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![](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Pitbull-14-400x267.jpg)
Expert Advice: Dog Sports
LA Dog Training Group Earns AKC Titles, Changes Public Perception
When it comes to dealing with challenges, you can put the Los Angeles Responsible Pit Bull Owners’ (LARPBO) spirit and spunk right at the top of the list. In late summer, the non-profit organization began reaching into its deep toolbox to enhance local attitudes toward a breed battling a longtime stigma of bark, bite, and […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/la-responsible-pit-bull-owners-earn-akc-titles-change-public-perception/
| October 29, 2021
![Hungry Labrador Retriever waiting for the bowl to be put down](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Hungry-Labrador-Retriever-waiting-for-the-bowl-to-be-put-down-400x267.jpg)
Expert Advice: Nutrition
Sustainable Dog Food: Do Meat Substitutes & Insect-Based Diets Work?
The earliest dog foods were our leftovers. The earliest commercial dog foods were made from ingredients deemed unfit for human consumption. That’s changed. Now, dog foods are increasingly competing with human foods as consumers of “human-grade” ingredients. This makes our pets’ environmental pawprints much larger than in the past; in fact, in the book Time […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/insect-based-dog-foods-other-meat-substitutes-in-pet-diets/
| October 24, 2021
![cute girl walks with her beagle puppy in the park at sunset, best friend](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Beagle-being-hugged-by-a-young-girl-outdoors-400x267.jpeg)
Expert Advice: Health
How to Explain a Pet’s Death to Children
After reviewing the laboratory results and examining Bella for the last time, the veterinarian met with the dog's owners and delivered news the Millers weren't expecting. Their Golden Retriever's liver cancer had progressed and would not improve. The 12-year-old dog would not survive more than a few days. Devastated by the thought of losing their […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/how-to-explain-canine-death-to-children/
| October 27, 2021
![hungry golden retriever dog eating from metallic bowls in the kitchen](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Golden-Retriever-eating-from-bowls-on-the-kitchen-floor-400x267.jpeg)
Expert Advice: Nutrition
Is Grain-Free Dog Food Bad?
It was a routine vet visit for Oliver, Julie Carter’s 3½-year-old Golden Retriever. At least, it was until the vet listened to Oliver’s heart and uttered the sentence that would change her life: “He has a heart murmur.” It was February 2018, and Carter had also brought in an interesting article from the Morris Animal […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/grain-free-dog-food-bad-or-good/
| October 24, 2021
![Two Bullmastiff puppies on a green lawn](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Bullmastiff-puppies-playing-with-toys-in-the-grass-400x267.jpeg)
Expert Advice: Growth & Development
How Long Does Puppyhood Last?
Puppyhood is a lot like human childhood. There are phases and stages, and some youngsters seem to mature faster than others. We can set some parameters for puppies. For instance, as a rule, smaller dogs tend to mature more quickly than larger breeds. Small breeds reach their adult size at about 12 months old, while […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/puppy-information/how-long-does-puppyhood-last/
| October 22, 2021
![](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Summer__2813_29-min-400x267.jpg)
Expert Advice: News
2019 ACE Award Winner K-9 Summer The Labrador Retriever Helps Keep D.C. Safe
It didn't take Sergeant Micah Jones long to warm up to E-6 Marine Staff Sergeant Summer in 2014. In fact, it was love at first sight for both of these military veterans when they set eyes on each other for the first time at Dulles International Airport on a cold December night. The rapport and […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/uniformed-k9-vet-lab-summer-wins-2019-ace-award/
| November 14, 2019
![](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ella-lambert-trick-dog-with-lab-400x267.jpeg)
Expert Advice: Juniors
Meet Ella Lambert, a 15-Year-Old Trick Dog Instructor
At 15 years old, Minnesotan Ella Lambert has already developed a strong passion for AKC sports. She and her dogs are active competitors in Tricks, Rally, Disc, Dock Diving, and her favorite, Agility, which she calls her "heart sport." Lambert is also a Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI) who helps junior handlers and adults get […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/sports/junior-handler-ella-lambert-tricks-agility/
| September 8, 2021
![An assistance dog is trained to aid or assist an individual with a disability. Many are trained by an assistance dog organization, or by their handler, often with the help of a professional trainer.](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Golden-Retriever-service-dog-laying-down-outdoors-next-to-its-handicapped-owner-400x267.jpeg)
Expert Advice: Lifestyle
Most Popular Service Dog Breeds
Every dog serves us in some way, if only to provide us with companionship and unconditional love. But service dogs are in a special category, trained specifically to help people with disabilities or life-threatening conditions. The best service dogs have traits that make them indispensable to their owners by helping them in ways that restore […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/most-popular-service-dog-breeds/
| July 15, 2021
![Dalmatian Dog in pet store picking new pet bowl](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/dalmatian-shopping-for-bowls-400x267.jpg)
Expert Advice: Lifestyle
Current Trends in Pet Spending 2021-2022
Despite or perhaps as a result of the stress and unusual health precautions Americans experienced in 2020, people focused more than ever on their pets. For the first time, pet industry sales exceeded $100 billion, according to American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2020 State of the Industry Report. This tidal wave of spending is expected […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/current-trends-pet-spending-2021-2022/
| September 28, 2021
![](https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/meeting-the-puppeis-1-400x267.jpg)
Expert Advice: Breed History
Redbone Coonhound History: Beyond “Where the Red Fern Grows”
"There between the graves, a beautiful red fern had sprung up from the rich mountain soil. It was fully two feet tall and its long red leaves had reached out in rainbow arches curved over the graves of my dogs. ... I had heard the old legend about the red fern. How a little boy […]
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/redbone-coonhound-history/
| August 10, 2021