The best way to ensure a long and happy relationship with a purebred dog is to purchase from a responsible breeder. While the AKC does not endorse or recommend specific breeders, we do offer several resources to locate breeders. The AKC recommends puppy buyers begin the search process by contacting the AKC Parent Club. Please […]

8 week old GSD scent discrimination Shaping odor recognition with a puppy. Use of food reward machines removes handler from the dog's natural search patterns. Two of the target containers have the same dog food in them as the dog is being fed from the food reward machines. Initial stages of food machine training A […]

It has only been three days with the new puppy “Trip” but here are some things that might not be second nature to everyone- Patience is my greatest ally- I have 10 to 14 months to bring out the best in this pup. I haven’t put a leash on him yet. I want independence, not […]

It has only been three days with the new puppy “Trip” but here are some things that might not be second nature to everyone- Patience is my greatest ally- I have 10 to 14 months to bring out the best in this pup. I haven’t put a leash on him yet. I want independence, not […]

You are building a puzzle. You do not have all the puzzle pieces when you begin. The puzzle cannot be completed without the slow process, taking over a year’s time, as development gives you more pieces to continue building the puzzle. Trying to train a puppy as if it were an adult dog is like […]

Travels with Fido – High Altitude Trips Judy Hunter, owner of mixed-breed dog, Maxsam, shared this story of when “Max” was a puppy a few years ago and traveled with Judy and her husband, Bob, on a cross country trip that included the Rocky Mountains. Dogs can suffer from high altitudes too if they are […]

PACH Uggie Bug Jones CDX RAE AX AXJ MXP6 MXPS MJP6 MJPS PAX2 OF MFP T2BP2, aka Uggie, was discovered as a tiny puppy, freezing starving, and hiding in the yard of Shannon Jones of Cary, NC. Shannon had no intentions of keeping the pup – she just wanted to get her healthy and find […]

Rare breeds not yet recognized by AKC can be eligible to enroll in AKC Canine Partners and compete in AKC events. That is the case with Seraphina (formally known as Song Dog Bright Angel UD GO) who is an American Indian Dog. Seraphina & owner Sheila Crombie of Monument, CO, recently earned the advanced-level Utility […]

Pender’s Got A Lotta Moxie CD RAE owned by Tom & Natalie Pender of Milwaukee, WI Tom and Natalie adopted Moxie, an American Pit Bull Terrier, from the Wisconsin Humane Society in 2007 when she was a 12-week-old puppy.  “Right from the start she was a very sweet puppy and to this day she loves […]

Emberly CA RATS DM owned by Kathryn Smiley of Kingsport, TN Emberly is a mixed-breed dog also known by Kathryn as “The Very Rare Spotted Dog.” Kathryn first met Emberly as an 8-week-old puppy at Young Williams Animal Shelter in Knoxville, TN, and says “our futures changed forever. With her heart, stamina, and a boundless […]