The World of Dog Breeding
Kennel Clubs
Daniel Hodgin
Ehren Metcalfe
Jon Buckley
Kenneth Pangilinan
September 15, 2008
BTS330A
Mary Ryan
Kennel Clubs
Introduction to Kennel Clubs
Kennel Clubs are organizations primarily tasked with the definition of
breed standards and the maintenance of genealogical registries. Historically,
such clubs have been closely aligned with confirmation showings in which dogs
are judged against a usually appearance based breed standard, however many
such clubs also encompass performance based events as well. The scope of
such organizations varies considerably from clubs focusing on a single breed to
national and international organizations encompassing many breed types.
Typically, breed specific organizations have been responsible for the
definition of individual breed standards such as the requirement that male Golden
Retrievers be between “23-24 inches in height at withers” with dogs “up to one
inch above or below standard size … proportionately penalized.” 1 This standard
is set by the Golden Retriever Club of America yet ratified by the board of
directors of the American Kennel Club. 1
Registries can either be in the form of a closed stud book, meaning that
both sire and dam are also registered, or an open stud book which allows some
crossbreeding so long as certain standards are met. Closed stud books have
traditionally been associated with confirmation showings. There is some
controversy surrounding the adherence to a closed registry system due to the
inevitably limited genetic pool that arises. A recent BBC documentary highlights
inbreeding-related health problems suffered by many pedigree breeds, a problem
serious enough that the Queen is considering cutting ties with the Kennel Club
(Britain's national organization).2
Other organizations, particularly those
associated with working dogs have battled larger organizations to prevent
recognition of a breed under a closed book system so that important working
traits are not lost in deference to appearance based standards. Though ultimately
unsuccessful, the United States Border Collie Club has gone so far as to launch
legal action against the American Kennel Club to prevent recognition of the
breed.3
However, purebred dogs continue to be advocated as pets by most books
on choosing a puppy since as Chris Walkowicz writes in The Perfect Match, "The
difference is that purebred breeders know what to expect."4 It is this fact,
together with the enduring popularity of dogs and dog shows, that ensures the
continued significance of kennel clubs.
Functions of a kennel club
Kennel clubs have three main functions: breeding, showing, and
registration of approved breeds of dogs.
Breeding
A kennel club does not actually breed dogs by themselves, they create
rules and regulations regarding the breeding of dogs, and what dogs are
considered purebred. Breeders agree to follow these rules and regulations, and
register with a kennel club to advertise the dogs they are breeding. Only dogs
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from these kennel club approved breeders can participate in kennel club events.
This symbiotic relationship creates a closed market for purebred dogs, making
sure that purebred dogs can only be obtained from approved breeders.
Showing
Another important function of kennel clubs is showing, an organized
competition between dogs. There are shows for all age classes and breeds.
Typically, a dog will first participate in a dog show run by a breeding club (a
subset of a kennel club, focusing only on one approved purebred), and gains
points based on the size of show, the number of dogs participating, evaluation by
human judges, as well as the event they win in. 5
There are also events run by kennel clubs themselves. The most
prestigious event run by the AKC is the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship.
To qualify for the 2008 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, a dog must
complete one of the following:

Dogs ranked in the top 25 of their breed (by breed points only) at the end of
the qualifying period (1 Year).6

Dogs receiving an all-breed Best in Show at an AKC show held during the
qualifying period (1 Year).6

Dogs winning Best of Breed at a parent club national specialty (1 Year).6

Dogs completing their championship with all points earned from the bred-byExhibitor Class during the current and prior Qualifying periods of October
10, 2006 to October 7, 2008 (2 Years).6
 The seven top breed winning dogs from over 60 International Registries and
the Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed winners from
Crufts (2 Years) Crufts is the largest dog show in the world, and is held in
the United Kingdom for 4 days straight.6
Competitions
Some of the events in AKC competition include:7
 Agility Trials (All Breeds)
 Earthdog Trials (Small Terriers and Dachshunds)
 Herding Tests and Trials ( Herding Breeds, Rottweilers and
Samoyeds)
 Hunt Tests (Most Sporting Breeds and Standard Poodles)
 Junior Showmanship (All Breeds)
 Lure Coursing (Sighthounds)
 Obedience Trials (All Breeds)
 Rally Trials (All Breeds)
 Tracking Tests (All Breeds)
Registration of dogs with a kennel club
To register your dog, you must obtain the mother, father, and litter of your
dog. This is easily obtainable from the breeder, and is also kept on record by the
AKC. This information can be filled out on paper, and mailed to the AKC, or can
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be done entirely electronically. All that’s left to be done is wait for the dog’s AKC
registration certificate to arrive.
