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 […]

“I’m happiest in the month of May,” says Nancy Bromberg, a veterinary ophthalmologist in Fairfax, Virginia. It’s not the spring flowers or nicer weather that warms Dr. Bromberg’s heart, though. It’s the ACVO/StokesRx National Service Animal Eye Exam Event that has taken place every May for the past eight years. The program provides screening eye exams […]

It’s important for all puppies to be exposed to new sights, sounds, and experiences, but even more so for puppies who will go on to become guide dogs for visually impaired individuals. This video shows the first 21 weeks of guide dog Jackson’s life, during which he opens his eyes for the first time, learns […]

The Show Must Go On! Conformation and Our Future The sport of Conformation is the flagship AKC event, and is the sport that is at the very foundation of our Registry.  The pursuit of Championship points, records and rankings is only a set of mileposts along a journey that is at its core about the […]

The Super Bowl and World Cup have referees. The World Series has umpires. When it comes to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show presented by Purina® Pro Plan®, the second-longest-running sporting event in the United States, there is a different type of officiating crew. Judges are given the difficult task of choosing the crème de […]

The American Kennel Club’s Government Relations Department (AKC GR) has been on the road this summer and will continue to cover ground across the United States. On the weekend of July 13th, the GR team hosted a two-day legislative conference in the Denver, Colorado area where dozens of dog owners, breeders, and community leaders met […]

Butters the Beagle is all about fun and friends, and he’s quite the showman, too. No matter the venue — dog show, TV shoot, or film set — the unflappable Grand Champion is right at home. Last February, Butters and his owner, Robert Day, took a whirlwind, two-day, cross-country car trip from their home in […]

Choosing a Dog Time: 45-55 minutes Resources Needed: Choose the Right Breed for You Video Computers with Internet Access The Best Breed for You Worksheet Dog Breed Selector Quiz Lesson: Explain to students that each breed has specific characteristics that may make one breed better suited for a particular family than another breed. Show students […]

A Tip from the AKC GoodDog! Helpline Humans are busy. We work; we go to school; we have families to take care of, errands to run, social lives to maintain, and hobbies to enjoy. Sometimes your dog takes a backseat to the rest of your life. Is that why he's suddenly chewing up the furniture […]

For dog owners who ask about housetraining a new puppy, crate training is frequently suggested as an important part of housetraining. The idea is that dogs won't want to soil the crate that they view as a den; they'll want to keep their sleeping area clean. But what do you do when you get a […]