You may have an incredible canine conditioning secret tucked away in your garage, closet, or kitchen. Its name—cavaletti—sounds like something that should come with marinara sauce and meatballs. In reality, it's an Italian word meaning "little horse." Equine trainers developed cavaletti exercises, such as variations of stepping over poles, for horse conditioning. This tool migrated […]

She called on tracking experts, social media users, psychics, and an army of volunteers. Would it be enough to bring her dog home? May 22, 2017, the day after my birthday, was the longest day I have ever lived. One minute, my Golden Retriever, Sam, was with me, then, in a heartbeat, he was gone. […]

When your dog is showing signs of illness or injury, you become a first responder, assessing your patient and determining what type of care—if any—he requires. For a vomiting dog, ask the following questions: Does he look sick? If your dog is—on one extreme—lying down and uninterested in the surroundings as well as vomiting, it’s […]

Imagine a mild sedative before leaving home, a bandana sprayed with calming scents, a bunch of bacon snacks, and skipping the hour-long frenzy in the waiting room. From classical music wafting across the sign-in desk to licking peanut butter off the wall to act as a distraction from getting a shot, your dog’s typical freak-out […]

  AKC Gazette, “Times Past”—This little gem by veteran newspaperman Boyd Wright first appeared in our January 1996 issue. Time has snuck up on me. About halfway through this past year, I turned 67; a month later my Golden Retriever, Sky, turned 9. Recently, by the traditional rule of thumb of seven dog years to […]

“Most Popular Dog Names” is a common search term, with lists going out almost as regularly as your dog does. But we don’t usually come across ones that connect popular names to their specific breeds. Based on 2015 data sourced from members who included pet information in their profile settings on a social network called […]

Whole books, not to mention thousands of web pages, are devoted to describing the minutiae that distinguish one breed from another. However, the official AKC breed standards are supposed to be the breeders’ blueprints, so I found myself wondering if we could recognize the distinct personality of the Belgian Malinois based solely on its description […]

The Scottish Terrier is among the most recognizable of purebred dogs. It has been a mainstay of American iconography since its great wave of popularity in the 1930s, when the breed was a celebrity fad. Humphrey Bogart was a Scottie owner. So were Charles Lindbergh and Shirley Temple. Both Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were […]

Not a lot has changed regarding the fear and myths surrounding canine epilepsy since the first person observed seizing dogs when animal/human cohabitation started. Throughout history, thousands of people suffering from epilepsy have been killed because they were thought to be possessed by the devil. Sadly, despite all the scientific improvement and understanding of this […]

Popular pups mix fun and education to promote dog sports and responsible dog ownership The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is excited to announce the newest members of #AKCDogStars, an Instagram influencer program. This educational program aims to spread information about dog sports and responsible dog ownership while also capturing the realities of these dog’s lives […]