American Kennel Club
About the club
Founded in 1884, the American Kennel Club (AKC) has acted as a
representative body for dog clubs holding benched shows8 or field trials.9 There
are no individual members in the club; rather it is a "club of clubs" consisting of
over 500 member clubs and over 5000 affiliated clubs.10 The AKC has
maintained and published a register of dogs of known parentage within a specific
breed since 1887 which, along with appearance guidelines known as breed
standards, allows for the rigorous specification of a breed. In addition to the
register, the AKC enforces uniform rules governing dog shows and field trials as
well as regulating the conduct of those involved in the exhibition, running,
judging, breeding, registering, purchasing, and selling of dogs.11 A host of other
activities have also been undertaken, from the publishing of the Gazette, one of
the oldest dog-related magazines12, to the influencing of legislation13; they even
provide pet insurance14.
Dog Registration
A dog must be fully registered in order to compete in certain AKC certified
events such as confirmation showings (in which dogs are judged against a breed
standard). The registry is in the form of a closed stud book meaning that both
parents of a dog must also be registered with the AKC. Recently, the registration
of dogs listed with other foreign or domestic registries has been allowed so long
as "the pedigree shows no break in AKC lineage and the dogs in the pedigree
originate from AKC registrable stock." If a dog is not associated with the
necessary paperwork yet is distinguishable as an AKC recognized breed the
Purebred Alternative Listing/Indefinite Listing Privilege (PAL/ILP) will still allow
the animal to compete in companion and sporting events such as obedience,
agility, hunt test, and herding. For certain rare breeds not yet recognized the
Foundation Stock Service (FSS) has been established to provide record keeping
services towards possible future AKC recognition and to allow companion and
sporting event competition.15
The Canadian Kennel Club
About the club
The Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) is the primary registry body for
purebred dogs in Canada. They provide registry service for all officially
registered breeds of purebred dogs and governance for CKC approved shows,
trials, and events. They are also involved in informing people interested in dogs.
Their mission statement is to inform their members of the actions of responsible
breeders and owners and give support for the members needs.16
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Dog Registration
Registration of a dog with the CKC requires that the litter the dog came
from first be registered by the breeder. The breeder must then provide the
proper paperwork to the customer within six months of the sale. All purebred
dogs registered with the CKC must have a microchip or tattoo to uniquely identify
them.
CKC Administration
The CKC has 3 sections of the administration listed and members and
emails are found at the links below.
 Committee members:
http://www.ckc.ca/en/Default.aspx?tabid=77
 Councils
http://www.ckc.ca/en/Default.aspx?tabid=78
 Board of Directors
http://www.ckc.ca/en/Default.aspx?tabid=79
Code of Ethics
The purpose of the code of ethics is to give breeders a set of rules or
standards to adhere to regarding all responsibilities pertaining to breeding dogs.
There are four main sections to this code.
 Breeding Principles – The principles of dog breeding covers things like
informing owners of the commitments required, keeping track of the breed
genealogy to preserve the breed, and sharing knowledge with fellow
breeders.
 General Responsibilities –The general responsibilities includes making
sure all dogs and litters are registered and recorded. As well all records for
transfers of ownership, medical, and nutrition must be kept for all dogs.
 Breeding Practices – This section includes things such as rules for the
selection of dogs for breeding. Owners must ensure that their dogs are
looked after properly during mating and are in good health to be able to
raise a litter.
 Selling Practices – All dogs must be registered with the CKC. All proper
paperwork and documentation must be provided and owners are screened
to make sure they are capable and suitable to own the dogs. Spaying or
neutering of dogs sold as companions is encouraged to protect the
breeds.
CKC Events
A Calendar of events is used to keep track of hundreds of events, trials,
and competitions across Canada. This kind of feature gives customers a reason
to frequent the site to stay up to date.
Breeds Recognized by the American and Canadian Kennel clubs
There are currently 158 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club
(AKC) while 174 are recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). The Board
of Directors can add a breed anytime to the list of registered breeds if sufficient
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evidence is presented to justify such action. Using accurate documents and
record keeping play a critical role in the decision of adding a new breed.
American Kennel Club Breed List:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/complete_breed_list.cfm
Canadian Kennel Club Breed List:
http://www.ckc.ca/en/Default.aspx?tabid=89
Each breed is placed into 1 of the 7 variety group categories; sporting,
hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting, and herding.
