2 New Dog Breeds Announced by American Kennel Club
Till December 31, 2019, there were a total of 193 dog breeds recognized by the AKC (American Kennel Club). Before the most recent additions in the AKC-recognized breeds, the last one that was recognized by AKC was Azawakh which was recognized on January 01, 2019.
On January 01, 2020, AKC announced the 2 new breeds recognized that will join the AKC ranks. Although both breeds aren’t new and have existed for a long time, they were not recognized by the AKC due to several reasons.
Anyways, the 2 new breeds to make it into the list of AKC are Dogo Argentino and Barbet. Let’s find some quick facts about both breeds below.
Update: In January 2022, AKC recognized the Russian Toy Dog and Mudi dog.
Table of Contents
The 2 New Breeds Recognized by the AKC
Dogo Argentino
Image crdit: dgsdio via Flickr
Dogo Argentino or Dogo is an Argentinan breed that was originally bred for hunting purposes. It was first bred in 1928 by Antonio Nores Martínez who wanted to develop a brave and protective dog. It took him lots of time to develop the desired dog. For this purpose, he crossed Cordoba Dog with the Boxer, Bull Terrier, Pyrenean Mastiff, English Pointer, Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Dogue De Bordeaux, and Spanish Mastiff to develop the best possible breed, and fortunately, he succeeded in doing that.
The Dogo Argentino can also be trained for police assistance, as well as, a service dog, military work, guide, and search and rescue. The first-ever Dogo Argentino was brought to the US in 1970 when Dr. Raul Zeballos brought 6 of them to the US.
Barbet
Barbet is the French dog breed and is one of the rarest breeds around the world. It is a water dog and standardized as the water dog and retriever. It is usually found in plain black color but many other colors such as fawn, brown, and grey may also be witnessed. The Barbets have a wool-type curly coat and it has a wonderful temperament. It is highly intelligent, friendly, and easy to train.
The barbets are extremely low in number around the world, but now, as AKC has recognized them, they may get exposure in the US and other countries. Their presence dates back to the 19th century while the first-ever Barbet was brought to the US in 1994.
You must be wondering what is the criteria for the dog breeds to be recognized by AKC. Well, let us find below the criteria for becoming an AKC-recognized dog breed.
Criteria for Becoming Recognized by the AKC
For a dog breed to be eligible for AKC recognition, the National Breed Club must apply for consideration after the following criteria are met:
- Minimum of 100 active household members in the National Breed Club.
- At least 300-400 dogs in the country and all of them must be a minimum of a 3-generation pedigree.
- The population of dogs and the household members must be distributed in 20 or more states.
- Review and approval of the Club’s breed standard, constitution, and by-laws by the AKC.
After all the said requirements are met, the case is submitted to the AKC Board of Directors for consideration. Currently, eleven breeds are eligible to be recognized by AKC. These breeds are:
- Dutch Shepherd
- Belgian Laekenois
- Portuguese Podengo
- Lancashire Heeler
- Biewer Terrier
- Teddy Roosevelt Terrier
- Norrbottenspets
- Peruvian Inca Orchid
So, we may witness some new recognitions by the AKC soon.
Final Words:
With the recognition of two new dog breeds and eleven more on the list for consideration, one thing is for sure the dog breeders and owners are working seriously to develop new breeds with full responsibility.
