The Kennel Club & why it's important.

We often get asked questions about the Kennel Club & why it's important to select a pup that is registered with them. Firstly, the KC provides a large database for dog registrations that will date back over several generations of a dog's history. From this you can see exactly what type of dog you are buying & that it is pure bred, not crossed with any other breed.

Sadly, although most breeders (especially those with kc accreditation) are reliable, there are many that simply aren't & will try various things in order to simply make money. Puppy farms are the most notorious as they have little or no regard for the health & well being of the dogs (parent or pup). In a puppy farm you could expect there to be a large number of dogs found in an unsuitable & often cramped environment. Other 'dodgy' examples can be adverts that offer pups at a low price but often there is no dog available. You might contact them, as advertising in one location, only for them to ask you to meet elsewhere. It is essential also to see the pup you are buying with the mother so you know where it has come from & that it will be appropriate raised & not maladjusted.

The KC registration obviously comes at a price & provides no guarantee that your pup will not encounter health issues at some point (not unlike humans), but it does offer a platform upon which your pup has the best opportunity to grow & develop fully into an adult dog. The KC also isn't a fool proof system but we feel is the best option out there for genuine breeders.

An example of 5 generation kc pedigree certificate

Often although people seek assurance that their pup is registered with the Kennel Club they don't have a clue what the paperwork actually tells them. The pup that you are buying is obviously at the 'head' or left of the family tree. The next two dogs are the parents & so on to the 5th generation. Should you wish to explore further back or to see the siblings/progeny of any dog registered you can actually do this by registering with the kc website at:

https://www.mykc.org.uk/

"Why the daft names?"

There is actually a valid reason for this. The first word is normally the registered kennel name (or affix) of where the pup is from, eg one of our chosen kennel names is 'puggletricks'. Other kennels with top reputations for breeding include the 'britishglory', 'claybridge' or 'eastonite' kennels etc. This means if you see a pup with that name in it's affix you'll know it came from that particular kennel. The KC block anyone trying to falsely use the kennel names where not applicable. So if you spot a puggletricks etc pup you know it's one of ours.

The second name is often determined by the person buying the pup, or their own kennel name. We set ours up with a generic second name that you are welcome to change should you wish to alter the registration of your pup with the kc (at a price mind). If you were considering breeding then this would be recommended.

So these are simply kennel names & another pointer towards the dog's history, as opposed to a database of dogs simply known by their common names, eg Sandy, Barney etc.

"What do the letters mean?"

Often you will see an abbreviation for a country that a dog may have been imported from, eg Germ = Germany & so on. We have no endorsements on our pups at sale but sometimes people will import/export dogs based on their success at show. Their progeny also may often be sold in a similar way. Again the welfare of the dog has to be the priority & exporting pups around the world is often frowned upon. Some breeders will consequently place an endorsement on their pups that would prevent it from being exported under kc rules. You have to understand that a breeder with a very successful dog at show could command serious money for their offspring. We have had offers to export to India but for obvious reasons turned them down.

CH refers to a champion dog & JW refers to a 'junior warrant' whereby the dog has obtained 25 points between the age of 6-18 months at show. 3 points must also be obtained at Championship Shows for this. As you can see, it can become quite a technical (& competitive) area. In our fawn pups 5 generation pedigree there are 14 champions (a good number we're happy with although you may find less/more in other pups) & there are more in the 6th generation respectively.

As mentioned, this system isn't fool proof & we've actually encountered breeders offering fake kennel club paperwork before. The easiest & most responsible thing to do was to simply report them. What was worse on that particular occasion was that the pups weren't being cared for, fed by a surrogate French Bulldog & at 8 weeks looked around the size of 4 weeks (that's if they were actually 8 weeks at all). So overall we feel a KC pup is without doubt the best way to go.