Sporting
Sporting dogs are “normally very athletic, good runners, great swimmers
(they love water!) and fantastic hunting companions.” Popular: Golden Retriever,
Labrador Retriever, Cocker Spaniel.
Hound
Most dogs in the hound group have a “magnified sense in order to track
animals in a hunt. [They usually] have an extremely strong sense of smell, but
some hounds actually have enhanced sight and are referred to as sight hounds.”
Popular: Beagle, Dachshund, Greyhound, Bloodhound.
Working
Breeds in the working group were “originally bred to perform labor
intensive tasks to assist human beings in their daily lives.” Popular: Boxer, Great
Dane, Doberman Pinscher, Saint Bernard.
Terrier
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Breeds in the terrier group have distinctive looks compared to the other
groups, they have “unique facial structures and unique wired coats) and
personality.” Popular: Bull Terrier, Irish Terrier, Parson Russell Terrier, Norwich
Terrier.
Toy
The toy group is characterized by “dogs with small size but strong
personalities.” Popular: Chihuahua, Miniature Pinscher, Italian Greyhound.
Non-sporting
For the non-sporting group, there is no real definition. Though many of the
“dogs in this group have recognizable ancestors in the hound, terrier, sporting
and even working groups.” Popular: Bulldog, Poodle, Boston Terrier.
Herding
The herding group represents a “sub-section of the working group:
namely, those dogs that were bred and excelled at herding tasks (as opposed to
other working tasks).” Popular: German Sheppard, Collie.17
In the AKC there are 11 breeds in the Miscellaneous Class and just 2 in
the CKC. The Miscellaneous Class is basically a list of pending breeds; waiting
their turn to become eligible to compete in a variety group at shows. But even
before entering this class, the Board, along with the national club must decide the
variety group for the breed. After a limited time in the class a date would be set,
at which time the breed would become eligible to compete in a variety group at
all-breed dog shows.
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Created by the AKC, the Foundation Stock Services (FSS) main purpose
is to give information and answer things about the rare purebreds that are not
currently able to be registered with the AKC. There are presently 53 breeds on
the list.
Rescue groups
Rescue groups are organizations (some volunteer based) that save
canines from “irresponsible” owners or owners that want to disown their dog, and
find a more loving and caring home for it. The organizations usually focus on one
type of breed, only a few rescue groups handle all breeds.
American Breed Rescue Groups: http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm
Canadian Breed Rescue Groups: http://www.canadogs.com/Rescue.htm
Conclusion and System Design
In analyzing any potential computer system for a kennel club an
understanding of how the organization fits into the larger framework of national
and international kennel clubs, breeders, and competitions is necessary. For
those larger organizations tasked with defining or publishing standards for many
breeds, or for more focused organizations concerned with a single pedigree, the
accurate maintenance of a genealogical registry is of primary importance.
Though many canine registries date to the Victorian era, the needs of an
organization today demand some form of database management system to
maintain, update, and query the data (as is required in the preparation of
statistics such as most popular breed18). Appendix 1 shows typical American
Kennel Club stud book data imported into Microsoft Excel. Their are many
constraints on the data which must be reflected in the database such as the
proper issuance of a unique ID for each dog as well as the existence of entries
corresponding to the dog's sire and dam. The AKC does not publicly release all
stud book data; rather, that data which is necessary for a particular breeder or
enthusiast is delivered via email in the format of a delimited text file 19. The
suitability of an RDBMS to generate such data (perhaps as the result of a single
query) is evident.
Other more working-dog oriented organizations such as the Jack Russell
Terrier Club of America (JRTCA) require "a 4-generation (minimum) pedigree,
signed by the breeder" in order to ensure compliance with strict standards
concerning inbreeding. This is ensured by "maintain[ing] a database of
pedigrees, and provid[ing] a 5-generation JRTCA pedigree with each registration,
showing as much information as available."20 Confirmation that a dog does not
exceed the strict JRTCA 16% inbreeding coefficient cannot be completed without
for example "determining each of the possible paths from the father to the mother
going through a common ancestor". This requires a set of database queries as
complex as the level of depth in the search21.
