Mary-Kay Schroeder of Bayswater Portuguese Water Dogs is an AKC Breeder of Merit who has been breeding PWDs since 1993. She lives in Cicero, Indiana, which is about 30 miles north of Indianapolis and on Morse Lake. Mary-Kay shows her dogs in conformation, agility, water, obedience, and scent work.   AKC: How did you get […]

Make no mistake about it, dog sport competitors are no different than finely tuned human athletes. These dogs long to get in the ring and give it their best, while performing in concert with their handlers. In the process, doggy dynamics are accented with plenty of psychological gymnastics. If ever there was a prototype for […]

Lenore Hedemark, a 14-year-old from North Carolina, is the number-one American Hairless Terrier Junior Handler for the past two years. As an up-and-coming show photographer and active competitor, Lenore began showing dogs at 11 years old. She stepped into the ring for the first time with her aunt's ex-racing Greyhound registered with a Purebred Alternative […]

A nose punch to the hand, a play bow, and a swipe with a paw. Add a yip, a lick, and a tug at clothing, and it looks like a dog in hijinks heaven. These silly shenanigans are all fun and games until someone’s type 1 diabetes fluctuates to a life-threatening level. That’s when a […]

When Kevin Holmes went looking for a service dog that would double as a competition teammate two years ago, he had specific idea in mind. His answer? "Natalie" the German Wirehaired Pointer.

15-year-old Sophie Weaver, from Parrish, Florida, is one of the brightest young talents on the US competitive agility circuit. Despite this, she remains remarkably humble about everything she and “Violet,” her 4-year-old Shetland Sheepdog, have achieved together. At the AKC Agility Premier Cup in Philadelphia this June, the teenager will stand out for being the […]

From the Dalmatian Club of America breed column in the March 2016 AKC Gazette “I only breed for myself” is a phrase I’ve heard frequently over the years. It does sound rather noble: I’m not in it for the money, I’m not filling shelters with surplus dogs, and most importantly, I’m not a backyard breeder/puppy […]

Although she's young, Brianne Farr has been training dogs nearly her whole life. On top of teaching training classes, she competes in Obedience, Rally, Agility, Herding, Disc Dog, and Dock Diving. While she has earned over 50 different titles on her dogs over the years, the best reward may have come on Dec. 11, 2020 […]

Does your terrier or Dachshund love to dig in the dirt? Maybe he squirms his way into animal tunnels and comes out with a surprise in his mouth. What is he thinking? Well, there's a reason Dachshunds and small terriers are classified as earthdogs. Rather than trying to stop this “bad” behavior, channel the go-to-ground […]

Chinese Crested "Kiss" and Zelda Casanova are looking forward to showing how smart and driven the breed can be when competing in the AKC Obedience Classic.