Here are some highlights of state-level issues AKC GR is currently tracking. California – SB 1115 allows commercial blood banks to obtain blood from community-sourced animals (currently not allowed in California) and establishes procedures for phasing out current commercial blood banks (captive closed-colony blood banks) for animals if certain criteria are met.  This is in […]

Emotional self-control, also known as impulse control, is something most dogs need to be taught. Here's how to teach your dog self-control.

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Senate debated and decided numerous amendments to  SB 4, its version of the budget bill.   We are grateful to Senator Bruce Tarr for filing Amendment #331 and the continued support for “Nero’s Bill”.  Unfortunately, in agreement with the House of Representatives, the Senate decided not to attach the bill’s text to its […]

Thank you to those who contacted your state representative in support of working dogs last week!  Every year the legislature sends an annual budget to the Governor to fund government operations, and funding for training service dogs was adopted in the House. Now, as the Massachusetts Senate has begun debating their fiscal priorities in SB […]

Most weekends you can find 15-year-old Sicily Coniglio from Roscoe, Illinois, at dog shows. Sicily comes from a family involved in the dog world and has been involved with dogs since she was a young child. “I was practically born in a grooming salon watching My mother groom and do seminars" Sicily explained. Her passion […]

As an emergency veterinarian for over thirty years, one of the most common reasons dogs visited my hospital was because of a bite wound by another dog. The bite wound may have been caused by another family dog or by a fight with an unfamiliar dog. Biting is often part of aggressive play in puppies […]

One of these things is not like the others, goes that classic Sesame Street song. And in the Sporting Group, that applies to the Irish Water Spaniel. Despite the spaniel affiliation mentioned in its very name, this versatile, water-loving bird dog is historically a retriever (though it can take part in AKC flushing spaniel tests). […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has given us a lot more time at home with our dogs. That's meant more time for training, either on our own or with virtual dog training classes. One advantage of this at-home learning has been the lack of distractions. It's easier to teach your dog new behavior without anything disrupting their […]

Marsha showed her first obedience dog in 1979 — a Scottish Terrier who went on to earn her Utility title. It didn't take long for her to get hooked on the sport, and she soon started training Shetland Sheepdogs (one of which went on to earn an OTCH.) In 1993, Marsha was showing a Shetland Sheepdog but […]

How to stop a dog from barking when they're home alone can be a challenge. Here are some ways to distract or redirect this behavior in your dog.