Teaching your dog to ring a bell to go outside is a great trick and very helpful for house-training. Here's how to do it from our dog training experts.

Looking for a dog to add to your family? Here's how to know if the Shetland Sheepdog is a good fit for your lifestyle.

For many at-risk youth in New York City, violence and crime is an inescapable fact of life. But Audrey Hendler is hoping to change that, with the help of about 25 four-legged teaching assistants. In 2010, Hendler launched A Fair Shake for Youth, a program that brings therapy dogs into middle schools in under-served communities […]

Recently, a student came to class complaining that she had taken her two-year-old Labrador Retriever for a three-mile run, then left to pick up her son from school, and when she returned home she found that her dog had shredded two couch pillows and was in the middle of chewing the leg off her kitchen […]

If you’ve landed on this page, you probably already know that the lovable Beagle is an irresistible pet. But these merry little hounds with the shoe-button eyes and melodious bark weren’t bred to be just the perfect companion hound. Here, five dog experts, past and present, explain the original working function of the breed and how […]

Before discussing pregnancy in dogs, it is important to stress that the breeding of pure-bred dogs is a serious endeavor best taken on only by responsible breeders, breeders who have studied all the intricacies of a particular breed of dog and are committed to maintaining and improving type, temperament and health.  Knowledge of a breed’s […]

Etiquette describes the requirements of behaviors according to the conventions of society. This includes proper conduct that is established by a community for various occasions in everyday life. The recent COVID-19 pandemic forced all of us to alter some form of basic conduct. We stopped hugging and shaking hands when greeting each other and had […]

You’ve made the decision to welcome a new dog into your family. Now comes the fun part – finding the perfect dog. There’s a lot to consider. Before you commit, ask yourself these five questions. What’s Your Schedule? Think about your lifestyle. Do you work long hours? Struggle to get out the door in the […]

The following are highlights of the numerous bills in Congress that could impact dog owners and the wellbeing of dogs. Visit our 2026 Legislation Tracking map click on the arrow on the Region column to filter for US Federal legislation and get the latest updates on federal bills currently being monitored by the AKC. Highlights of issues […]

The AKC Government Relations team continues to monitor Congress for issues of interest to dog owners. Visit our 2018 Legislation Tracking page and click on “US Fed” on the map to get the latest updates on federal bills currently being monitored by the AKC. Highlights of issues we are currently addressing on the federal level include: U.S. […]