For siblings Ryan and Sarah Ford from Kentucky, Agility is a family sport. They compete in the AKC Agility League, and internationally, with their dogs.

Dogs quickly make their way into our hearts as our best friends, sports partners, and, sometimes, our greatest support system. At least that’s what Jennifer Lee found in Little Boo. Boo is 5.5-year-old, 12-pound Norwich Terrier who spends just as much time at home on an Agility course as he is on the living-room sofa. […]

Handlers participating in dog sports, especially agility, are prone to knee and back injuries. Strength and fitness training routines for handlers can help to minimize agility injuries. Ease into any fitness training slowly to avoid injury, and be sure to always warm up first. Competing in dog sports can be fun and physically challenging for […]

Dogs are incredibly diverse in size, appearance, energy levels, and temperament, and it's no accident. Dogs have been purpose-bred for generations to highlight this diversity. In times past, people relied on dogs to perform jobs and tasks. Different breeds were developed specifically to do for those working purposes. Today, most of our dogs spend a […]

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 […]

PACH Dudley Do Right CD PCDX RAE MXP3 MXPB MJP3 MJPB PAX OFP T2BP CGC owned by Elizabeth Ann Piper of Albuquerque, NM Dudley is Beth's very first dog. He was 2 years old when she adopted him from a local shelter and started basic obedience training so that he could be a well-behaved pet. […]

Hula Lula CAX  owned by Susan Lewis of Wildomar, CA Hula Lula is a mixed-breed that was adopted from a local shelter when she was about 3 months old. She was born at the shelter and came from a very large litter. “She is a very sweet girl but shy,” Susan said. “I try to […]

Woodacre’s Soidog Mali CAX (“June”) owned by Jackie Phillips of San Leandro, CA Jackie adopted June from Soi Dog Foundation, a Thailand rescue group, in February 2012. “She is a dog meat trade survivor and was on a large flatbed truck with 350 other dogs stuffed into tiny cages, bound for Vietnam,” Jackie said. “The […]

Organization records over 3 million entries across Performance, Conformation, Companion and Family Dog events. The American Kennel Club, the world’s largest dog registry, advocate for dogs, and the governing body in the United States, continues to be the leader in the sport of dogs with a record setting increase to 3.3 million entries in 2019 […]