Akc Registered Dog Breeds - What Is It All About

Shop for any dog and you will soon see the acronym "AKC Dog Breed" used over and over again. What does "AKC" mean? The AKC is the American Kennel Club, which is the registry for all purebred puppies in the United States.

This club holds obedience competitions and dog shows, maintains dog standards and registers puppies of AKC-recognized breeds. Simply put, this is the benchmark by which all dogs are judged against to be seen as purebreds. There are over 100 different dog breeds registered with the AKC.

You do, however, need documentation from both the puppies parents In order to register the puppy. Purebred litters are registered shortly after the puppies are born. The breeder will get registration forms to enter individual puppies into the AKC registration when the litter is 2 months old. When the new owner of the puppy names their pet, they can register and send the application into the AKC for official recognition.

There are eight different types of AKC dog breeds, including the Hound Group, the Sporting Group, the Working Group, the Non-Working Group, the Toy Group and the Terrier Group. Each dog competes within their group and within its breed during competitions.

The Hound Group is dogs that work as excellent hunters and love to chase other animals. They can be either slow and methodical or fast and impatient like the Greyhound.

Next, the Sporting Group is active, hard-working dogs. They need to expend their energy through exercise and can spend hours happily fetching and spotting objects for their masters. The Golden Retriever and Cocker Spaniel are dogs belonging to the Sporting Group.

The Working Group is breeds such as the Doberman Pinschers or Rottweilers. Their main priority is to safeguard their territory and family. They tend to be strong and full of spirit, with a innate desire to safeguard and keep watch.

There is also the Non-Working Group, which is a category for dogs that do not belong to the other groups. Everything from the Standard Poodle to the Boston Terrier belong to this group.

As the name hints, the Toy Group consists of dogs that are smaller in size, an example being the Miniature Pinscher.

Finally, the Terrier Group shows animals that love to hunt mice, including Yorkies and Scottish Terriers.

AKC has a category, the Miscellaneous Group for dogs which are in the process of getting accreditation in the registry. Although AKC is the most well-known club in USA, there are other clubs like the United Kennel Club, the American Canine Association, the Canine Kennel Club and the North American Purebred Dog Registry.

Owners can request that their dogs be accredited with the AKC and submit a formal request, allowing AKC to assess their application. British dogs, for example, go through the Kennel Club, while Australian dogs are registered in the Victorian Canine Association and Canadian dogs apply to the Canadian Kennel Club.