The American Kennel Club (AKC) is the largest purebred dog registry and dog event sanctioning organization in the United States. Today, nearly 5,000 AKC affiliated clubs host over 15,000 annual events for more than 150 breeds and varieties of purebred dogs that are recognized and registered by the American Kennel Club.

The events offered by AKC clubs vary considerably. The best known events are conformation dog shows where dogs are evaluated against a breed standard of excellence established by the official AKC parent club for that breed. Breed standards describe elements of breed type, including overall appearance, structure, gait, temperament and many other important breed characteristics of the breed which are to be preserved. These standards describe many traits including, the proper size, weight, color, coat texture, eye color and expression, structure and movement for a given breed. Most televised dog events feature conformation shows.

AKC clubs also host companion events where people can have fun with their dogs by competing in agility, obedience and tracking; and performance events for coonhounds, field trials, hunting tests, lure coursing, herding and Earthdog events.

The Rose City Classic is one of the premier events for dogs in the US, hosting conformation shows, obedience and agility trials and a Canine Good Citizen Test. The shows at the Classic are among the largest as well as the best in the US, bringing nearly 4,000 dogs to Portland each January. Most of these dogs compete in conformation, but the Rose City Classic is also home to first-rate obedience and agility trials.