Bringing home a new pet is one of life's most exciting experiences and many Americans appear to agree — 68 percent of households in the United States own a furry companion, according to the American Pet Products Association's National Pet Owners Survey. Recognizing that our pets are important to us, some companies are now offering their […]

If your pooch is looking a bit more pudgy than usual, it's actually quite common. The battle of the bulge isn't just something people face — so do pets. In fact, according to a 2018 survey conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 55.8 percent of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese. And […]

You've welcomed a new puppy into your home. Congratulations! Now what? In addition to enjoying snuggles, playtime and the challenges and rewards of puppy training, it's up to you to make sure your dog gets the right amount of food and exercise. Keeping healthy weight gain on track helps ensure a smooth transition from puppyhood […]

Humans take years to develop. Dogs though, in our eyes, mature almost overnight. One morning you have an adorable little puppy on your hands, and the next your puppy is starting to act like a teenager, complete with mood swings and behavioral changes. Sexual maturity is an important part of this process, and it is something that we […]

If we wish to achieve our goal of breeding quality dogs in fewer numbers, we must set our sights on producing and rewarding dogs with correct front-end assemblies. In a previous Gazette column I discussed front-end assembly and the problems associated with incorrect, upright shoulders. Because so many world-class dog people are concerned about the […]

Dog people have their own language, but we often take the meaning of the words for granted. Most of these words were originally the vernacular of stockmen. Everyone understood what “conditioning” meant, since farmers conditioned horses, dogs, and barnyard animals for pragmatic reasons. Today, however, most dog-sport competitors come with little or no experience in […]

Carole Lee Richards got her first Weimaraner in 1978. She was just looking for a pet at the time, but her interest in the breed quickly grew, and eventually she bred her first litter and was competing in dog shows. Since then she has bred many champions, become an AKC judge, and handled Weimaraners in […]

Conformation, agility, dock diving, and more. If you're a dog lover, you need to be at the 2016 AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin. This event is the nexus of all things dog: you'll see and learn everything there is to know about the dog world and leave wanting more. Here's why YOU need to […]

This is the first of a series of features on 2017's AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence Winners. She's only 2 years old, and Amber is already an American Kennel Club (AKC) Bronze Grand Champion on paper but more important, an inspiration and a lifeline for her 54-year-old owner, Sonja Benavidez, of Geneseo, Ill. […]

A young family I know recently made a commitment to quality time by banning cell phones at the dinner table. It started as more of a dare than a serious lifestyle change. The husband is a marketing maven, the wife a high-powered lawyer, and the two kids own every electronic device on the market. One […]