There are seven different groups that AKC dog breeds are listed under: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting, and herding. Within the sporting group, you will find setters, pointers, spaniels, retrievers, and a few others, but they all live for the same thing - they hunt birds. Some of these work in water while others prefer land, but the instinct is always the same when it comes to game birds. All of these breeds are suitable for family living, although you will find they are hardheaded and tough. Some of the dog breeds won't make the perfect pet - depending on who lives in your home. For example, if you have boisterous children, the cocker spaniel will not take kindly to them. A Chesapeake Bay Retriever that is not used for game hunting will have to be trained as it can be very domineering.  

The AKC dog breeds recommend the stars of the sporting group of dogs for family companionship. Those are the Golden Retriever or the Labrador Retriever, both of which love the attention of children, and will also put up with some rough housing. These breeds are easy to train, easy to care for, and forever young or at least they seem to think that way. These dogs make excellent family members and are loyal to everyone, from the smallest child to the oldest adult. The Springer Spaniel, on the other hand, is far less popular, but it does have a sparkling personality and are usually well mannered. 

The hound is also one of the dogs of the AKC dog breed club. There are two categories of hounds - scent hounds that follow their noses and sight hounds that are always skimming the horizon for game. The one draw back with hounds is that they are hard to train. This is partly due to the sensitivity of their nose, which sometimes gets them into trouble. They do have some very appealing qualities, such as they can be very lethargic at home, but ready to go when hunting. According to the AKC dog breeds, working sight hounds are the picture of grace and elegance, with which you can always cajole to participate in a lure chase mimicking an actual hunt.

The AKC dog breeds are varied, and include many different kinds of breeds. They also keep track of which one is most popular at a time. Every time a movie comes out with a certain breed of dog in it, that breed soars to the top of the most popular list, and this is not always good for the dog - or its owner. People go from dog movies to reality, and get a rude awakening when the dog they saw in the movie was much more obedient than the one they brought home. However, there are many wonderful obedience training schools that can take care of the problems that you may run into.