What do you know about AKC papers?

Question

This is the first time in a long time I've asked a question. A lot of people seem to think AKC papers mean their dog is perfect. Well please take the time to answer the following questions:
1.) True or False: breeders must produce excellent quality pups in order to get AKC papers.
2.) True or False: All AKC papers prove are that the animal you purchase is a purebred.
3.) True or False: When a responsible breeder looks for a good stud to mate her female with, all he/she looks for is a male registered with the AKC. After all--wouldn't the dog have to pass rigorous standards in order to obtain AKC papers?
4.) True or False: AKC papers are extremely expensive; only responsible, caring breeders would take the time to get them, because they must have a combination of money to spare and responsibility to get them. Backyard breeders would not have papers available because they are not responsible and won't shell out money to buy the papers.

10 points for whoever gets the most questions right.

Answer 1

1.) True or False: breeders must produce excellent quality pups in order to get AKC papers.

False. AKC registration alone is not guarantee of quality, as the AKC says itself on it's website:
"AKC is not affiliated with and does not license or endorse any breeders, including those listed on this site. AKC has no control over their business practices and is not liable for any dealings between you and any breeders. AKC does not sell dogs and makes no warranty or guarantee as to the health, quality, parentage or any value of any dogs. The AKC accepts no responsibility for any transaction between seller and buyer. These listings are provided as a service to the public. 

The sires and dams listed on this site are registered with AKC, as are the litters. Individual puppies of these AKC-registered litters, therefore, are eligible to be registered with AKC, subject to compliance with existing AKC Rules, Regulations, Policies and the submission of a properly completed registration application and fee. AKC registration does not indicate the health, quality or value of a dog. AKC registration simply identifies the dog as offspring of a known registered sire and dam. "

2.) True or False: All AKC papers prove are that the animal you purchase is a purebred.

True. Although byb's have been known to falsify papers.

3.) True or False: When a responsible breeder looks for a good stud to mate her female with, all he/she looks for is a male registered with the AKC. After all--wouldn't the dog have to pass rigorous standards in order to obtain AKC papers?

False. A responsible breeder will look for an AKC CHAMPION who has proven his breeding quality through competition. The breeder will study the dog and his pedigree to ascertain if the mating of that stud to his/her female will produce offspring that constitute a viable contribution to the breed. They will also evaluate the GET of the stud to see what traits he is PRODUCING, and require he have all the genetic testing and health clearances for the breed.

4.) True or False: AKC papers are extremely expensive; only responsible, caring breeders would take the time to get them, because they must have a combination of money to spare and responsibility to get them. Backyard breeders would not have papers available because they are not responsible and won't shell out money to buy the papers.

Very often bybs who wish to maximize profit will not want to spend the $$$ to register a litter, but it's not at all expensive. It's one of the lesser expenses of responsible breeding, actually. From the AKC website:
"Fee Information
A litter fee is comprised of two parts: a processing fee of $25.00 plus a puppy fee of $2.00 per live puppy (multiply the total number of live puppies by $2.00)."

Answer 2

1) False. AKC is not the "breed standard police", they are only a centralized registry of purebred dogs. The only requirement is the parents of the pup be AKC registered, not that it be of a certain quality.

2) Mostly yes. (Exceptions apply with puppymills and unethical breeders that claim false dame/sires. But for the most part, 'yes'.)

3) They look for a stud registered with AKC (or recognized equivalent, such as Canadian Kennel Club), but also much more than that! Also look at the quality of animal, the pedigree, health certifications, temperament, how has the stud done in confirmation (champion status) and performance events pertaining to the breed, etc.

4) False. Papers are pretty cheap. Backyard breeders may or may not have papers for their dogs. Having papers is not an indication of a responsible breeder (but the lack of papers definitely is a an indication that the breeder is irresponsible and not reputable.)

Answer 3

#1 True & False, what is contained in the "pedigree papers" does, what is contained in the "registration papers" does not. Both documents are provided by AKC.

#2 True & False , They also make the puppy eligible to be entered in competition. The papers could be fraudulent which is a crime.

#3 True & False Again the information on the pedigree is very important when picking a stud. Also, the OFA and CERF certification numbers of his parents will be listed on his registration papers (or he was born before his parents were certified), as will his numbers be on his puppy's registration. There are many other things that a breeder looks at.

#4 False, quality dog food costs money too, but what does either have to do with the price of the tea.


As you can see your logic really wasn't all that well thaught out. I could have probablly come up with about twenty more exceptions to what you were suggesting.

Answer 4

First the AKC is a registering body only..they have absolutely nothing to do with breed standard or breed quality..all they do is register dogs/puppies..the parent clubs are responsible for the rest.

1) this is of course false...any purebred dog registered with AKC can produce a litter if bred to an AKC registered mate and the resulting litter can be registered once the required paperwork is done.

2) this is pretty much true now with the advent of DNA testing for male dogs, however there are still unscrupulous people who do switch papers and falsify info..so a buyer needs to be very aware of who they are buying from

3) false a good, responsible breeder looks for a mate that has either been shown or evaluated to meet breed standard, has had and passed genetic health testing (not just simple vet exams), has an excellant pedigree,has an excellent temperament and is registered by a legit registry.

4) false AKC papers first off aren't expensive, they can't be "bought" and anyone with a litter eligible for AKC registration can do so by simply taking the time to fill out the application and sending it in with the required fee..pretty simple and pretty affordable.

Answer 5

ALL of them are false.

AKC is only a registration organization. They do not certify quality of dogs being bred, or the people doing the breeding.

Question #2. I was President of a Code of Ethics club for about four years. An issue came up where the owner of a stud dog found out that someone had used his dog at stud when the dog was at the second person's facility to be trained. The second person had forged the stud dog owner's name on the litter registration papers. Etc. AKC did nothing about it. So I know from first hand knowledge that there is the potential for chicanery going on.

Question #3. Some breeders will look for stud dogs outside of the US. Those stud dogs aren't necessarily registered with the AKC. Puppies can get registered.

AKC litter registration is quite inexpensive.

Answer 6

All of the answers to those questions are false.
AKC registeres litters produce by registered dogs. They never see the pups nor do they ask if they were born blind deaf or missing legs only how many you want to register in the litter.
The papers prove nothing unless the breeder tells the truth. Many lie
There are no standards to get AKC papers only that the litter was registered when born. No testing or anything required.
Papers are only about $25 to register your pet dog.
AKC is a registration service no more no less. That is what they do register and maintain a list of dogs and who the parents are. That is all.

Answer 7

1- FALSE
2- True but I have seen many many that certainly look less than pure. Many that look like any mutt mixed with shepherd.
3- FALSE - not a decent breeder. A hilljack byb
4-FALSE - if they can get them they will the filling fee is nothing compared to the ignorant will give them thinking they are getting a deal on a pure akc registered pos.

Sorry Im in a pissy mood today

Answer 8

1. False- puppy millers can get papers for their dogs.
2. False- the puppymillers can say any dog is purebred as long as they have a male and female purebred of that breed on premises or as a stud.
3. False- they look for championship winners, who have been certified and genetically tested. Of course they are AKC registered but that's just the beginning.
4. False- don't know how much they are but puppymills can afford them

Lots of false.

Answer 9

1) False
2) Semi-True. It's true that they mean nothing more than that the pup is purebred and states who the parents/breeder are, but papers can be falsified, so they are not an absolute guarantee that the pup is purebred.
3) False
4) False

Answer 10

what is your obsession with akc?

1 false
2 true
3 false
4 false

There is a purpose to the papers. To try and maintain a clean breed. Also helps keep track of bloodlines and genetic traits