MACH Goodtime Charlie Griffith MX MXJ MXB MJB XF owned by Deborah Griffith of Newland, NC, recently earned the top title in AKC Agility – the Master Agility Championship (MACH). The honor requires dogs, once they reach the Masters level after advancing through three levels, to earn 20 Double Qualifying scores in both Standard and […]

There are 34 All-American Dogs entered in the 2015 AKC National Agility Championship that takes place Friday – Sunday, March 27-29. This year’s location is the Reno-Sparks Livestock Event Center in Reno, NV.  Get more information and keep up with results over the weekend at: /events/agility/national/ Here are the 2015 contenders, listed in alphabetical order […]

This training tip is contributed by dog trainer Kay Lackey of Lodi, OH, owner of Katie’s Ark Dog Training. She is the owner of an AKC Canine Partner named Rocky, a pitbull mix who is a certified therapy dog and rally competitor. Lackey, who has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife science, has worked with animals […]

This training tip is contributed by Julie Kirkland of Swansea, IL, owner and trainer of OTCH Sophie Sparkle Gypsy UDX4 OM6 RN. Julie and Sophie, a former shelter dog, have made many achievements in Obedience, including winning High in Trial and being only the second All-American Dog team to earn the Obedience Trial Championship. They […]

By Aryn Hervel This training tip is brought to you by Aryn Hervel of Novato, CA. Aryn owns and runs Leaps & Hounds Dog Training, a behavior consulting and pet dog training business.  Aryn and her All-American Dog, MACH4 Crush, are one of the top AKC Agility teams in the AKC Canine Partners program, having […]

  Riley peered through the tunnel, as if he were Alice about to tumble down the rabbit’s hole into Wonderland. Such a small space, such a big dog, it seemed impossible. Yet, on a bright, sunny Sunday morning in May, Riley’s trusted, well-loved human, Jay Cruz, was asking the 14-month-old Mastiff to squeeze his whole […]

MACH Gator Zurborg MXB MJS owned by Laurie Zurborg of Trabuco Canyon, CA Gator was adopted by Laurie at 8 months of age. “He was severely ill and during recovery he stole my heart. He's been my soul mate ever since, sharing my pillow each night,” Laurie said. A long-time agility competitor, Laurie started training Gator […]

This article originally appeared in the summer 2013 issue of the AKC Canine Partners News. Since that time, Diesel, now 4 years old, has added many other achievements, including earning the top AKC Rally title of Rally Advanced Excellent. His full name is now Tennessee Diesel Smoke CD BN GN RAE CGCA. The pointers and […]

Some dogs regularly chomp on fingers while taking their treats. Some only do it when they are excited or all revved up.  Either way, taking things gently in the mouth is a learned skill for some dogs, especially when they are excited! If your dog is a regular “Jaws,” he needs to learn that fingers […]

Rosemary Strasser of Omaha, NE, was not looking for a new dog, but a friend with Midwest Rescue Network kept telling her she had just the dog for her. “For two weeks she kept saying, ‘You have to come meet him; he’s just your type of dog,’ “, Rosemary said. “We fostered him, and I […]