From even this rudimentary analysis one concludes that the system
requirements of any kennel club are extremely varied. In addition to challenges
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faced by many organizations, such as the need for proper human resource
management or the proper maintenance of customer data, even the
requirements governing breed registration present additional avenues of
complexity than those noted above. The American Kennel Club has recently
begun requiring DNA registration in certain cases such as for frequent sires or for
dogs bread by invitro fertilization.22 Naturally, the storage and use of such data
in maintaining the integrity of the registry constitutes an area of technology
specialization unto itself.
Ultimately, with the popularity of dogs and dog shows remaining strong,
Kennel Clubs of all sizes will continue to play a strong role in all aspects of dog
breeding, exhibition, and commerce. Likewise, any potential kennel club
computer system must fully account for these widely varied business areas in its
design and implementation.
Official Standard of the Golden Retriever - Golden Retriever Club of America,
http://www.grca.org/StandProgs/standard.htm, Accessed 09/15/2008.
2
BBC may cut Crufts over disease-riddled pedigree breeds - Telegraph; Chris
Ivan; Aug 19, 2008; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2583235/BBC-may-cutCrufts-over-disease-riddled-pedigree-breeds.html/; Accessed 09/15/2008.
3
AKC Versus the Border Collie - USBCC, http://www.bordercollie.org/akc.html,
Accessed 09/15/2008.
4
Walkowicz, Chris (1996), The Perfect Match, a Dog Buyer's Guide, New York:
Wiley Publishing, Inc., p. 16 : Quoted in Wikipedia - Purebred (dog),
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purebred_(dog), Accessed Accessed 09/15/2008.
1
American Kennel Club – Counting points at dog shows,
http://www.akc.org/events/conformation/counting_points.cfm]. Accessed Sept 15
5
2008.
6
American Kennel Club - AKC/Eukanuba National Championship
http://www.akc.org/invitational/2008/qualify.cfm?text_event_number=2008277101, Accessed
Sept 16 2008.
7
American Kennel Club - Purebred Alternative Listing/Indefinite Listing Privilege
http://www.akc.org/reg/ilpex.cfm, Accessed Sept 16 2008.
An event in which entered dogs are "required to be in assigned areas (on
benches) at all times when not being judged in the ring." : About Dog Shows - Judging &
Standards, Dog Show Groups & Terminology - WestminsterKennelClub.org;
http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/dogshows/aboutdogshows.html; Accessed
09/14/2008.
9
American Kennel Club - History of the American Kennel Club,
http://www.akc.org/about/history.cfm, Accessed 09/14/2008.
10
American Kennel Club - AKC Delegate Directory and Member Club Search,
http://www.akc.org/insideAKC/delegates/delegates_search.cfm, Accessed 09/14/2008.
11
Charter and Bylaws of The American Kennel Club, Inc.; Adopted January 5,
1909. Amended to December 4, 2007; Accessed 09/14/2008 at
http://www.akc.org/pdfs/rulebooks/RCNA01.pdf
12
American Kennel Club - AKC Magazines - AKC Gazette,
http://www.akc.org/pubs/gazette/, Accessed 09/15/2008.
13
American Kennel Club - Government Relations including Canine Legislation,
http://www.akc.org/canine_legislation/, Accessed 09/15/2008.
14
The AKC Pet Health Care Plan, http://www.akcpethealthcare.com/, Accessed
09/15/2008.
8
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American Kennel Club - Dog Registration Questions,
http://www.akc.org/contact/answer_center/faq_dogreg.cfm/, Accessed 09/15/2008.
16
“About the Canadian Kennel Club.” Canadian Kennel Club. 15 Sept 2008.
Canadian Kennel Club. 15 Sept 2008 http://www.ckc.ca/en/Default.aspx?tabid=75
17
“Understanding the different dog groups?” Dog breed groups. 2005-2006. The
Dog Guide. 15 Sept 2008. http://www.dogguide.net/group.php
18
AKC Dog Registration Statistics, http://www.akc.org/reg/dogreg_stats.cfm,
Accessed 09/15/2008.
19
Importing AKC Stud Book Data Into Excel,
http://www.akc.org/pdfs/clubs/studbook_excel.pdf, Accessed 09/15/2008.
20
Jack Russell Terrier: JRTCA: The JRTCA Registry,
http://www.therealjackrussell.com/jrtca/registry.php, Accessed 09/15/2008.
21
How to compute an inbreeding coefficient,
http://www.braquedubourbonnais.info/en/inbreeding-calculation.htm, Accessed
09/15/2008.
22
American Kennel Club - DNA Certification Program,
http://www.akc.org/dna/certify.cfm, Accessed 09/15/2008.
15
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