Dog Breed Information

There are more than 400 breeds of dog in the world; currently 157 of these breeds are recognized by the American Kennel Club.

  1. American Kennel Club

    • The American Kennel Club (AKC) is an organization started in 1884 by a group of people who each represented different dog breed groups. These enthusiasts came together for a meeting of the Philadelphia Kennel Club and began what is now known as the AKC.

    Purpose

    • The purpose of the American Kennel Club is to define breed standards, mandate breeding and hold annual dog-breed shows.

    Breed Groups

    • The simplest way to define the over 400 dog breeds is to put them into nine categories; the nine categories are used by the AKC. The nine groups of dog breeds are; Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Nonsporting, Herding, Miscellaneous and the FSS group which means Foundation Stock Service.

    Example

    • The sporting group of dog breeds consists of pointers, retrievers and spaniels. Coonhounds and beagles are part of the Hound group. Working dog breeds consist of the Rottweiler, the Great Dane and the Mastiff. The American Staffordshire Terrier is one of the dog breeds in the terrier group. Also referred to as a "staffie" this breed is also known as the Pit Bull. Toy dog breeds are small such as the Yorkie and the Shih-Tzu. Herding dogs are some of the smartest breeds and consist of the Australian Cattle Dog (red and blue heelers) and the Border Collie. Miscellaneous breed and FSS breed groups consist of wolf hybrids, fox hybrids and breeds recognized by other countries.

    Characteristics

    • Each breed has its own traits and characteristics. For example, the German Shepherd is protective and more prone to separation anxiety most other breeds. The Australian Cattle Dog is one of the smartest breeds. The Great Dane and Greyhounds are--despite their size--known to their owners fondly as lap dogs.