In its endless pursuit to recognize outstanding members of the fancy, The American Kennel Club Lifetime Achievement Awards were created and first awarded in 1999 to honor our best. The purpose of the awards is to celebrate those individuals whose many years of dedication have led to significant contributions to our sport on a national […]

In 1939, a million Americans a year paid admission to attend AKC shows exhibiting over 100,000 dogs across the country. The mightiest events, Westminster and Morris & Essex, reported record-setting entry numbers during the 1930s that have still never been topped. Savvy publicity efforts and new AKC publications brought the formerly closed-circuit world of purebred dog breeding and exhibition to the American public, who clamored for more. […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2019 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15, 2019. The 2019 event will showcase the top national and international canine athletes […]

Some people live by the motto "bigger is better," and it extends to their dogs too. There are many large dog breeds, each with different care and training needs. Exercise Most large dog breeds were bred for a purpose or function. Some breeds were meant to be hunters, others guard dogs. Dogs with great endurance […]

The Gift of Time: Introducing a Ground-Breaking New Test For Canine Bladder Cancer We live in amazing times. It seems like just yesterday that we awoke to the rising threat of bladder cancer [also known as transitional cell carcinoma (TCC)/urothelial carcinoma (UC)] in our dogs, with new cases being diagnosed far too frequently. As some […]

Cancer. The word sends a chill down our spines, whether it is in regard to ourselves, our human loved ones, or our dogs. Cancer is scary, and it makes us feel out of control. This is especially true if you own a dog breed with a predisposition to cancer. Luckily, when it comes to bladder […]

The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2018 AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 15 and Sunday, December 16, 2018. The 2018 event will showcase the top national and international canine athletes and will also […]

Middleburg, Virginia—Paintings from the American Kennel Club collection will be part of the National Sporting Library & Museum’s “Side-by-Side with Gun and Dog” exhibition, celebrating three centuries of the unique partnership of hunter and gundog. The ambitious show contains American, British, and French "fur-and-feather" art on loan from the collections of the Adirondack Museum, Detroit […]

It takes an army to raise a champion show dog: an owner to take her home and love her when it’s not show time, a groomer to clip, trim, brush and smooth with perfect precision, a handler to highlight her best features and exhibit her to the best of her breed standards. But before any […]

Education is paramount to the AKC’s mission. Through education, we preserve history, stay relevant to the needs of today’s dog owners and fanciers, and invest in the future health and well-being of dogs, dog sports, and the human-canine relationship. The AKC recognizes and appreciates the enormous contributions that Parent and All-Breed Clubs give to the […]