understanding your dog's papers
© Kelly Ladouceur
North American Canine Registries In North America, there are two main registries for purebred animals. One is the American Kennel Club and the other is the Canadian Kennel Club. For any breed that is even remotely popular or well known in North America, they will be registered with either one of the above-mentioned registries, or even with both. There is a third registry that exists, called the United Kennel Club, however this is primarily a registry for dogs bred to hunt in the Southern US, such as hounds. The United Kennel Club is very popular for conformation and performance events, however it is rarely the primary registry for a breeder. It is typically a secondary registry – one that the dog is registered with after being registered with the AKC or the CKC.
Note that on occasion, breeders import dogs from other countries to show and to use in their breeding program. While these dogs are registered with their native registry (the Kennel Club in Britain, etc) they will also be registered with either the AKC or the CKC (or both), as they must be registered in order to earn a championship title and to be used for breeding.
There are lesser registries that use similar abbreviations to confuse you so be careful and research them.
Reading Registration Papers
CKC - Canadian Kennel Club Registration Certificate
CLICK HERE to see a CKC Registration Certificate
CKC registration papers are very simple to read and understand, with a little bit of education. They are larger than AKC registration papers – they are an 8.5”x11” page, printed in landscape, in tones of blue and gold.
The first line is the information about the dog in question. In this case you see the dog’s registration number (SQ111530) and the dog’s registered name (Silverwood’s Elegantly KLAD). In Canada, it is required that all puppies are registered at birth (using a litter registration form), and then that each puppy is individually registered. It is against the law for a breeder to charge additional money for providing CKC registration papers. Canadian breeders are required to use a kennel name when registering puppies, and the kennel name must be registered with the Canadian Kennel Club. In this dog’s case, the breeder’s kennel name is Silverwood, and it is the first part of the name. When you purchase a puppy from a breeder in Canada, they will always want to put their kennel name first. Some breeders will choose the entire registered name, based on a theme or letter combination that they wish to use. Other breeders will allow you to choose your puppy’s registered name. With the Canadian Kennel Club, you must submit three choices for a registered name, in case your first choice happens to be too close to another dog’s registered name. In the United States, things are a bit different. The breeder is required to register the litter, but they are not required to individually register the puppies prior to selling them. In fact, it is very uncommon for a breeder to register puppies before they are sold – they leave that up to the puppy buyer. Because of this difference, most breeders that use the AKC as their primary registry do not require companion puppies to have their kennel name in the registered name. If the puppy is being sold for show, performance or breeding purposes, the breeder may then choose to require use of their kennel name.
The next line contains several pieces of information. It contains the date that the registration certificate was issued, the breed of dog being registered, and the dog’s date of birth. The line underneath that one contains the litter registration number and the dog’s colour. The next line has the dog’s tattoo or microchip number (required by law in Canada), the dog’s sex, and the number of puppies in the litter, as well as their gender. In this case 2M means 2 males, and 3F means 3 females.
The next line is information about the dog’s sire. In this case, you see the name Buttonwood’s Crown Royal. Although this dog is both a Canadian and American champion, the titles are not listed on the CKC registration certificate, because he is not registered with the CKC (he has an Event Registration Number, or an ERN). The CKC does not print titles earned by a dog with an ERN, nor do they print foreign titles on registration certificates or certified pedigrees. This is why his registration number looks different – it is actually an AKC registration number, as this dog was bred in the United States. Also, you will see behind the dog’s name (USA) which means that the dog is registered in the USA. The line below contains the dam’s information.
The Breeder will always be listed as the owner at birth. The breeder’s information is contained on the next 3 lines. In some instances, such as this one, there is more than one breeder. The numbers in brackets behind the breeders’ names are their CKC membership numbers. Unlike the AKC, the CKC has members, and each member has a number. While not all members are breeders (far from it, as a matter of fact), all breeders that register their dogs are members. The only time you will see a breeder’s name without the membership number is when the dog was bred in another country. In that case, the breeder is most likely not a member of the CKC. If the dog was bred in another country, the information on the last line will be populated, with the dog’s foreign registration number and the name of the Importer. In this case, that area of the registration form is left blank.
The Purchase date (on the second-to-last line) is the date that you purchased the dog from the breeder. The Owner should be yourself (in this case I co-own the dog with the breeder, which is why both of our names are listed as owner). Your address (or portions of it) should follow your name.