Articles

2017 AKC Working Dog Detection Conference

AKC teams up with government and private sector stake holders to discuss and plan for a national breeding program to produce detection dogs for the US Government

2018 AKC Detection Dog Task Force Conference

AKC Detection Dog Task Force Conference, August, 2018. - "AKC received numerous thanks for hosting a conference that promoted the discussion and strategy for addressing the shortage of domestic working dogs needed to protect the country. Topics included canine genetics; breeding models; research, training and socialization; standards and certifications and public policy"

60 Breeds-Extinction in the Conformation Sport

This study focused on four major factors related to the risk for extinction from the conformation sport. Factors studied were: number of litters and dogs registered, low conversion rates, status as a low Entry breed (LE) and use of Limited Registrations.

A Gathering Storm Pt 1

Learn how the animal rights groups have gained momentum to change the dog world as we know it..

A Gathering Storm Pt 2

Learn how the animal rights groups have gained momentum to change the dog world as we know it.

Adopt a Cop

Read about how AKC and their dog clubs are supporting the police with grants for detection and patrol dogs. Over a 100 dogs have been deployed to the police. Learn what you can do to help.

AKC's DOG DETECTION TASK FORCE

A look at how the AKC Dog Detection Task Force works to increase the supply of detection dogs and helps other agencies that do detection work

Be Prepared

Learn how to protect your pet from loss or theft using microchip technology.

Bloat and the Risk Factors

This articles focuses on the risk factors and things owners can do should their dogs bloat. The Bloat Survey and Report was the joint effort of Dr. Carmen Battaglia PhD of the AKC and Dr. Cindy Otto DVM, University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary.

Brackets Formula

A proven method that can retain certain from a high quality dog.

Breeders Skills

Breeding the better dogs depends on your learning eight breeder skills. We must remember that it takes one set of skills to breed, another to exhibit and a third set to judge. The eight breeder skills are a necessary part of every breeders education.

Breeding Winners to Winner Part 2

Learn about breeders who breed winners to winners, type to type with average results. Read about why the fail to understand how to breed by direction rather than by chance.  Read about the breeder interviews and their knowledge of the  strengths and weaknesses of their pedigrees.

Breeding Winners to Winners Part 1

Learn about the problems of breeding to the winners  and why more breeders are not successful. Read about knowing why it is important to know their strengths and weaknesses and how to use pedigree analysis.

Children Who Live With Dogs

Research collected about the many health and social benefits that children receive when they have a dog in their life

Closing the Gap – The Time Path

More DNA tests have become available that makes breeding’s more certain. Listed are the disorders, breeds affected and the laboratories that will do the testing.

Continuing Education

A program that gives you the ability to develop the skills needed based on your dreams.

Control of Dreaded Disorders in Dogs Pt 1

(Hip Dysplasia): Health issues are among the top concerns of all owners and breeders. Some are worse than others. At the top of the list are those called the dreaded diseases which can cripple, kill, cause early death or blindness. Learn about how to control and manage them.

Control of Dreaded Disorders in Dogs Pt 2

(Legg-Calve Perthes, Patellar Luxation, Elbow Dysplasia, and Hypothyroidism): Part II continues the discussion from Part I and includes four other dreaded diseases.

Do You See What I Do

learn to see dogs from the judges point of view. Learn why ring side observers often times get it wrong

Early Puppy Training

All dogs can benefit from obedience training as early as seven weeks and also when the puppy enters its new home.

Early Spay/Neuter

Given its popularity and vulnerability to various cancers and joint disorders breeders and owners should not rush into spay and neuter without understanding the health risks. This article documents the many risks associated with it.

Fleas and Their Control

By the time most owners discover fleas on their pet; their home is usually part of the problem. Controlling and eliminating fleas requires understanding that the flea life cycle has three working parts.

Founder's Effect

Genetic influence on a breed of one dog. Why it is called the Founders Effect.

Game Changers

A look at how 64 years after WWI there is a growing need for citizens to help in a domestic breeding program for detection dogs

Home Growing Our Heros

America needs more  working dogs. Search for "Working dogs", "Detection dogs" or "Patrol dogs"

I hear by Declare

Chosen by the Dog Writers Association of America as the best article for 2004.

Junior Showmanship Survey

In the late 1920’s when dog showing was considered a “wealthy-man’s sport” and parents arrived at shows in chauffeur-driven limousines children who accompanied their parents became bored and restless. As a result...

Junior showmanship Survey Pt 1

In the late 1920’s when dog showing was considered a"wealthy-man’s sport" and parents arrived at shows in chauffeur-driven limousines, children who accompanied their parents became bored and restless, which resulted in a less than ideal show environment. In an effort to control the show environment and not offend the wealthy owners and breeders, Mr. Brumby Sr. of the American Kennel Club (AKC) introduced a special class of competition for these children. The purpose was to provide something of interest and amusement.

Junior showmanship Survey Pt 2

The sport called junior showmanship (JRS) had its beginnings in the late 1920’s. In those early days dog shows were considered a "wealthy-man’s sport"and parents arrived at shows in chauffeur-driven limousines. The children who accompanied their parents quickly became bored causing disruptive problems on the show grounds. In response to this, the American Kennel Club (AKC) created children’s handling events to keep them busy.

Kennel Disinfection

Guideline for cleaning and killing virus, kennel cough, bacteria and other unwanted germs that cause illness and death.

