Like many Americans whose ancestors arrived in previous centuries, the Australian Shepherd history is a confounding mix of many different cultures.

For most people, being a responsible dog owner takes the form of caring for our dogs. That means socializing them to become good canine citizens, cleaning up after them, and ensuring they have good veterinary care, nutrition, a warm bed — if not the couch — and toys and treats. But for purebred dog breeders, […]

It began as a dream about two decades ago and now the Wenatchee Kennel Club’s sparkling new training facility has become Dog Central for the Washington state community of 70,000, which includes several neighboring towns. Make no mistake about it, the 7,880-square-foot building on a 2½-acre site in East Wenatchee is becoming the conduit for […]

Argentina is the birthplace of the tango, an explosively intense dance that rivets anyone who watches it. So it’s perhaps fitting that this South American country, forged by the intersection of Old World colonialism and the rusticity of the untamed pampas, would be home to a dog breed whose own intensity of character and dramatic […]

First, make sure the basics are done before spending too much time in searching. If your dog does not show pronounced desire to possess the reward object, you should not be hiding the object in areas where the dog cannot get directly to the reward. Second, the “pot” test is a TEST given at set […]

First, make sure the basics are done before spending too much time in searching. If your dog does not show pronounced desire to possess the reward object, you should not be hiding the object in areas where the dog cannot get directly to the reward. Second, the "pot" test is a TEST given at set […]

English novelists of centuries past gave us timeless characters who hopscotched from the printed page into our cultural consciousness, from Daniel DeFoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” And in the dog world, there is one exceedingly rare terrier that owes its name – and arguably its continued existence – to a peripheral character in […]

Like many of you in the sport, I haven’t been to a dog show since early March. The cancellation of shows nationwide began a little later that month, as we sheltered in place to deal with the pandemic. Of course, our lives in dogs continued during that forced hiatus; we whelped litters, groomed, kept up […]

With a three-legged hop and a skip, 6-year-old Ari, aka Hero No. 1651, knows how to work a crowd. Giving his amputated limb the cold-shoulder, the Golden Retriever with the soft, friendly eyes can’t wait to cheer up anyone who needs a dose of happy. His specialty? Hospice patients, nonverbal people, children using wheelchairs, and […]

The Xoloitzcuintli has long been associated with death in Aztec Society, most recently depicted in the Pixar movie "Coco." Here's the Xolo's breed history.