The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2018 AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 15 and Sunday, December 16, 2018. The 2018 event will showcase the top national and international canine athletes and will also […]

Middleburg, Virginia—Paintings from the American Kennel Club collection will be part of the National Sporting Library & Museum’s “Side-by-Side with Gun and Dog” exhibition, celebrating three centuries of the unique partnership of hunter and gundog. The ambitious show contains American, British, and French "fur-and-feather" art on loan from the collections of the Adirondack Museum, Detroit […]

If you’re in the St. Louis area and you love dogs and art, make your way to the AKC Museum of the Dog. A special treat awaits you in the Sally Johnson Spillane Special Exhibit Gallery: “The Canine Art of Maud Earl.” The exhibition of paintings and prints by the master includes her enigmatic, life-size […]

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 […]

Photo Coverage Day 1 -- April 1, 2014 The first day of the Championship began under mainly cloudy skies and a very chilly 20 degrees. There was a strong north wind. As the day progressed the temperatures rose into the 50's, the skies cleared, and the winds diminished making for pleasant conditions. Humidity was very […]

Education is paramount to the AKC’s mission. Through education, we preserve history, stay relevant to the needs of today’s dog owners and fanciers, and invest in the future health and well-being of dogs, dog sports, and the human-canine relationship. The AKC recognizes and appreciates the enormous contributions that Parent and All-Breed Clubs give to the […]

Showing dogs is a fun sport where the thrill of competition is combined with the joy of seeing beautiful dogs. Dog shows, or conformation events, originated as a way for breeders to evaluate their breeding stock. While the purpose remains, dog shows are a great opportunity to socialize with people in your breed and develop […]

North Carolina legislators and staff were thrilled to once again welcome the American Kennel Club to the state capitol for the annual AKC Canines at the Capitol event.  The AKC invited them to “come hug a dog on your lunch break” and they did just that – posing for pictures with the dogs and cheering […]

When a dog visits my home, whether a puppy or a guest, I immediately go into pool safety training mode. It goes without saying that dogs should be supervised in the pool area at all times. But there’s always the possibility that they could get into the pool area undetected. Falling in the pool could […]

Much about dogs can translate from one breed to another. Soundness and basic structure is not that different among many breeds. Structural soundness in a Dalmatian is not that different from structural soundness in a German Shorthaired Pointer, for example. Type, outline, breed personality, and all of the little things that make each breed unique […]