Where to Begin
There are several hundred breeds of dogs from around the world — and many encyclopedias that show pictures of them. This book will base its discussions on the classification system established by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Kennel clubs around the world use similar systems of breed classifications; in fact, the American Kennel Club's is based on one developed by The Kennel Club in the United Kingdom.
The largest registering organizations for purebred dogs around the world include the American Kennel Club (AKC); Canadian Kennel Club (CKC); The Kennel Club (KC) in the United Kingdom; Federation Cynologique International (FCI), based in Belgium and also known as the World Canine Organisation; and the United Kennel Club (UKC) in the U.S.
The AKC categorizes the different breeds by groups to make understanding the big picture a little easier. Each breed group has distinguishing characteristics that are shared by all the breeds in it. Currently, there are seven breed groups recognized by the American Kennel Club. They are as follows:
Herding
Hound
Non-Sporting
Sporting
Terrier
Toy
Working
The American Kennel Club also has a Miscellaneous Class, a sort of “holding” group for breeds that have not met all the criteria for full registration (of which there are many), and recently the AKC instituted a Foundation Stock Service (FSS) category to assist rare breeds in gaining recognition. More on the breeds in these groups at the end of the chapter. For now, here's a profile of the seven AKC breed groups and some of the most popular breeds in them.
