Objective To observe the characteristics of coronary artery ligation and coronary embolism for preparation of acute myocardial infarction ( AMI) models in canine． Methods The left main anterior descending coronary artery was obstructed by either open thoracotomy ligation or closed-chest coronary embolism． The electrocardiogram changes were recorded before and after blocking coronary blood flow． At 72 hours after the acute myocardium infarction model preparation，the dogs were sacrificed and specimens of the myocardium were taken for histopathological examination．Results Both electrocardiogram and histopathology confirmed that both methods could establish AMI models successfully．Compared with open-chest coronary artery ligation，the closed-chest coronary embolism had a higher survival rate．Conclusion Closed-chest coronary artery embolism deserves recommendation due to the advantages such as safety and convenience in the preparation of dog models of acute myocardial infarction．