The initials "AKC" stand for American Kennel Club. 

What is the American Kennel Club really?

The AKC is a registry, it is in fact the leading breed registry 
in the United States The assumption of the general public
is that if the puppy is an "AKC" puppy then it is somehow
more special, a Champion or other wrong assumption 

The American Kennel Club has taken pains on their website to 
explain what they are, what the registration means and that a lot
of puppy ads proudly proclaim that their puppies are "AKC"
puppies.

<http://www.akc.org/registration/index.cfm> 

What does this registration mean?

A dog accepted for AKC registration is a  "purebred dog". 
In short it means that the dog is born from parents of the 
same breed with no other mixed in, purebred means pure 
of blood or genetic inheritance - that is all. 

Under AKC or FCI registration the sire is a Yorkshire Terrier 
registered with AKC (or a registry acceptable to them and there 
is a whole list of countries that have mutual exchange registries 
which recognize each others "papers") and the dam is a Yorkshire 
Terrier registered with AKC (or acceptable registry to them such
as Canadian) then the puppies can be registered with the AKC. 

Purebred has to do with the dogs family tree, not quality, not 
fitness, not health - just the pedigree (family tree) of the dog 
as far back as records on the breed are kept. If both parents 
are "registered" AND are of the same breed then the puppies
are also eligible for registration. It does not say it is a good 
breeder, it does not say they are healthy and raised to be 
great companions, it does not say they do not have inheritable
problems or anything other then they are a product of parents 
who are registered as a certain breed who's parents and
parents before them were registered as a certain breed.

Think of it as the family tree. If you father's name is Smith
then you can trace that Smith family foreword and backward 
branching off but they are always part of the Smith family 
and therefore are pureblooded Smith.
 

The AKC ONE OF A HANDFUL OF CANINE REGISTRY 
RECOGNIZED AROUND THE WORLD. 
In the USA it is the only registry that is recognized by other
dog registries around the world.  If you buy a dog USDA, 
that does not mean it is a purebred.

You should not pay large dollars for a purebred dog if it
does not have AKC registration, if you are buying it in 
the USA.  In other countries verify what is the recognized
registry, in most the are members of FCI as well as national 
registries. 

DO NOT ACCEPT ANY OTHER  "PAPERS" FROM A 
REGISTRY IN THE USA AS PROOF YOU ARE BUYING 
A PUREBLOODED (PUREBRED) DOG. 

Ok so now you know what the AKC is. Then, why can't the 
AKC guarantee quality? 

The AKC is not a governmental agency. It merely controls 
registration policies on the animals registered and recognized 
as purebred in its "books".   Even those controls have met 
with legal challenges which is why the AKC is inacting new
polices such as DNA to support the registration of animals
in it's database. It will take action if legitimate complaints
are received and supported that a dog registered is not of
the pureblood it's papers state.

So if the title/label AKC doesn't really mean quality, then 
why bother to buy an AKC dog? 

Buying an AKC registered dog gives you the assurance that 
the dog is purebred and therefor "if" of breeding quality
any puppies born to it, from a like registered dog of that 
breed, are more likely to breed true.   The AKC provides
a centralized location for maintaining records on pedigrees. 
That makes it easier to predict the qualities of any puppy
produced.

Keeping good records of a dog's pedigree allows better 
understanding and tracking of both good and bad qualities
that appear in dogs, more so if the parents or grandparents 
are "shown" or Champions of Record. In some cases the 
appearance of a genetic defect can be traced to a single
dog or can be tested for knowing the breed is one in which
the genetic defect is recognized as a breed specific problem. 
Often genetic defects do not appear until after the dog has
matured and been bred. The ability to trace pedigrees with 
some accuracy allows a better basis for breeding decisions. 
 

OK, So then what do I look for to get a quality dog? 

Dog shows in which the parent compete in conformation
or performance (agility, obedience, tracking, hunting are
some of these type of events) are the primary means of 
evaluating the qualities of the dog. But success at these 
shows is not a requirement before breeding, and it is not 
a requirement to make the puppies eligible for registration. 

