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Expert Advice: Breeding Tips & Best Practices
Meet Breeder of Merit Kathy Rust of Kizmar Vizslas
The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognizes Breeders of Merit for their dedication to breeding purebred dogs with the appearance, temperament, and abilities that are true to their breed standard and for their commitment to health screening and 100 percent puppy registration. The AKC celebrates their success in and passion for canine sports. They are […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/meet-the-breeder-of-merit-kathy-rust-of-kizmar-vizslas/
| June 20, 2017
Expert Advice: Breeding Tips & Best Practices
AKC Breeder Spotlight: Karen Hanson of Labyrinth Brittanys
Each month, the American Kennel Club (AKC) profiles breeders to hear how they got started and learn about their breeding program and experience with AKC Marketplace. We recently spoke with Karen Hanson of Labyrinth Brittanys in Maidens, Va. Karen began breeding Brittanys when she was a teenager, and today she is an AKC Breeder […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/akc-breeder-spotlight-karen-hanson-of-labyrinth-brittanys/
| September 12, 2017
![](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/New-Mexico-Combined-Specialty-AR3I8157-1024x683-400x267.jpg)
Expert Advice: Conformation
Getting Your Puppy People Primed for Conformation
Watch a dog show in action this Easter. The Kennel Club of Beverly Hills Dog Show in Pomona, California will be televised Easter Sunday, April 21, on NBC affiliates nationwide. It’s at the top of every breeder’s wish list: the once-clueless “pet person” who is now willing – even eager – to show their promising new […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/getting-puppy-people-primed-conformation/
| March 26, 2019
![](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ANC2017-BBE-Oleg-QG5A2160-400x267.jpg)
Expert Advice: Dog Sports
Saving Your Best for the Bred-by-Exhibitor Class
As we continue to breed, show, and finish generations of our dogs over the years, it’s important that we never function on autopilot, participating in the sport mindlessly just because “it’s what we do every weekend.” The cancellation of shows over many months this year gave us a new appreciation of our passion. We learned […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/saving-best-bred-exhibitor-class/
| December 9, 2020
![](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/royal-miller-anc-juniors-wheaten-terrier-400x267.jpg)
Expert Advice: Dog Sports
Junior Handler Spotlight: Royal Miller & His Passion For Terriers
A passion for terriers and dog shows led 17-year-old Royal Miller, from Pennsylvania, to become ranked as #7 Junior Handler in the Terrier group. "I never expected to be in the top 10 in my group because of COVID-19," Royal explains. "Yet there I was, winning in juniors and moving up to #7 in the […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/junior-handler-spotlight-royal-miller-passion-terriers/
| April 8, 2021
![](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cathie-litter-at-show-400x267.jpg)
Expert Advice: Breed Preservation
How One Breed Club Is Saving Its Breed From Extinction
In 1977, 14-year-old Maris Sienstecker read about a pregnant blue whale dying a slow death on a whaling dock. The story upset the teenager to such an extent that she and her mother resolved to help other marine mammals avoid a similar fate. Together they founded Save the Whales. The Seaside, California organization dedicated its […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/how-one-breed-club-is-saving-its-breed-from-extinction/
| November 22, 2020
![](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BOM-photo-4-400x267.jpeg)
Expert Advice: Breeding Tips & Best Practices
AKC Breeder Spotlight: Pamela, David, & Maggie Peat of Pramada Kennels
Talk about a three-peat – just make sure you spell it with a capital “P.” A winning family trio for more than four decades, David and Pamela Peat of Scottsdale, Arizona, along with their daughter Maggie first made a name for themselves in the sport with Longhair Dachshunds. Their Pramada kennel has produced more than […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/breeder-spotlight-peats-pramada-kennels/
| July 16, 2020
Expert Advice: Breeding & Whelping
Next of Kin: The Importance of Extended Family in Your Dog’s Pedigree
You didn’t want your lowlife cousin to come to the party, but he came uninvited with your sister. Dog breeding can be like that. Some relatives can’t be avoided. Genotype, the genetic makeup of a dog, involves the extended family. My mentors taught me that linebreeding, the practice of breeding dogs who are somewhat […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/importance-of-extended-family/
| July 8, 2015
![](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Brittany-and-daughter-400x267.jpg)
Expert Advice: Breeding & Whelping
Breeder Spotlight: Brittany Cipriotti of Ellenni Danes
Tuxedos are usually reserved for formal affairs, but Brittany Cipriotti of Warrenton, Virginia, lives with that striking black-and-white pattern day in and day out. Under her Ellenni banner, she breeds mantle Great Danes with her mentor and co-breeder Kristi Allison of Blackstone Great Danes, as well as similarly patterned but more vertically understated Boston Terriers. That’s not to say this Silver Breeder of Merit is monochromatic: Cipriotti also breeds fawn and brindle Danes with Marion Clark of […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/breeder-spotlight-brittany-cipriotti-ellenni-danes/
| April 16, 2021
Legislative Alerts
Colorado: Proposed Initiative Would Harm Responsible Breeders, Animal Owners –and Ban Standard Animal Husbandry Practices, Including Artificial Insemination
Volunteers may soon be seen throughout Colorado collecting signatures to put a measure on the November 2022 ballot that they will claim will protect animals in the state. The American Kennel Club joins many other animal welfare, livestock and animal husbandry groups in expressing grave concerns and opposition to the proposal. We urge all dog […]
https://www.akc.org/legislative-alerts/colorado-proposed-initiative-harm-responsible-breeders-animal-owners-ban-standard-animal-husbandry-practices-including-artificial-insemination/
| March 25, 2021