Why AKC limited registration?

Question

I've been reading with great interest involving limited AKC reg.
It has been stated in here a few times that a reputable breeder will limit the reg. of a pet quality puppy. After inquiring with 25 breeders that sell their puppies with a limited reg. all 25 of these breeders are willing to lift the limited reg. for anywhere between 100-400 more. Are these breeders still considered reputable or rip offs?

Breeders are willing to lift the limited reg. for more money.

I know I'm going to open a can of worms here. My opinion, by selling a puppy with a limited reg. does not prevent anyone from breeding that puppy (dog) all it prevents is reg. thru AKC. If the people have the AKC puppy reg. they can easily register it trough a different registry. I may be missed informed but am I correct?

I very much appriciate and value all of your opinions and comments. This is a topic I chose to write about for my Vet Tech class.

Answer 1

Selling on Limited Registration does not automatically make a breeder "reputable". Many ethical breeders use it, but there's much more to it!

If these people were willing to lift the Limited Reg. for more money, I wouldn't consider them reputable. That's kinda not what it's about.

ADDED: You are correct. Someone with a dog with AKC Limited Reg could breed it and register the puppies with a crap registry such as the ConKC if they felt compelled to do so. This is why many breeders also use a spay/neuter contract (correctly written and enforceable), also offer "rebates" on the dog's purchase price with proof of spay or neuter (personally, I give $50 back to the buyer to help offset the surgery cost), and keep in contact with their puppy people to ensure that the spay/neuter is done at the proper age.

Answer 2

A breeder should never lift limited registration for more money..the only reason a breeder would lift limited and make it full would be if the buyer wanted to show in conformation and the breeder felt that the dog was of show quality..any other reason would be a red flag..a sign of an irresponsible breeder. Also a breeder if they were to lift registration to full would only charge the difference in price between a show quality puppy and a pet quality puppy..although most responsible breeders don't have a difference in price..it costs the same amount of money to raise a pet quality puppy as it does a show quality puppy.
A responsible breeder never lifts a limited registration from a puppy just because the buyer wants full registration or just to get more money.

A responsible breeder will also sell ALL puppies on limited registration with spay/neuter agreements and they wil lfollow up to make sure it is carried out.
Yes there are some unscrupulous buyers out there that go against the contract and the limited registration and will breed anyway and will register with one of the scam registries. While this does sometimes happen and has happened to responsible breeders it doesn't happen as often to them as it does other breeders because they usually carefully screen buyers and do follow ups.

Answer 3

What I come to find out, first of all let me say this, No Breeder should lift the Limited Registration for more money. If they want Limited Reg. then they should stand by that decision and if they do take more money then they put that clause in them so they can make more money.

Doing this is the reason CKC was born. People will buy the puppies and double register them. I also know of a breeder who sales her puppies without papers, people really don't care. Same for the spay/neuter contract. My friend offers a 100.00 rebate for proof. Some do it some don't. I know of some that spay and neuter their puppies before they leave their home. I don't believe in that.

You can do all you can but people will find ways around things. Same for breeder who tell someone the reason a puppy cost more because she has a chip, a thumb print on their head, Or a little red in her ears. The stories I can tell you about what some breeders says about their Shih Tzu's to get more money. The shame of it is they thrive on people who don't know. All I can say here if there is a will there is a way.

Answer 4

Limited Registration means that the dog is registered but no litters produced by that dog are eligible for registration (AKC.org). This allows your dog to remain registered as a pure bred dog and give you the bragging rights to it. It says that your dog has flaws in confirmation or personality that prevent it from being a good dog to use as a breeding stock. Reputable breeders will require a dog to be spayed or neutered with the limited registration. They feel this puppy doesn't have enough good qualities to continue breeding in the line. These qualities can be confirmation, health or temperment. This doesn't mean the puppy is bad, just that it's not as perfect as the other dogs in the litter (remember they are looking for the best dogs they can get to improve the health and look of the breed). Ask what makes the puppy limited. If it is not health or temperment I would go with the limited registration puppy, however reputable breeders will NOT lift this limitation for any price. I would go elsewhere.

Unless you plan to show or breed you do not need a puppy with full registration. Good luck.

