The American Kennel Club has been around for many years. They impart registration for dogs and can impart a certified electronic or printed document that displays the pedigree of a dog and all the other notable details of the stock of the dog. The American Kennel Club has been the advocate for dog owners and dogs in this country for many years.
As of right now the AKC recognizes over 160 breeds of purebred dogs. These go from the very prevalent dogs like the Labrador retrievers and the Cocker Spaniels to the more obscure breeds such as the Petit Basset Griffon Venden or the Borzoi.
Each accepted breed is part of a larger group, which signifies the character of the breed and the reason for which they were originally bred, be it herding, hunting or even just for pets.
A important group is the sporting group, which includes retrievers, setters and spaniels. Members of this group have need of ordinary and revitalizing exercise. Many of them have inherent instincts in the water and woods and they are often good at hunting and other field activities.
The hound groups of breeds were regularly used for hunting in the past. Many of them have an acute sense of smell to pursue a trail of quarry. They also have enormous resilience to further hunt down their prey. This grouping includes Basset hounds, Beagles and Bloodhounds.
Dogs from the working group include Siberian huskies and Great Danes. These dogs were characteristically bred to labor at pulling sleds or performing water rescues. Terriers are another group and they are generally feisty and spunky in behavior. They were initially bred to track and kill vermin.
Breeds from the Toy group were bred ordinarily for enjoyment and for pets. As their name indicates they are diminutive but full of life little dogs. Then again, being a undersized dog does not necessarily mean that it is part of the Toy group as every group has smaller dogs. Some identifiable breeds from the Toy group are the feisty Chihuahua’s and the pleasant natured Cavalier King Charles spaniels. The next group is the non-sporting group and it includes such varied breeds as the Dalmatian, the Chow-Chow and the Poodle.
The newest categorization group is the herding group. These groups were previously part of the working group. These are the dogs that were bred to herd other animals such as sheep or cattle. A Shetland sheepdog or Sheltie and a Corgi are representative of the herding group. Each of the groups has their own distinctive character and you will find the character you are looking for in a dog.