The Westminster Kennel Club recently announced that Mr. Thomas H. Bradley III is scheduled to judge Best in Show at the club’s 141st dog show Feb. 13–14, 2017. A lifetime participant in the dog sport, Mr. Bradley competed in his first dog show as a teenager in 1955, showing his German Shorthaired Pointer at the […]

We are pleased to announce a new member of the Canine Good Citizen family- AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen. AKC Urban CGC is beginning in April 2015. The first AKC Urban CGC test in the country was recently administered by the Obedience Training Club of Palm Beach County. Organized by CGC Evaluator Marti Hohmann, dogs and their […]

If You Want a Friend in Politics, Get a Dog, an exhibition on loan from the AKC art collection, has been installed at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence, in Harrisburg. “The governor and I are thrilled to partner with the American Kennel Club to offer this rare art exhibition featuring man’s best friend,” says Pennsylvania first […]

AKC GoodDog! Helpline trainer Hilarie Erb provides tips for starting a jogging program with your dog. It is important to do this safely and provide the proper training before you take off running! If you are a runner and think that your dog would be the ideal running partner, you may be right. However, there […]

Long before smushface" and "wigglebutt" became the ubiquitous dog monikers, these seven breeds were given nicknames crafted specifically for them.  the Clown Prince of Dogs At various times devotees of at least a dozen different breeds have claimed this title for their dogs. But to our knowledge only one group of fanciers has incorporated canine clowning […]

We often hear dog shows accused of being nothing but “beauty contests.” In reality, they’re organized more like job fairs. At AKC shows, dogs are exhibited in seven groups organized by the original work the breeds were created to do. The dog judged best in each group becomes one of the final seven to vie […]

Dogs that can be considered of medium size can be found in most of the AKC’s seven groups. Whether it’s the energetic Shetland Sheepdog, the sporty spaniels, or the laid back Bulldog, there is a range of temperament and appearance within this size category. When considering getting a dog, size is a factor, but only […]

Big dogs equal big love and loyalty. Here are the large dog breeds that earn their place at the top of the size chart. Most people will know the Great Dane but what about the lovely Leonberger? When considering getting a dog, size is a factor, but only one of them. The dog’s personality, activity […]

Just how humans have first and last names, dogs registered with the AKC have two names as well but it works a little differently. Every registered dog will have its official name and what is known as a "call name," which is what you call them when you're playing with them in the backyard. So […]

Pup Culture, By Bud Boccone   George Plimpton was an all-around man of letters, known to literary types as editor of the little-read but highly influential Paris Review. But in the 1960s and ’70s, he became an unlikely celebrity as a pioneer in the field of “participatory journalism,” in which a writer tries his hand […]