The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) and Royal Canin are pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2016 National Championship to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18, 2016. The 2016 event will showcase the top national and international dogs and will also […]

Water was a common theme among this year’s photo-contest winners—images of dogs on beaches, at dock diving competitions, and in snow. Others showcased canine beauty in nature, silhouetted against a blazing sunset or bright blue skies. Then there’s one that made us all smile—a gray-muzzled retriever and a gray-haired man exchanging a glance through a […]

Those who watched the 2008 Westminster Dog Show will fondly remember Best in Show winner Uno prancing around the ring bellowing the trademark Beagle sound, “A-roo!” Each breed has its own distinctive bark (or in the case of the the African Barkless Dog, the Basenji, more of a yodel). To highlight each of those unique […]

It's the moment we've all been waiting for: Now that all of the Best of Breed Group Winners have officially been named, we're one step closer to crowning this year's AKC National Championship Best in Show winner. In case you missed our livestream on AKC.org, here's a recap of all of the commendable canines who […]

The AKC Canine Health Foundation announced Jan. 6 the funding of a grant that is focused on further understanding hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer in dogs. The project, titled "A Novel Approach For Prevention Of Canine Hemangiosarcoma," is funded by three groups whose breeds have been affected by this cancer, the American Boxer Charitable […]

No velvet pillows, hair ribbons, or French pedicures for these big bruisers. These are the no-nonsense, punch-the-clock-and-get-it-done dogs of the AKC Working Group, the Ford pickups of the canine kingdom. Many factors go into breeding dogs that work hard for their feed. Let’s consider a few, and then watch some well-bred workers in action. Physical […]

There’s a story that nicely sums up the Boxer breed. One morning at the dog park, a group of neighborhood dogs were playing as their owners looked on. The life of the party was a male Boxer. With all the boisterous enthusiasm of a pup, the big fawn-coated bruiser was cavorting and careening, bouncing and […]

The Labrador Retriever has done it again. The intelligent, family friendly breed held onto the number one spot on the most popular list for the 24th consecutive year, continuing the longest reign as the nation’s top dog in American Kennel Club history. For the full list of breed rankings, click here. While the Lab holds strong, […]

Jane Kamp Forsyth—breeder, handler, all-breed judge, AKC Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and towering figure on the international dog-show scene—died on July 3. She was 86 years old. “The entire American Kennel Club mourns the loss of Jane Forsyth, and we send our condolences to Bob and Sioux,” AKC President/CEO Dennis Sprung says. “Janie was an inspiration […]

The 2015 Obedience and AKC Rally National Champions were crowned this weekend at the American Kennel Club's National Obedience Championship and the AKC Rally National Championship, held at Purina Farms just outside of St. Louis, Missouri. The Championships drew more than 500 of the most highly trained dogs in the nation. Pamela Manaton, AKC Director […]