Conformation shows (the beauty contest like events commonly 
seen on TV, these shows are were Champion of Record titles are 
awarded) evaluate movement, size, coat, color, dentition 
(teeth) etc. Conformation shows do not necessarily evaluate 
health, although there are some health problems that will 
result in being ineligible for the conformation show ring. 

Understanding what conformation shows can, and cannot, 
evaluate is important. They evaluate far more than their 
detractors presume, and they evaluate less than their 
proponents often believe. 

Performance events help evaluate the abilities of the dog - 
depending upon the kind of event - its ability to use its nose 
to track a scent, to jump, to climb, to turn quickly, to 
swim, to run for long periods, to accept and respond to 
instruction, and more. Performance events likewise do not 
directly test for health, although again there are plenty of 
health problems that will either make the dog ineligible 
to compete or will seriously interfere with performance. 

Success in both the conformation ring and in performance 
events tends to reflect upon both good health and good
temperament because both these qualities enhance success 
in those cases.  Nevertheless neither health nor temperament
can be presumed by 
success in competition. Participation in competition is merely 
one piece of evidence that dogs being bred are being bred 
with care and attention to health, temperament, and 
conformity with the expectations of a person looking for 
that particular breed. 
 

Well they are from "Champion Bloodlines". That's pretty 
good, isn't it? 

Not really. When someone uses the term "champion 
bloodlines" it normally means that the sire and dam of 
the puppies has never been shown at all.  If the sire and 
dam had been successful in either the performance or 
conformation arena they are entitled to show Champion 
before their registered name and it will show up on the 
puppy's papers OR it will show titles after their name, 
again that show up on the puppy registration papers.

 Should this make a difference to you? Is there any reason 
you should care if the sire and dam were successful in 
competition? Success in competition helps you evaluate 
the health and temperament of the sire and dam and 
through them it would seem more likely of the puppies,
but is no guarantee. 

The main advantage of looking to success in competition 
is that a more neutral party than the breeder evaluates the 
qualities. Without this neutral party evaluation of evaluating 
qualities that are important to you then another method 
needs to be arrived at that does test and provide an 
objective opinion to you.

Someone who uses the term "champion bloodlines" is 
suggesting that you should be pleased about it. A 
knowledgeable breeder would know that it isn't very 
meaningful and would explain how they have evaluated 
the sire and dam in the absence of competition.  Usually 
they will also explain why they have not been competing 
or why this particular sire or dam (father or mother) were 
not shown. 

The "champion bloodlines" might be of some help in 
evaluating the puppies if most of the recent generations
have such evidence of success, in other words the Champion
in the Champion bloodline is recent in the pedigree and 
there is more then one.

The thing to know is that nearly all litters have at least 
some puppies that make wonderful pets but can't be successful 
in competition. If you are looking for a pet what you want to 
know is if it makes a difference to the health, and 
temperament of your dog, or any other qualities that might 
be important to you. 

Some parts of the breed standard (this is a written explanation 
from the recognized national breed clubs that is given to AKC 
for publications and adjudicating at shows. It says what the 
breed in question should ideally look and act like) don't affect 
the health of the dog, others might.  It isn't always obvious 
to the public which is which. So if the breeder doesn't know 
this information and you want one of their puppies it will be 
up to you to know what is important and what is not. 

Is there anything else? 

Well yes, there are other things to think about.  For example, 
as noted above soundness of temperament and health can't be 
determined by AKC registration nor success in competition. 
You, as the buyer, must become familiar enough with the breed 
to know what genetic health problems may occur, and what the 
breeder should be doing to try to avoid them. 

You may also wish to consider ethical issues, such as whether the 
breeder is taking steps to avoid contributing to the numbers of 
dogs killed every year because the owners are unable or unwilling
to provide what the dog needs to remain a member of the family. 

For more information see the AKC Responsible Breeder, 
Getting Started Series.  You can locate it through the 
website referenced in this article
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