Answer 5

At the young age of 8-10 wks, it can be difficult to determine whether they are show quality or not. VERY rarely do you get a full litter of show quailty pups. Some breeder will place them on limited registration and evaluate them at 6 months of age and may or may not consider having Limited registration lifted.

MOST puppies that go on Limited Registration are either already spayed/neutered or sold on a spay/neuter contract. With this, you don't usually get the papers until proof from a vet that the dog has been sexually altered.

Keep in mind a pet pup (w/ limited reg) is going to cost you less than a show potential pup (w/ full reg), so yes, they will probably ask for the difference AS WELL AS the $25 the AKC charges for the filing fee!

So I'd have to say, no, it is not unheard and I would not consider it unreputable of a breeder to do such.

What are your intentions if they lift the Limited Registration?

Answer 6

Breeders use limited registration to protect their breeding program. Any offspring of Limited Registered dogs can not be registered at all.

A limited registered dog can compete in any AKC sport EXCEPT the breed ring. If you purchase a dog for a pet, have that animal neutered/spayed a Limited Registration should make no difference at all...

Answer 7

Not all breeders do that. There is an explanation of why they do that. Say if two people buy shih tzu puppies, at different breeders. Person one, gets limited, because they have no plans on showing their dogs, or breeding them. That means when someone breeds their dogs for money, to get AKC reg. puppies, then they can't register them hence, they will be worth less. It is vice versa for the other person.

I plan to show my dogs, so they have full registration. It is a matter of fact, so people will not be selling them at 3,000 on the internet. Or giving their pups to the pound.

Answer 8

My My, I am amazed. I see an entirely different "purpose" for AKC limited registration. I do not agree that it controls breeding, just who is breeding AKC registered dogs. While said dog can still be bred, It certainly limits a buyer from purchasing an AKC dog except from one of the controlling breeders, and without breeding rights. That's right, NO breeding for you. Just as a limited gene pool is not viewed as healthy for a breed, how can limiting just "who" is qualified to be a breeder be so? It would appear to be an excellent marketing ploy basically eliminating competition for sellers of puppies. As to the point of AKC "show quality" being the metric against which quality is determined, I find an extremely narrow view. I have been a breeder of labradors from AKC Field Trial lines none of which would have been "quality" based on this concept, yet many became AKC Field Champions and Qualified Open All Age dogs. Working dogs do not usually look like their show counterparts. For example, look at your National Champions, dogs with heart, soundness, trainability and intelligence, and tell me they are not top quality. Perhaps only Field Champion Quality dogs should be bred, but then, how do you predict a Field Champion at 8 weeks??? Many are from untitled parents, most all are Not show quality. Your puppy buyers have the potential to be the next generation of owners and breeders of dogs capable of becoming titled in all types of AKC competitions. Give them what they are paying for, THE WHOLE DOG. They are tomorrow's breeders. Let them show you what they can do with the dog, breeders, you may be amazed, even proud. Is it not arrogance to promote the idea that others wanting to breed are incapable of doing exactly what todays breeders are doing. It is not rocket science. It is love of the breed, your breed.

Answer 9

The lifting of the limit should not have anything to do with money. A reputable breeder puts a limit on pets as they are not to be bred for various reasons. Stating they will lift the limit for more money indicates to me that they really do not give a rats a$$ about their dogs and only interested in money. A pet is a pet is a pet and should not be used for breeding. These kinds of shady breeders are the reason that animal rescues and shelters are full. Run away from these so called 'reputable' breeders and deal with one who puts the welfare and safety of their pups and their breed before their pocketbooks.

Answer 10

this limited registration is a way for breeders and AKC TO RIP YOU OFF..never was told this upon purchasing a champion pup.Breeders do not want to tell you because you will take that cash to someone else so it is added on the sly which creates a legal loophole..this way breeders are covered by legal AKC DOCUMENT..then AKC TAKES YOUR CASH and you are informed this pup will never show or have a registered pup in the future.. now breeders are protected, you are never a threat with your acomplishments because you cant show. no show pups bred by you that can be registered and akc takes your money and informs you that you are S.O.L. I thought this was America,, buy a dog and you own it.. AKC oversteps your rights and are actually more devious than the breeders. so I pay 96.00 dollars for a major screw job.A small single paper which states your champ mutt cant show or breed.