey,” and thus innately ideal for […]

The American Kennel Club offers breeders the Registered Kennel Name Program to protect the use of their kennel's name in the naming of AKC registered dogs. The use of a registered kennel name allows breeders to name dogs of their breeding in an identifiable manner creating a prominent familial foundation in the breed. Application for […]

A high school stadium, three sets of bleachers, and one Q-tip dipped in the scent of birch. Finding that tiny swab, planted somewhere in the arena, seemed an impossible task to Suzanne LeRoy, as she and her Border Collie, Rain, faced their first nose work competition. “It was a huge area to search,” the California […]

Moderator Laura Reeves points to an audience member ready to ask a question at a Del Monte Kennel Club Friday Night Forum in Carmel, Calif., last month. Panelists are, from left, Pat Trotter, Dorothy Macdonald, and Kimberly Meredith-Cavanna. Photo by Cook Dog Show Photography.   Bridging the gap is defined as connecting two things — […]

Imagine, for a minute, you are involved in dog sports, and your four-legged partner is tightly connected to your left side throughout one exercise after another. Can you envision the challenges facing you in one venue after another if your field of vision in your left eye is less than 10 degrees to almost nothing, […]

Dog show ribbons and event titles are major accomplishments that dog owners and breeders proudly acknowledge when talking about their kennels. But for one breeder with many title-decorated dogs, there’s something else that keeps her in the game. “The single biggest achievement that just makes me happier than happy... is the people who have my […]

Lucky Cricket RAE CD OA OAJ owned by Beth Jansen by Albuquerque, NM Cricket joined Beth’s family in 2013 after she was found living in a trailer park with another dog, surviving on trash. Some good samaritans noticed the dogs and contacted a rescue group, who placed the dogs in foster care. When Cricket arrived […]

RATCHX Rex Von McKinney Rausch BCAT CGC owned by Jeanette Rausch of Mount Juliet, TN Eight-year-old Rex was once a stud dog at a kennel that was shut down by the authorities.  “I stumbled across his photo online and fell in love with him so I reached out to the organization to arrange meeting him […]

New York, NY – The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award finalists in the categories of Conformation, Companion Events and Performance Events. The Awards, created and first awarded in 1999, are presented in recognition of exceptional participation and achievement within the dog fancy. The finalists chosen, based on […]