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. The terms "stud book" and "register" are also used to refer to lists of male animals "standing at stud", that is, those animals actively breeding, as opposed to every known specimen of that breed.

Types of registries

There are breed registries and breed clubs for several species of animal, such as dogs, horses, cows and cats. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) also maintains stud books for captive species on display ranging from aardvaarks to zebras.^*

Kennel clubs always maintain registries, either directly or through affiliated breed clubs. Some multi-breed clubs also maintain registries, as do non-affiliated breed clubs, and there are a few registries that are maintained by other private entities such as insurance agencies; an example of this in the United States is the Field Dog Stud Book. Working dog organizations also maintain registries.

There are also entities which refer to themselves as registries, but which are thinly-veiled marketing devices for vendors of puppies and adult dogs, as well as a means of collecting registration fees from novice dog owners unfamiliar with reputable registries and breed clubs.^* Though these entities generally focus on dogs, particularly in relationship to the puppy mill industry, some are marketed as cat registries. At least one group claims to register wild species (held by private individuals rather than by legitimate zoological parks, which use the AZA).

Many such questionable registries are incorporated as for-profit commercial businesses, in contrast to the formal not-for-profit status of most reputable breed clubs. They may provide volume discounts for registrations by commercial dog breeders such as puppy mills. They may not require any proof of pedigree at all. They may not sponsor competitions, and thus cannot award championship points to identify the best individuals registered within a particular breed or species.

Some registers have the word "registry" in their title used in the sense of "list"; these entities are not registers in the usual sense in that they do not maintain breeding records, as the listed animals are required to be de-sexed. The American Mixed Breed Obedience Registry is an example.

Types of stud books

Closed

In a closed stud book, the parents must also be registered in this or another registry for the breed that the organization maintaining the registry will accept (such as that in another country). This ensures that the animal is a purebred member of the breed. The animals accepted by the stud book prior to closing are known as foundation stock. All animals registered as members of a particular breed with a closed stud book are descended from the foundation stock.

Open

In an open stud book, animals can be registered without their parents having been previously registered. This allows breeders to strengthen breeds by including individuals who conform to the breed standard but are from unknown or undocumented origins. Some horse clubs allow crossbreds who meet specific criteria to be registered. Among dogs, an example of an open stud book would be the registries maintained by the American Kennel Club as its Foundation Stock Service.

Open performance or merit

Another form of open registry in the dog world is a registry based on performance, called in some societies Registry on Merit. In such registries any dog that meets certain performance criteria is eligible to be registered on merit, regardless of conformation or ancestry. Registry on Merit is prevalent with sheepdog registries, in particular those of the Border Collie, and some other breeds with a heavy emphasis on working ability.

Crossbreeding and backbreeding

In some registries, breeders may apply for permission to crossbreed other breeds into the line to emphasize certain traits, to keep the breed from extinction or to alleviate problems caused in the breed by inbreeding from a limited set of animals. A related preservation method is backbreeding, used by some equine and canine registries, in which crossbred individuals are mated back to purebreds to eliminate undesirable traits acquired through the crossbreeding.

Registered names

Naming rules vary according to the species and breed being registered. For example, show dogs have a registered name, that is, the name under which they are registered as a purebred with the appropriate kennel club, and a call name, which is how their owners talk to them. In working dog registries, the registered name and the call name are usually the same.

The registered name often refers directly or indirectly to the kennel where the dog was bred; kennel clubs often require that the breeder's kennel prefix form the first part of the dog's registered name. For example, all dogs bred at the Gold Mine Kennels would have names that begin with the words Gold Mine. Many breeders name their puppies sequentially: Litter A, Litter B… in which the names of all the puppies start with the letter "A," then "B," etc. Some breeders include the names of the sire, dam or other forebears in the puppies’ names. A more imaginative breeder at the Gold Mine Kennels might name all the puppies of one litter after precious stones or minerals. For example, the names of all the puppies from one litter might start with Emerald or some other green precious stone: Gold Mine Jade, Gold Mine Peridot, etc. Names for a subsequent litter might start with the adjectives describing precious stones: Gold Mine Sparkle, Gold Mine Brilliance, Gold Mine Chatoyant, etc. Breeders may be as creative or as mundane as they wish.

In order to minimize the unwieldiness that long and fancy names can bring, kennel clubs usually limit the total number of characters that may compose the dog’s registered name. Further, breeders are generally not allowed to use any name that may be misleading, such as the word ‘champion’ in a name, a trademark, or anything that can be mistaken for the name of another kennel. Only after a dog has achieved a legitimate championship will some registries permit the use of the prefix Ch. before their registered name.

The call name can be anything that the dog's owner prefers. For example, Ch. Gold Mine Emerald's Brightest Sparkle might be called “Goldie," "Emmie," "Sparky," "Bright," "Green," "Precious," "Gem," or, for that matter, "Fido."

By contrast, dogs in the breed registry of a working dog club (particularly herding dogs) must usually have simple, no-nonsense monikers deemed to be “working dog names” such as “Pal,” “Blackie,” or “Ginger.” The naming rules for independent dog clubs vary but are usually similar to those of kennel clubs.

External links

See the American Border Collie Association's Registry on Merit Program.
An example of a registry not associated with a breed or kennel club: the "Field Dog Stud Book" is a registry of field and hunting dogs that is maintained by a magazine publisher.
A near-comprehensive list of multi-breed registries operating in North America, flagging questionable registries, has been prepared by Canada's Guide To Dogs.

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