Question on AKC Purebreed dogs.....?

Question

OK - people spend big $ for a purebreed because the AKC standards reassure that the puppies will grow up to the same standards of their parents regarding bone structure, weight and size, especially in small dogs. So you buy a very small dog, pay big bucks, and the puppy grows up 5-7 lbs bigger than their parents. Of course you love the dog and wouldn't trade it for the world! But should the breeder be held accountable in some way since, after all, the registration mark is stamped on the papers and you paid a high price because of the so-called guarantee? Please, no "shame on you" comments. This is strictly hypothetical.

Answer 1

If a dog comes with AKC papers and has a valid pedigree showing good lineage, there is no way for him to grow up out of standard except for genetic disorders or a health defect. If the breeder tested and guaranteed the pup to not have any genetic disorder, then yes they can be held accountable.
But if a dog grows up to be out of standard and just has ho-hum papers and not a lengthy pedigree, then the breeder probably was not doing a very good job and was producing run of the mill puppies, so what do you expect?

Oh, and a super high price means nothing these days. My top of the line Champion, Best of Breed Golden Retriever cost me $2100, but some stupid wreckless backyard breeders are selling their mixed breed mut designer dogs for over $2000, even up to $3000!!
You can easily get a healthy, pet-quality purebred dog from a great breeder that will remain healthy, and pay less than $700.

Answer 2

AKC standards state what the "perfect" dog of that breed should look like but that is no guarantee that the people that breed their dogs even read the standard. Just because the parents are small does not mean their parents were not oversized or even purebred. AKC is just a registering organization, your car is registered with the county you live but all cars have the same registration whether a 2007 Hummer or 1995 Caravan covered in rust. Many dogs have fake papers and there are BYB that own several of the same breed that are all together so no one knows which male or combination of males made the females pregnant. Even so called top breeders have had their AKC privileges revoked due to not using the right dog as the stud the people paid for . They used a son so the pups would look OK, but got the big bucks for the Dad's name and his was on the papers. They got snagged and all his pups had to be DNA tested as all the papers were invalid. Even in careful breeders who test for everything and know most of the dogs in the pedigree there will always be mismarked, oversized, undersized, bad bites, and health problems due to the fact you can not breed out everything. Most pet quality pups are healthy just have a disqualifying fault from the show ring such as the wrong size or bad bite.

Answer 3

Sometimes a puppy is bigger sometimes smaller than what the standard specifies.
Good breeders strive for these standards but there are dogs that are not always withing the standard. I would say most important the breeder is concerned with breeding healthy puppies.

If you purchased a show quality dog then I would have a talk. If you paid for a pet then that's exactly what you got. hat would mean you have a written contract with the breeder to show the dog in AKC events.

There is nothing wrong with your dog if he is just a bit larger. I would just make sure he looks proportionate to what the breed standards are. Some standards have a very small variation on size and height others are very large. Some breeds like the Irish Terrier are much larger than the standard as it is changing. You might have a 5-7 pound difference from the standard weight.

Just make sure your dog is eating the proper diet for his breed and size. This can also affect adult size.

Answer 4

Should the breeder be held accountable in some way? No. AKC papers are not a guarantee of quality. The AKC does not have any real authority over breeders or dog owners. They are simply a registry...they keep a list of purebred dogs and occasionally ban breeders whose breeding and husbandry practices are so horrid that they merit charges of cruelty. The only thing they are a guarantee of is that the dog is purebred and that it's parents were registered with the AKC. And even then, registration records are just that...records. They are only as accurate as the person who is writing them makes them to be. Some breeders are sloppy about recording their breeding practices and may make mistakes while others are downright disreputable and will deliberately falsify papers (if it is a case of the latter, then that is misrepresenting the puppies and the breeder should be held responsible and accountable for that).

