Copper, a Black and Tan Coonhound, is one of five, loyal companion dogs who won the 19th annual AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE). The winners will be honored at the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin in Orlando, Florida, December 15-16, 2018.  What are the odds? A police officer who has […]

  This is part of a series spotlighting All American Dogs competing in the national AKC Junior Agility Competition held on Dec. 14 in Orlando, FL, in conjunction with the AKC Agility Invitational. The competition is for youth 18 and under. Name: Dharma Karma Coolidge NA NAJ NF OA OAJ CGC Call Name: Dharma Age: […]

Mary Burch is the Director of AKC's Canine Good Citizen Program. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and an experienced dog trainer. Most modern dog trainers can name several people who popularized the use of clickers in dog training. But do you know about the history of clicker training? In 1951, B.F. Skinner published […]

Just like the beauty-pageant queen who is a member of Mensa, the Poodle sometimes gets swept away in an unfair stereotype: These perfectly coiffed show dogs are also amazingly smart and versatile. Nicole Sugai of Targa Poodles in Saline, Michigan, knows that firsthand: A second-generation Poodle breeder together with her mom Patti Jason and sister […]

You can teach your dog to do many different things, but there are a few general guidelines that will help make sure your training goes well.  The American Kennel Club’s (AKC®) Canine Good Citizen® Director Mary Burch offers the top tips for effectively training your four-legged friend. Do reward behaviors you like.  Observe carefully when […]

AKC Gazette breed column: Giant Schnauzers — The proposed AKC rule change to include an obedience path without group stays will provide an option for owners and handlers who are concerned about group-stay safety. Hopefully this is a question we will be able to ask ourselves when competing in AKC obedience. The creation of another […]

When you and 20-million-plus viewers tune in to the Thanksgiving Day telecast of the National Dog Show, presented by Purina, what you see is only a portion of the excitement and goodwill served up by The Kennel Club of Philadelphia year-round. Watching the tape-delayed event immediately following NBC’s live telecast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day […]

This section of the AKC web page will help you find instructors and evaluators in your area for AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy (the puppy level of CGC), Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine (the advanced level of CGC), and AKC Urban CGC. AKC Clubs An AKC club near you can provide you and your dog with […]

What do almonds, honeybees, and a spore-forming bacterium have in common? Mack, the bee dog. Mack is a 5-year-old Labrador Retriever tasked with protecting Maryland’s commercial honeybee populations from American Foulbrood (AFB) — one of the most devastating honeybee colony diseases. Mack works alongside owner and handler, Cybil Preston, the chief apiary inspector for the […]

Family-Friendly and Educational Event Returns for its 16th Year The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) invites you to celebrate the human-canine bond at the 16th annual flagship AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day in Raleigh this September. Owning a dog has endless pleasures and rewards, but it’s important to know what kind of commitment a canine companion […]