AKC versus Miscellaneous Registries

First, why are there dog registries? A registry is a record of dogs….name, breed, sex, color and ownership. All of this information is tracked by means of a registration number. This registration number is assigned when the litter registration application is filed for shortly after the litter is whelped. Once the registration number is assigned to the dog, it does not change for the life of the dog. From that point forward all points earned toward any titles, DNA testing results, and pedigrees will all be tracked using that registration number.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) started their registry over 100 years ago in 1884 with nine breeds. In 1887 they opened their first formal office in New York and were gifted their first three volumes of the AKC Stud Book. The AKC has been maintaining the records of all dogs registered with them since. This is no small undertaking when you consider there are currently 164 recognized breeds that produce thousands of litters that require litter application registrations and then individual registrations annually.

AKC has strived to maintain the purity of the registry and requires DNA testing for frequently used sires and will also require DNA testing for puppies when questions arise over parentage. DNA testing will prove that the parents are who they are stated to be or, in the case of an “oops” breeding, who the sire was. This is one very important element of the AKC registry that sets it above the many “pet” registries that are to be found using any search engine and the internet.

The AKC has two types of registrations available. When the litter registration application is applied for there is one application provided for each puppy in the litter. This litter application for the puppy is a temporary registration and will be replaced with either a full or limited registration when the puppy is permanently registered by its new parents. A full registration will allow the dog to be shown in any and all AKC sanctioned events and will also allow any offspring to be registered if the dog is mated to another AKC fully registered dog of the same breed. A limited registration will allow the dog to participate in AKC sanctioned rally, obedience and agility events but requires that the dog be spayed/neutered and if not, no offspring can be registered with AKC.

The breeder of the litter should be the person that makes the determination as to whether the puppy is given a limited or full registration. Just because a puppy is given a limited registration does not mean the puppy is defective. It simply means that the puppy is not, for one reason or another, as good a candidate for the breeder’s breeding program. It can be something as simple as his tail sets a little too low on his bum or one ear sets higher on his head than the other. Maybe his brother looks nicer than he does.

Many, not all, of the miscellaneous registries that you find on the internet today do not care about maintaining the breed integrity of the dogs that they register. They are in it simply for the money and to satisfy the human desire for people to be able to say that their dog has “papers”. If you are looking for a puppy, please do your research on the breed, the breeder, and the registry as well. Some of them are breed specific; some of them will register anything and everything under the sun.

Exercise caution when considering buying a puppy from a pet store even if it has an AKC registration. We all know that puppies are cute and an impulse buy can be a disastrous investment. Pet store puppies are “what you see is what you get”. You have no background on the puppy’s parents, the breeder or the environment the puppy was raised in. There is no health guarantee and no one to go to when you need help with a training problem. You are on your own.

Below are three respectable long time established registries. With a quick search of the internet you will be able to pull up pages of “questionable” ones. As I stated above, please do your research and don’t be fooled into believing that all dog registries have your or the puppy’s best interests at heart. Some of these registries will use the same initials or close to the same initials as some of the older well established registries just to cause confusion for you. Don’t be duped into their deceit!

Respectable long time established registries:
AKC – American Kennel Club
UKC – United Kennel Club
CKC – Canadian Kennel Club

Questions to ask yourself:

- How long have they been around?
- Do they require DNA testing to maintain breed integrity?
- Will they register anything, i.e. mixed breeds?
- Do they hold competitions to prove the dog’s qualities or can you send in a video and “buy” a title?
- Do they have pages devoted to breed standards for each and every breed that they register? Are these standards complete or are they vague and very broad?
- Is a webpage or pages of information provided to you that guides you and gives you information as to the questions that you should ask as a prospective puppy buyer and the questions you should expect to be asked from a prospective puppy seller?
- Does this registry conduct routine kennel inspections to ensure proper care, conditions and record keeping for all the dogs in each inspected kennel?
- Do they promote canine health research (such as AKC’s Canine Health Foundation) and testing for known breed genetic conditions?


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