On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, the Land Development Regulation Commission of Marion County, Florida, will hold  a public hearing on “Limitations on Ownership and Possession of Dogs and Cats for unincorporated areas of the county”.  The proposal includes updated, restrictive definitions impacting dog ownership in the county, including commercial breeder (new), high volume breeder (new), […]

April 28, 2015 Attention Alabama Dog Owners: Alabama House Bill 548 seeks to establish criminal penalties for failure to comply with overreaching, undefined, and arbitrary requirements for the care, feeding, and housing of dogs.  Compliance with the problematic provisions of HB 548 would be required for every person or organization that has “custody or ownership” […]

Did you know that there are 190 dog breeds registered by the AKC? While many of them are familiar faces, there are several breeds that most people have never seen before, or even heard of. Some are newly registered, and some are just less common in the United States. Here are some facts about a […]

  This year’s national specialty for the Welsh Springer Spaniel Club of America (WSSCA) was held in late April during the Cherry Blossom Cluster in Maryland. We enjoyed four days of competition and camaraderie, and it only rained once! (In 2011 we held our national specialty in Pennsylvania during “The Great Harrisburg Flood.”) Welsh Springer […]

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 […]

She radiates joy, but it’s her fighting spirit that defines the heart of a 13-week-old German Wirehaired Pointer that is about to embark on a coast-to-coast flight to a new home. Appropriately, Joy is her name. And, adds her breeder, Laura Reeves, of Grants Pass, Ore., “This is the case of the right dog at […]

  -- Governors of New York, North Carolina, Delaware, Oregon all designate Responsible Dog Ownership Days-- In honor of AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day on September 17, 2005, the American Kennel Club and many of its affiliated clubs have received support - in the form or proclamations and congratulatory letters - from numerous government officials […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC) will celebrate a decade of responsible dog ownership this September when the AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Days program turns 10. How can you join the party? Simply host or attend an AKC RDO Day in your community. “Over the past ten years, AKC clubs and dog organizations have educated scores […]

New York, NY – A Q&A between AKC Chairman of the Board Alan Kalter and Dog News’ Matthew H. Stander originally appeared in the April 11, 2014 issue of Dog News. The contents of the interview about the future direction of the AKC are reprinted here with permission of the publisher.   What steps do […]

https://www.akc.org/akc-detection-dog-task-force/akc-pilot-detection-puppy-rearing-program/blogs/trainer-development/problem-training-plans/ In an earlier post I spoke of the problem with training plans. Currently we have three large groups of participants with specific breeds and a smaller group of other breeds not represented in the first few. Training a detection dog is a dynamic process. Specifically, it is not A to B to C to […]