If you notice that your puppy is beginning to protect her toys, bed, balls, food, and other prized worldly possessions, she is starting to do what animal behaviorists call "resource guarding." As with many behavior problems, the best solution for resource guarding is prevention and doing early training to keep the behavior from happening in […]

​Sally Nist, an employee of the U.S. Department of State, had puppy withdrawal when she had to spend a month away from her beloved Border Terrier. So it’s not surprising that she took special interest in a street dog near the compound where she was stationed in Kosovo. One rainy night, Nist returned home to […]

Passing the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test is a worthy goal and a significant accomplishment for pet owners.  Well-socialized dogs with basic obedience training are more apt to live out their lives in loving homes, and are less likely to be rehomed or surrendered to shelters. Passing the CGC test does not give dogs the right to go […]

For dog owners who ask about housetraining a new puppy, crate training is frequently suggested as an important part of housetraining. The idea is that dogs won't want to soil the crate that they view as a den; they'll want to keep their sleeping area clean. But what do you do when you get a […]

New York, NY –Trap Falls Kennel Club (TFKC), Northwest Obedience Club, Inc. (NOCI) and Black Hills Dog Training Club (BHDTC) have each been honored with an AKC Community Achievement Award for the fourth quarter of 2013 for hosting exceptional AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day events. The AKC Community Achievement Awards support and recognize outstanding public […]

It used to be that trainers and veterinarians recommended that puppies begin training classes as soon as they were old enough to have all of their vaccines and boosters. What this meant was that some puppies didn't get to class until they already had behavioral issues and were headed down the path to a problem […]

AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy is the American Kennel Club’s popular puppy training program. STAR is an acronym that stands for Socialization, Training, Activity and a Responsible owner, all the things every puppy needs to get started on the right paw in life. Socialization means letting your puppy interact with other people and dogs. While there are […]

-- Two Ways to Share the AKC Story this September -- New York, NY – The omnipresent effort of the AKC communication team, led by Chris Walker, continues to generate positive stories about the American Kennel Club and purebred dogs in the news media and in social media. Due to the engaging content the team has […]

“Love me, love my dog,” is a time-honored saying, but a Japanese study suggests that the inverse—“Love me, love my human”—may be just as valid. That’s the case even when it came to that one offer dogs almost never refuse—food. Canine companions would turn down treats from people who were mean to their owners, said scientists […]

Does your dog try to give your feet a bath every time you take off your shoes?  While licking is a natural behavior in a puppy’s litter, it sometimes continues into adulthood as a greeting, show of affection, or a means of communication.  If your dog is a compulsive kisser, the American Kennel Club’s Canine […]