Answer 5

If you are truely buying an AKC purebred, 9 out of 10 good breeders will be able to supply you with a PEDIGREE that not only gives the parents of your puppy, but also the grand and greatgrand-parents. The AKC "standard" is every breeders dream. However, just like people, the dogs can pick up traits as far back as 3 generations (and on a few occassions, even farther back). The idea of breeding select dogs is to try to rid them of certain "defects" while trying to enhance the breed expectations (for lack of a better word.) It is up to the buyer to know exactly what to ask for and what to expect in return prior to spending the big $'s a large number of breeders are asking.

Answer 6

The problem is the AKC is only a registering body..it has no control over individual breeding practices...also there are so many irresponsible breeders out there that don't bother to bred for the standard so this is why there are so many dogs that don't meet standard, are bigger/smaller then standard calls for, etc...far too many people are just putting together any dog of the same breed that have papers and just cranking out puppies.
Also AKC has nothing to do with breed standard..only the parent clubs do. Having AKC papers does not mean that a particular dog meets standard or that it should be bred. This is why responsible breeders use limited registration and spay/neuter contracts.
Unless you buy from a responsible, ethical breeder who breeds for breed standard, health, temperament, longevity then you have no guarantee.

Answer 7

Did you buy a teacup from a reputable breeder? Teacups are just runts and if you got a teacup from a good breeder (meaning the parents were regular size and your dog was labeled teacup because it was the runt) then it is likely that the dog just grew up.

On the other hand....it sounds more like you bought your dog from a fake AKC breeder or...someone who has AKC registered dogs but isn't a real AKC breeder. Its easy to get AKC papers....but these dogs are usually not high priced. A lot of people will sell them for cheaper because of such bad genes. If the dog is bigger than its parents then it may be due to bad genes. Glad you love your puppy but if you want quality make sure you check out the *breed name* club of America or w/e (example.... Pomeranian club of America) These national clubs sometimes only let in the best of the best breeders. They have a breeder referral page. Or you can go to AKC.org and go to the breeder referral page.

Answer 8

The breeder would not be held accountable if you had a puppy from a litter and the puppy ended up being bigger than the standard. Usually, breeders only have quarantees on things like health problems common to the breed.

Being AKC registered isnt any kind of "Stamp of Guaranteed Size and Weight." All it is, is a quarantee of the dogs breed and its pedigree.

For example; If you tried to get a refund on your 1200.00 prized poodle because she ended up 8 pounds bigger than mom and out of the standard, chances are they will say, some dogs are bigger than others.

Your best chance to prevent something like that is to do TONS of research on the breeder and see what past litters have been like.

Answer 9

Contact the breeder and ask for your papers. If you have a written contract, or an ad stating that the puppies are AKC registerable, you can threaten to sue if the breeder doesn't produce the promised papers. If you don't a contract or other written proof, and only have the breeder's word for it, then you have little chance of winning a lawsuit. If the breeder did not give you the papers with the puppies, it is very likely that the parents aren't registered and the puppies aren't registerable. The breeder is supposed to register the litter when it born, and then the AKC sends the breeder "blue slips"--one for each puppy--that the breeder is then supposed to give to the buyers of the puppies, and the new owners send them in to the AKC to register their pups. Find out why you didn't get your blue slip. If you know for certain that the sire and dam were registered, and you know their registered names and the name of the breeder, you can contact the AKC for help, but it is unlikely they can do anything unless the breeder acknowledges the litter. Never buy a puppy without a written contract, and never accept a puppy without it's papers.

Answer 10

In my opinion, it would depend on whether or not you are using the dog for conformation showing, and what kind of contract you signed with the breeder. If both of the parents met the standard for the breed, i don't think there were any bad intentions on the breeders part; it's just a fluke thing that happens. I'd probably be able to better understand your situation if i knew what kind of dog it was, but to the best of my knowledge, weight is not part of the standard so much as height. If it's within the correct size, height-wise, and not overweight, i wouldn't worry too much about 5-7lbs.