- Entries Open August 3rd- The American Kennel Club (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the second AKC Virtual Top Dog Challenge. This virtual conformation competition is open to all AKC recognized breeds including Miscellaneous breeds. Entries close on August 10th at 12pm ET. Heading the panel as Best in Show and […]

Big, brave, and beautiful, Great Danes hold a special place in our hearts. But despite their larger-than-life persona, this giant breed has a relatively short life span. Why Are Great Dane Life Spans So Short? For such big dogs, Great Danes sure get the short end of the stick when it comes to longevity. Great […]

The Azawakh is one of the AKC's newest recognized breeds, becoming officially AKC-recognized in 2019. These tall and elegant sighthounds — known for their athleticism — are the passion of Kayley Paylor of In Stride Azawakh & Training. Paylor has fallen in love with the breed and she has been breaking records with her pack of […]

The 2019 Junior Showmanship Finals at the AKC National Championship took place on Dec. 14 in Orlando, Florida. To qualify, juniors had to have at least five first-place wins in Open Class with competition present between Oct. 11, 2018 and Oct. 9, 2019. In addition, juniors must have a grade point average of at least […]

More than 100 junior handlers traveled to Orlando during the 2019 AKC National Championship to compete in The AKC Juniors Classic in Obedience and/or AKC Rally® along with the Juniors Agility Competition. Kids and teens ages 9-17 were invited to the competition for each respective sport based on their achievements all-year-long. In Obedience, Juniors competed based […]

The AKC Juniors program offers children ages nine to under 18 an opportunity to develop their handling skills and learn about good sportsmanship, dogs, and dog shows. Juniors are eligible to compete in Showmanship, Obedience, Agility, Rally, Tracking, Hunt Tests, Herding, Field Trials, Earthdog, Lure Coursing, Coursing Ability, and Coonhound Events. There is no minimum […]

At just 15 years old, junior handler David Frasca has been competing in dog sports for two-thirds of his life. He works with six dogs in six sports: Agility, Rally, Obedience, CAT, Fast CAT, and Herding. David started in sports at five years old, but ten years later, he still can't choose a favorite between […]

For most high schoolers, one dog is a big responsibility. But for 16-year-old O'Malley McGee, that’s nothing. Most of her adolescence so far has revolved around her six dogs — three Pointers (Julia, Billy, and Olivia); two Vizslas (James and Jolene); and a Treeing Walker Coonhound (Sony). Early Beginnings Half her lifetime ago, O'Malley remembers […]

Eleven-year-old Audrey Boyer goes by another name: Whippet Girl. For people that know her, this isn't surprising. Not only does she have three Whippets (Disco, Yoshi, and Major) but they are her passion. She competes with her dogs in Conformation, Rally, Obedience, and Dock Diving. Her Facebook page, Whippet Girl, is dedicated to helping educate […]

The phrase "go for the gold" certainly applies to Jada Sawhney. The 12-year-old junior handler has earned dozens of awards in dog sports with her two Golden Retrievers: Four-year-old Bentlee and 18-month-old Tallee. While she competes in Agility, Obedience, Rally, and Junior Showmanship, Agility is her favorite. "It's really fun to run with your dog […]