Canadian Kennel Club
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Kennel Club (or C.K.C.) is the primary registry
body for purebred
dog
pedigrees in Canada
. Beyond maintaining the pedigree registry, the C.K.C. also promotes events such as conformation show
s and obedience trial
s for purebred dogs and confers championship and other titles in conformation, obedience and similar competitions.
The Canadian Kennel Club is a national, member-based, non-profit organization, incorporated under the Animal Pedigree Act of Canada. Founded in 1888, it provides registry services for all the 174 dog breed
s which it currently recognizes, and provides governance for all C.K.C. approved shows, trial and events. C.K.C. provides news and information to its membership through its association with Dogs in Canada
monthly magazine.
For a dog to be registered with the C.K.C., the dog's parents must be registered with the C.K.C. as the same breed, and the litter in which the dog is born must be registered with the C.K.C. Foreign-born dogs are registered as imports by C.K.C. provided that they are registered with a C.K.C. approved and recognized foreign registry and identified in accordance with C.K.C. regulations. Once these criteria are met, the dog is eligible to be registered as purebred by the C.K.C.
C.K.C. is not the only Canadian registry of purebred dogs, but it is the one most Canadians are familiar with. The Animal Pedigree Act provides that only one official registry per breed may exist in Canada, and other breeds not recognised by C.K.C. are registered by other registries such as the Canine Federation of Canada and the Working Canine Association of Canada. C.K.C. members may only breed C.K.C. recognised breeds and are required to sign a membership pledge not to engage in the buying, selling or breeding of dogs not purebred (purebred being defined as eligible for C.K.C. registration).
Registration is necessary for dogs who will participate in purebred conformation show
s or who will be used for purebred breeding. Most breeders prefer to register their eligible puppies, even if they are not of show quality, either because there is a better market for registered dogs or because the puppy might have characteristics that could produce championship stock if careful genetic planning takes place.
Breed registry
A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young...
body for purebred
Purebred
Purebreds, also called purebreeds, are cultivated varieties or cultivars of an animal species, achieved through the process of selective breeding...
dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
pedigrees in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Beyond maintaining the pedigree registry, the C.K.C. also promotes events such as conformation show
Conformation show
Conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...
s and obedience trial
Obedience trial
An obedience trial is a dog sport in which a dog must perfectly execute a predefined set of tasks when directed to do so by his handler. According the American Kennel Club obedience regulations...
s for purebred dogs and confers championship and other titles in conformation, obedience and similar competitions.
The Canadian Kennel Club is a national, member-based, non-profit organization, incorporated under the Animal Pedigree Act of Canada. Founded in 1888, it provides registry services for all the 174 dog breed
Dog breed
Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
s which it currently recognizes, and provides governance for all C.K.C. approved shows, trial and events. C.K.C. provides news and information to its membership through its association with Dogs in Canada
Dogs in Canada
Dogs in Canada is a monthly magazine, which includes 12 monthly issues along with an annual edition, typically released in mid-November. This publication founded in 1889 is Canada's oldest continually-published magazine. It was started as a newsletter for the CKC Canadian Kennel Club, and is owned...
monthly magazine.
For a dog to be registered with the C.K.C., the dog's parents must be registered with the C.K.C. as the same breed, and the litter in which the dog is born must be registered with the C.K.C. Foreign-born dogs are registered as imports by C.K.C. provided that they are registered with a C.K.C. approved and recognized foreign registry and identified in accordance with C.K.C. regulations. Once these criteria are met, the dog is eligible to be registered as purebred by the C.K.C.
C.K.C. is not the only Canadian registry of purebred dogs, but it is the one most Canadians are familiar with. The Animal Pedigree Act provides that only one official registry per breed may exist in Canada, and other breeds not recognised by C.K.C. are registered by other registries such as the Canine Federation of Canada and the Working Canine Association of Canada. C.K.C. members may only breed C.K.C. recognised breeds and are required to sign a membership pledge not to engage in the buying, selling or breeding of dogs not purebred (purebred being defined as eligible for C.K.C. registration).
Registry limitations
As with almost all breed registries, the registration specifies only that the dog is purely of one recognized breed—it does not guarantee that the dog comes from healthy or show-quality bloodlines. Neither is it a reflection on the quality of the breeder or how the puppy was raised. Registration basically provides tracking for known canine ancestry as stated by the breeder of each dog registered, and therefore the possibility of pedigree services. Purebred pedigrees can often be followed back for as much as a century and for perhaps thirty or more generations of registered ancestry.Registration is necessary for dogs who will participate in purebred conformation show
Conformation show
Conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...
s or who will be used for purebred breeding. Most breeders prefer to register their eligible puppies, even if they are not of show quality, either because there is a better market for registered dogs or because the puppy might have characteristics that could produce championship stock if careful genetic planning takes place.
External links
- Official site
- A new direction for kennel club regulations and breed standards The Canadian Veterinary Journal