Registries

My dogs are all registered in the American Kennel Club (AKC), the United Kennel Club (UKC), the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC), and the International All-Breed Association.  Please note that anywhere on this site that I have used the acronym "CKC" I am referring to the Canadian Kennel Club.  There is another registry in the United States that uses the acronym CKC - the so-called "Continental Kennel Club".  Although I have no personal knowledge of this registry, it is not generally held in high regard.  I have no affiliation with the Continental Kennel Club whatsoever.

AKC:  The AKC was founded in 1884 as a foundation of kennel clubs and originally included some Canadian clubs which later withdrew and formed the CKC.  Many people consider AKC to be the most prestigious purebred dog registry in the United States.  AKC offers titling and events in many disciplines but is often associated with conformation.  One of the two most famous dog shows in the world, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show held every February, is sanctioned by AKC (the other contender for most famous dog show is Crufts in London).  AKC also holds a National Championship show, sponsored in recent years by Eukanuba, every December.  Contrary to popular belief, non-purebred dogs and purebred dogs of breeds not recognized by AKC can compete and win titles in AKC events through the PAL/IPL and Canine Partners programs.  AKC does not offer membership, although many of the parent breed clubs under the AKC umbrella do, and local single breed, group, and all-breed clubs under the AKC umbrella offer membership (for example, I am a member of both the Licking River Kennel Club and Columbus All-Breed Training Center, see below.)  I am currently seeking membership in the National Beagle Club (NBC), which is the parent breed club for beagles in AKC.

UKC:  The UKC was founded 1898, ostensibly to focus on working dogs as opposed to AKC's focus on conformation.  However, some people argue that the UKC founder wanted to register his pit bull, which AKC did not recognize as a breed.  Although many things have changed over the years, UKC does still carry on this tradition by placing more focus on working dogs (in particular, coon hunting and other field activities) than conformation, and UKC still recognizes far more breeds than AKC and is often seen as a first step towards gaining breed recognition in the United States.  The major show sanctioned by UKC every year is called "Premier" and although I have yet to attend one, I understand it is a smorgasborg of fun activities for both dogs and owners.  UKC prides itself on being more family focused than AKC (which is sometimes criticized as too stuffy and political) and UKC is far stricter about forbidding artifical enhancement of the dog's appearance and forbidding professional handlers.  So UKC shows are much smaller, much friendlier, and much less intimidating; however, without the professionals and the "professional techniques" of making dogs look better than they are, UKC also loses out on the higher money stakes among breeders and owners and thus is generally considered less prestigious.

CKC:  The CKC split off from the AKC in 1888 and is therefore very similar to AKC, although quite a bit smaller.  In formality and size, CKC shows feel like they fall right between AKC and UKC shows.  Laws regulating dog ownership in Canada allow only one breed registry in any given breed, so CKC is by far the largest and most recognized purebred breed registry in Canada and dogs registered with CKC cannot be registered with any other Canadian registry, although they can be registered with other, foreign registries as my dogs are.  CKC is regarded with some prestige in the United States, although AKC is considered more prestigious.  I do not know how Canadians perceive the CKC's status compared to AKC, but I do know that a top winning dog in CKC will almost invariably be send down to the U.S. at its prime to test its mettle against the AKC big shots, whereas a top winning dog in AKC probably won't play in CKC unless it's owner happnes to live close to the border, and even then only after it retires from its AKC career.  CKC does offer membership that comes with benefits and responsibilities.  I am a member of CKC in good standing.

IABCA: The International All-Breed Canine Association exists to bring European-style dog shows, which differ dramatically from American style shows in process, titling, and honors, to the United States.  IABCA is not held in very high esteem among AKC competitors...because really nothing other than CKC is held in respectable esteem among AKC competitors...but it is viewed as a fun, interesting, and often valuable venue among UKC competitors.  The primary value of IABCA is the judging style.  In AKC, UKC, and CKC conformation, the dogs are examined closely for perhaps a minute, evaluated in their movement for maybe another minute, and the winners are chosen with no explanation or justification required of the judge.  Conformation titles in AKC, UKC, and CKC require that other dogs are beaten, so if the other dogs in the area are very high quality, a champion-worthy dog may never be able to obtain a champion title.  On the other hand, if the other dogs in the area are of poor quality, or if the owner is willing to "stack" the ring by intentionally entering poor quality dogs, a poorer quality dog can finish its champion title.  In IABCA, each dog is thoroughly examined both moving and standing, and the judge writes a written critique of the dog, explaining the judge's reasoning, which is provided to the exhibitor.  Although a Best of Breed winner is selected by the judge, any dog in the ring can earn points towards a champion title depending on the judge's evaluation of its conformation quality as compared to the written standard and the written standard only.  It is this written feedback that can be invaluable to an exhibitor and be used to focus his or her efforts in any of the other breed registries.

Another acronym heard in purebred dog circles is FCI.  This stands for Federation Cynologique Internationale and is a worldwide dog registry used primarily outside the United States and Canada.  AKC, CKC, and FCI all respect each others' registrations.  I am not a member of FCI and my dogs are not registered with FCI because the AKC, CKC, UKC, and IABCA meet all my registration and competition needs,and because FCI does not hold events in the U.S. or Canada.