Limited Registrations

Learn how  breeders are using the limited registration and what it was intended to do for breeders.  When the Bell Curve is applied some clubs fall below the line.

Lines from Linda Knorr Working Dogs

Lines from Linda - Battaglia leads the way. The mission of the AKC Dog Detection Task Force is to bring together the stakeholders, develop a pilot program, involve the breeders and puppy raisers and increase the supply of needed dogs.

Litter Size & Singleton

For those who want to know more about litter size and one puppy litters.

When two or more breeders gather together their conversation often times center on the number of pups born and what might have gone wrong. For years breeders have speculated on why some litters are larger than others. Since most breeders are not trained in biology or in veterinary medicine a review of these questions was addressed.

Longevity

The focus is on living linger and easy ways to keep you and your dog healthy

Luck is the Religion of the Lazy

Learn about the slow and steady decline of the low entry breeds which are now 50% of the stud book and what is being done to save the conformation sport.

Maintaining and Improving Breeds

Learn about why breeds with large and small gene pools should pay attention to what is happening in their breed. The author, Dr.Jerod Bell discusses what and why it is important to think  through each breeding. Popular sires in large and small breed populations affect them differently.

Managing the Carriers Pt 1

This article explains the basic principles associated with making improvements involves the quality of the information collected about the ancestors and how to use it.

Managing the Carriers Pt 2

As discussed in Part I, breeders can use the Symbols Pedigree to map the inheritance of genetic traits from one generation to the next. It is useful because it

Maternal Influence

This article focuses on using the mother to influence later behavior as an adult.

Mendel's Puzzle

Mendel discovered the gene. An explanation of the recessive genes and how he discovered them in pedigrees.

Modes of Inheritance

Backing into a pedigree by extrapolating from what is observed in the pups is one of the best ways to understand the carrier status of the ancestors.

More than Meets the Eye

In the confined space and limited time allowed in the show ring, even the educated eye that knows what to look for can be misled.

Nutrition and DHA

Every breeder has the desire to produce a litter of healthy puppies that grows and develops to exemplify the characteristics of their breed. Unfortunately, this task is far easier to describe than to accomplish. Numerous factors, both reproductive and non-reproductive, influence the outcome of a breeding and ultimately the health and nature of the puppies.

OFA Tables for Hips

OFA serves as a central source of information for breeders and owners based on the standards for evaluation. See two useful tables for risk.

Pedigree Analysis

This article explains the differences between the "Traditional Pedigree", "Stick Dog Color Chart Pedigree" and the "Symbols Pedigree" and how to use each pedigree.

Reported Risks Associated with Spay, Neuter

Gonadectomy, or neutering, is a very common surgery for dogs having many positive effects on behavior, health, and longevity. There are also certain risks associated with neutering including the development of orthopedic conditions, cognitive decline, and a predisposition to some neoplasias. This study was designed specifically to identify if a correlation exists between neuter status and inherited conditions in a large aggregate cohort of dogs representing many different breeds.

Statement of Subcommittee Chairman Scott Perry

As we welcome law enforcement officers from across our nation to Washington D.C. to commemorate National Police Week, we’d be remiss not to thank the unsung hero partners of many of our forces: canines.

Earlier this month, near an immigration checkpoint in Tucson, Arizona, a U.S. citizen was arrested for narcotics smuggling after a Border Patrol canine unit detected an odor emitting from a hearse, which produced over $33,000 worth of marijuana concealed  within a casket. After the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, hundreds of talented canine teams were integral to search and rescue attempts, searching through 16 acres of rubble where the World Trade Center once stood, to find tragic remains, or those lucky enough still to be alive. TSA’s canine teams screened approximately 26 million passengers in fiscal year 2016, and responded to 35,000 unattended items within the transportation system in 2016, to ensure no explosives were present and mitigate the impact of shutdowns and evacuations. And finally, in October 2016, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees at JFK Airport said a happy fare well to retiring Jasper, a CBP agriculture canine credited with over 17,000 seizures and over 23,000  interceptions. Jasper thwarted smuggler’s attempts to sneak everything and anything past customs from illegal whale meat to live turtles. These are just a few examples of the many ways canines contribute to the safety and security of our homeland.

Structure and Movement Pt 1

The basic principles associated with making improvements involves the quality of the information collected about the ancestors and how to use it.

Structure and Movement Pt 2

The basic principles associated with making improvements involves the quality of the information collected about the ancestors and how to use it.

Surveillance of Search Dogs

Deployed to the World Trade Center and Pentagon: 2001–2006. Posted with permission from the Journal of Environmental Health, September 2010, (Volume 73, Number 2, pp. 12–21), a publication of the National Environmental Health Association, www.neha.org.

The AKC Dog Detection Task Force & Patriotic Puppy Program

Learn about how and why there is a shortage of detection dogs in the US and why AKC began to ask breeders to help the country produce them . Also learn about information  that is available to all breeders who want to make improvements in their dogs regardless of their breed.

Why three Pedigrees

The term pedigree is an old word derived from the French "pie de grue", meaning crane's foot. After more than six centuries, the tradition of using the pedigree continues to be the primary breeding tool of breeders based on the logic that when the frequency of a trait or disease occurs among several the ancestors it signals that something is likely to be heritable.

Working Dogs

Working dogs, you may own one and not know it! Uses of working dogs and how they are used to protect the country. Words to search for this article: working dogs; patrol dogs; detection dogs.