Editorial: February 27, 2026
The recent publication from the American Kennel Club’s Low Entry Breeds list is cause of great concern to all of us who breed and exhibit pure bred dogs. It is no secret that conformation entries are falling at an alarming rate and points and majors are becoming more and more of a rarity but for specialty and major show weekends.
As of January 1, 2026 there are 205 recognized breeds by the American Kennel Club, 114 breeds are low entry breeds. We are the caretakers of our own particular breeds and as such we have an obligation to keep these breeds alive and well and thriving for future generations. There are external causes for these low entry breeds. Some say the advent of grand champions has kept a portion of exhibitors to keep on exhibiting older dogs and not breeding or buying new dogs that add to the entries in the classes - keeping entries larger in the best of breed class and diminishing in the regular classes, finding points harder and harder to obtain. The American Kennel Club, as a bandaid, has created other ways to obtain championship points that diminish the title of champion and creating a false narrative of what it means to be a grand champion. Combine that with the continued clustering of shows and the amount of shows in one location have soured some exhibitors. But these decisions by the American Kennel Club are not the only reason for the drop. Breeders who breed litters and then only register a select few from the litter do a great disservice to their breed. Breeding a litter brings great responsibility and expected expenses. Accepting the responsibility that each of those puppies in the litter are to be treated the same way. We all know that breeding dogs is only a labor of love, not about making money. The pride you have in breeding your dogs should be given to every dog in the litter and they all should and deserve to be registered individually. Our commitment to our breeds should equal to the concern we are experiencing. It is incumbent for each and everyone of us to preserve our breeds. Below is the list of low entry breed list.
Affenpinscher
Airedale Terrier
American English Coonhound
American Eskimo Dog
American Foxhound
Anatolian Shepherd Dog
Australian Terrier
Azawakh
Barbet
Basset Fauve de Bretagne
Bearded Collie
Bedlington Terrier
Belgian Laekenois
Belgian Malinois
Bergamasco Sheepdog
Berger Picard
Black and Tan Coonhound
Black Russian Terrier
Bloodhound
Bluetick Coonhound
Boerboel
Bouvier des Flandres
Bracco Italiano
Briard
Bull Terrier
Canaan Dog
Cesky Terrier
Chinook
Chow Chow
Cirneco dell’Etna
Coton de Tulear
Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Danish-Swedish Farmdog
Dogo Argentino
Dogue de Bordeaux
English Foxhound
English Toy Spaniel
Entlebucher Mountain Dog
Finnish Lapphund
Finnish Spitz
Fox Terrier (Smooth)
Fox Terrier (Wire)
German Pinscher
Giant Schnauzer
Glen of Imaal Terrier
Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen
Great Pyrenees
Greyhound
Harrier
Ibizan Hound
Icelandic Sheepdog
Irish Terrier
Kerry Blue Terrier
Komondor
Kuvasz
Lagotto Romagnolo
Lakeland Terrier
Lancashire Heeler
Leonberger
Lhasa Apso
Lowchen
Miniature Bull Terrier
Mudi
Neapolitan Mastiff
Nederlandse Kooikerhondje
Norfolk Terrier
Norwegian Buhund
Norwegian Elkhound
Norwegian Lundehund
Old English Sheepdog
Otterhound
Parson Russell Terrier
Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
Pharaoh Hound
Plott Hound
Pointer (German Wirehaired)
Polish Lowland Sheepdog
Portuguese Podengo Pequeno
Puli
Pumi
Pyrenean Shepherd
Rat Terrier
Redbone Coonhound
Retriever (Curly-Coated)
Russian Toy
Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka
Scottish Deerhound
Sealyham Terrier
Setter (Gordon)
Setter (Irish Red and White)
Silky Terrier
Skye Terrier
Sloughi
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Spaniel (American Water)
Spaniel (Boykin)
Spaniel (Clumber)
Spaniel (Field)
Spaniel (Irish Water)
Spaniel (Sussex)
Spaniel (Welsh Springer)
Spanish Water Dog
Spinone Italiano
St. Bernard
Swedish Vallhund
Teddy Roosevelt Terrier
Tibetan Mastiff
Tibetan Terrier
Toy Fox Terrier
Treeing Walker Coonhound
Welsh Terrier
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
Wirehaired Vizsla
Xoloitzcuintli