By Connie VanacoreIn life there are many examples of the ingredients essential to succeeding at anything, and there are enough books on the topic to fill many libraries. However, there are specific elements that are crucial to success in the dog world, although these may apply elsewhere as well. Every team coach, no matter what […]

If your dog loves the water and loves to retrieve, then the fun sport of dock diving should be a natural. The AKC began recognizing titles of the new North America Diving Dogs (NADD) organization in June 2014 so now you can also add a dock jumping title to your dog’s AKC records. The sport […]

Deborah Tung is a Virginia teenager who does it all with her dogs. Deborah competes in Agility and the fun new sport of Barn Hunt with her All-American Dog, Nigel. Barn Hunt tests all dogs’ hunting ability in finding vermin, which many breeds were developed to perform. Rats are placed in heavy, safe PVC tubes […]

We often hear dog shows accused of being nothing but “beauty contests.” In reality, they’re organized more like job fairs. At AKC shows, dogs are exhibited in seven groups organized by the original work the breeds were created to do. The dog judged best in each group becomes one of the final seven to vie […]

Poodles retain their position as the country’s top dog for a second decade and have regularly remained in the top ten since. The Doberman Pinscher made its first appearance in the top ten in the 1970s as the number-three breed. The breed would remain in the top ten for the 1980s as well. The Miniature […]

The Boston Terrier, a top-ten breed for six decades of the 20th century, has reached the number-one position twice, including in the 1910s. The Airedale Terrier reached the number-two position, the highest the breed would ever claim, appearing in the top ten for three consecutive decades and then never regaining its national popularity. The decade […]

The Collie, on a continual climb since its number-seven position in the 1880s, became the number-one breed of the first decade of the new century. The breed ranked in the top ten breeds for seven decades of the 20th century. The number-two breed of the decade, the Boston Terrier, became the first small companion dog […]

Accepted into AKC in 1885, the Saint Bernard swiftly rose to the position of the most popular dog of the 1890s. To this day, it is the only giant breed to secure the country’s top position as well as the only number-one breed to never appear in the top ten again. In later decades, two […]

The top five breeds of the 1880s were all working gundog breeds. While this is the only decade that the English Setter reigned as the number-one breed, it remained in the top ten for four decades, though it hasn’t appeared there in the top ten since the 1910s. Irish Setters, the number-two breed of the […]

When a new breed is accepted in the American Kennel Club a special type of registration known as Open Registration, is available for a limited time. The American Kennel Club in conjunction with the Parent Club (also known as a national breed club) sets this time frame for the breed. Eligibility for Open Registration In […]