Want to participate in a program that will help you socialize and train your puppy, and give you an introduction to AKC events? A great place to begin is to work toward earning your dog’s AKC Puppy of Achievement certificate. The AKC Puppy of Achievement (POA) program helps new puppy owners get started in the sport of conformation […]

Am I Eligible? To be eligible a dog must be: Fully AKC Recognized Breed eligible for Championship points (excludes breeds in FSS status, including those eligible to compete in the Miscellaneous Class) Between 4 – 12 months of age on the day of the event. Entered in 4-6 Month Beginner Puppy Competition; or Entered at a […]

Want to participate in a program that will help you socialize and train your puppy, as well as provide an introduction to AKC events? One place to begin is to work toward earning your dog’s AKC Puppy of Achievement certificate. The AKC Puppy of Achievement (POA) program was created to help new puppy owners get […]

What are the age requirements to participate? Puppies must be at least four months of age but under six months on the day of the event. Will my puppy earn points towards his Championship? No, championship points are not awarded in the 4 to 6 Month Beginner Puppy Competition, however, points towards a Certificate of […]

You already know that your puppy is the absolute cutest. So why not share his adorableness with the rest of the world? Enter him in an AKC 4-6 Month Beginner Puppy Competition. It’s a relaxed, stress-free way to make your debut in the dog show world. Plus, it gives both of you a fun way […]

Training began for Jax on the day he joined the Majerle family of Phoenix, AZ. He was nine weeks old. “From day one,” Brandi Majerle said. “At meal time, instead of putting down a bowl full of his food, I treated each meal as a training session. I hand fed him small bites of food […]

Eight-to-ten weeks is the age at which most breeders send puppies to their new homes, and it is important to let buyers know that they need to continue with socialization when they get their new puppy home. The pups need to continue meeting new people. This is the final four weeks of the most important […]

  A few short weeks ago, it felt like you had all the time in the world with your new litter, but now it’s nearly time for your puppies to go home with their forever families. The 6-to-8-week period is especially critical for meeting as many people as possible and experiencing as many stimuli as […]

The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s largest purebred dog registry and advocate for all dogs, is pleased to announce the start of its new conformation Puppy of Achievement (POA) certificate program.  The program is designed to create incremental steps of success for those participating in conformation with their puppies.  POA points will be earned […]

  Socializing puppies has traditionally been considered the responsibility of the new owner. We instruct new owners to take the puppy to classes and make sure they are exposed to a variety of people and situations. But recent research shows that encouraging a stable temperament can start even before puppies are born. Breeders can do […]