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The American Kennel Club
from: Kyle BesserThe American Kennel Club (AKC) is the largest not-for-profit registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. The American Kennel Club was established in 1884 to promote the study, breeding, exhibiting and advancement of purebred dogs.
The AKC also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the National Dog Show, and the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. The AKC approves and maintains the official records of over 15,000 sanctioned and licensed events each year.
The American Kennel Club offers a wide variety of resources to assist everyone from the first-time puppy buyer to the experienced dog owner. The AKC has approximately 500 member clubs and over 4,000 affiliated clubs. These clubs do much more than provide dog shows. They are educational organizations whose activities benefit their entire community. Some AKC club activities include training classes, health clinics, and public education through presentations at schools, fairs, libraries, shelters, hospitals, rescue leagues, scouts and 4-H.
AKC registration means a dog, its parents, and its ancestors are purebred. AKC registration does not guarantee the quality or health of a dog. Dogs registered with the AKC can have their offspring registered and compete in AKC events.
Many people purchasing a dog believe that AKC registration, or AKC papers, guarantee the quality of a dog, but it does not. The AKC is a registry. A registration certificate identifies the dog as the offspring of a known sire and dam, born on a known date.
Quality in the sense of show quality is determined by many factors, including the dog's health, physical condition, ability to move and appearance. Breeders who are breeding show stock are trying to produce offspring that closely resemble the description of perfection for the breed. Many people breed their dogs with no consideration for the qualitative demands of the breed standard. When this occurs repeatedly and over several generations, the offspring can be of low quality while still being purebred. Before buying a dog, especially if buying to show, one should investigate the dog's parentage, the breeder's practices, the breed standard, and the genetic tests recommended by the Parent Club for the breed.
Dog shows are one of many types of AKC dog events in which AKC registered dogs can compete. These events draw over 3 million entries annually. Showing dogs is a great sport combining the thrill of competition and the joy of seeing beautiful dogs.
Conformation events are intended to evaluate dogs as breeding stock. These events ranges range from large all-breed shows with over 3,000 dogs entered to small local specialty club shows featuring a specific breed. The dog's conformation, overall appearance and structure, is judged.
Many dog shows include events that are tests of instinct and trainability, such as obedience trials, Canine Good Citizen tests, field trials, agility trials, lure coursing, rally, hunting tests, herding trials, tracking tests, coonhound and earthdog events. Since conformation is not a factor in these events, dogs with conformation flaws can compete in these events.
AKC dog events have strict rules. Exhibitors in dog shows are required to be familiar with the rules prior to entering a dog show. The rule book, Rules Applying to Dog Shows, can be purchased, but it available free online at www.akc.org/pdfs/rulebooks/RREGS3.pdf.
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