It’s an unforgiving 30 degrees below zero on one of the coldest days the Rollins family can ever remember. Twenty-five acres of frozen white fields surround their home in Glenwood City, Wisconsin. In this weather, it makes perfect sense to stay indoors, but 5-year-old Nate Rollins has other ideas. Nate is bound and determined to […]

You might think your sweet and affectionate spaniel was born just to be cuddled and adored by you, but you’d be wrong: Spaniels were actually first bred to be hunting companions! Their role was to hunt, find game, and then drive them out of their hiding places (also called “flushing”). Want to see those natural […]

What is Scent Work? AKC Scent Work is a sport that mimics the task of working detection dogs to locate a scent and communicate to the handler that the scent has been found. Real-life detection dogs are trained to search for a variety of things--drugs, explosives, human remains, currency, other contraband, living humans (such as […]

AKC Breeder of Merit Kym Burch-Ryan has raised and shown Australian Shepherds since 1993. She lives on a 20-acre farm in Roxbury, Kansas. Her daughter Brandi shares her passion for the breed; she has shown Aussies since she was 8 years old. Kym’s younger daughter, Hadlei, is also now showing Aussies. AKC: How did you […]

Rescue Pup Wows the Crowds with Disc Tricks Bonnie Scott adopted Mars as a puppy from a shelter to be a companion. She quickly realized Mars was athletic and smart and needed a job. The two discovered disc and have excelled at UpDog Challenge competitions. AKC began recognizing UpDog titles last year. Read how to […]

The Azawakh is one of the AKC's newest recognized breeds, becoming officially AKC-recognized in 2019. These tall and elegant sighthounds — known for their athleticism — are the passion of Kayley Paylor of In Stride Azawakh & Training. Paylor has fallen in love with the breed and she has been breaking records with her pack of […]

Advanced Levels of Recognition will require an additional application and will also be recognized on a breed specific basis. Recognition is available to those that meet the following minimum standards: Have qualified and enrolled as a Breeder of Merit Can provide proof of Parent Club required health testing on sires/dams of litters Have met their […]

Competition & Title Updates  We have some big news to report about All-Americans succeeding at earning the top titles in Agility, Coursing Ability, Rally, Obedience, Scent Work, and Tracking, including another Champion Tracker! Agility AGCH Congratulations to this dog for earning the Agility Grand Champion title: AGCH MACH3 Tuckman Of San Francisco MXC PDS MJB2 […]

Since acquiring their first Labrador Retriever over 20 years ago, Brenda and Ken Neil, AKC's 2019 Breeders of the Year for Retriever Field Events, have been among the breed's biggest champions. While that first Lab's life was sadly cut short, the Neils are a long way from heartbreak now. Today, they invite as many black Labrador […]

A nose punch to the hand, a play bow, and a swipe with a paw. Add a yip, a lick, and a tug at clothing, and it looks like a dog in hijinks heaven. These silly shenanigans are all fun and games until someone’s type 1 diabetes fluctuates to a life-threatening level. That’s when a […]