Will the AKC allow mixed breed dogs in performance events?

The American Kennel Club recently polled dog owners to see if there was interest in allowing mixed breed dogs to compete in performance events such as obedience. Currently the only AKC-sponsored event that allows mixes is the Canine Good Citizen Test.



Preliminary analysis of the data shows strong support for continuing to explore a program of participation for mixed breed dogs. According to the AKC:

In total over 21,000 people completed the survey (including paper and email)



Respondent Demographics:



• 84% Purebred Dog Owners

• 70% Exhibitors

• 50% Club Member

• 76% now own, or have owned, a mixed breed dog



Sport Participation of Respondents:



• More than 50% have been involved in the sport for 16 or more

years

• Over 60% currently compete in Conformation or have in the past

• Over 50% currently compete in Agility or have in the past

• Nearly 70% currently compete in Obedience or have in the past



Club Affiliation of Respondents:



• 51% belong to Specialty Clubs

• 34% belong to All-Breed Clubs

• 33% belong to Obedience Clubs

• 31% belonged to Agility Clubs

• 64% said that their club already offered at least some training

classes for mixed breed dogs

As a longtime owner of mixed breed dogs, including the late and much-missed Colleen, the most perfect dog ever born and a Canine Good Citizen, I both participated in this survey and hope that the AKC does open its performance events to mixed breed dogs. Watch the AKC website on or after June 11 for more information.

Comments

[Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat)]

Oh, well maybe something different then to help with the over-bred breeds. I had a great Dal once but her skull was to small for her brain and she had a bit of pain. There's lots of other breeds that suffer, we just don't hear about all of them.

[The OTHER Pat]

Peggy, all of these proposals to permit mixed-breed participation require that the animal be spayed/neutered first.

[Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat)]

That would be great if they let mixed-breed dogs participate. Then maybe they'll let mixed cats into the wathcha callit that cats have. Actually I had thought about this in the past. For one I've seen great mutts, probably everyone has. Then it may help with getting more animals adopted, which would be great! Lastly, it could open up a way to get some genetic diversity into the breeds that were over-bred. Just some thoughts.

[The OTHER Pat]

The other thing I would like to see AKC open up is Conformation classes for altered dogs (such a thing already exists in Canada, and it hasn't killed THEM yet!).

[Moira]

The cat show organizations do allow spayed/neutered animals to compete. They do not compete against the intact animals, except for those few shows using a Best of the Best format, but they are judged on the exact same standards as intact and by the same judges. CFA calls the class premiership, other groups call it alter class.

[Deb]

So did I. i find it interesting that 21,000 people participated and that the majority is in favor of including mixed breeds. Just a small quibble, though.It's not AKC Performance Events that would be opened to mixed breeds. Those are breed specific events, like lure coursing, field trials and conformation.

It's Companion Events, like obedience, rally and agility that would be opened to mixed breeds.

It will be interesting to see how AKC devises a workable plan, as AKC can get a bit 'constipated' about rules and regs.

[The OTHER Pat]

Comment by Lis — June 4, 2007 @ 8:42 am



"Yes, I know dog shows are all about judging breeding stock, but altered animals are also products of the breeding program, and a useful indication of the quality of it."



Yup! What she said! LOL!



Breeders who object to it are afraid they'll get beaten in the BOB ring by an altered class dog which is a silly objections because - as I said above, that sure hasn't been an overriding problem in Canada! (I believe Canadian alters are allowed to go BOB against intact animals).



You've either got the best dog there that day or you don't. Altered or not shouldn't mean a thing!

[Lis]

Cat shows already have a "household pet" category--TICA has a formal standard for household pets, just like any of the breeds, except that it's all about health, care, and sociability. To be entered, cats must be neutered and most not be declawed.



I've never understood why cat shows do have household pet category, but dog shows don't. Lots more dogs than cats would actually enjoy it. There's no rational reason for excluding mixed-breed dogs from the Companion Dog events.



Cat shows also, of course have an altered class for purebred cats. Yes, I know dog shows are all about judging breeding stock, but altered animals are also products of the breeding program, and a useful indication of the quality of it.

[Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat)]

Collen sounds great, sorry she's left your side. But I think she will always be there beside you, always looking over you; she would make it happen, she would have the strength and love to be able to do that. Bless them all and their furry little hearts.

[Gail B]

Comment by The OTHER Pat — June 4, 2007 @ 6:21 am



"The other thing I would like to see AKC open up is Conformation classes for altered dogs..."



They have - it is called Veterans and altered entrants can participate in any independant specialty. See page 46 of the AKC Rules Applying to Dog Shows. http://tinyurl.com/3xukcy



Altered entrants are also eligible to compete in the Stud Dog and Brood Bitch classes also. (Page 45 and 46)



The point to conformation is supposed to be about exhibiting your BREEDING stock - and that altered dog/bitch ain't gonna do much procreating. If you want to show off that altered dog/bitch's great lineage - show the unaltered get.



As a breeder I less interested in your lovely altered exhibit and more interested in accessing that DNA and pedigree.

[Linda]

More new of what our dog is thinking: Evidently quite a bit it seems:



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19018411/

[elizabeth R.]

I was initially stunned to read your post Christie, because heretofore I had been under the impression that I had the world's most perfect dog. Then after thinking about it I realized that my guy is the most perfect dog for ME, and Colleen was the most perfect dog for YOU! I hope you concur with this analysis. Bless them all.

[Gail B]

"Preliminary analysis of the data shows strong support for continuing to explore a program of participation for mixed breed dogs."



That is AKC-speak for "this is an extremely polarizing issue."



I suspect that the phrase "strong support for continuing to explore a program of participation for mixed breed dogs" means that there is ferocious opposition from the mainstream purebred fanciers to just opening up the AKC events to mixed breed dogs. And, that it also means that there is support among the purebred fanciers to design a system outside of the traditional AKC system to organize and participate in "Open" events.



After all the AKC is a 503(C)(4) social welfare organization whose mission statement is:

The American Kennel Club is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its Registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function.



None of which applies to mixed breed dogs.



Don't get me wrong. Bring 'em on - lets have fun and compete. But, let's form a sister organization for the process - otherwise, the AKC is operating diametrically opposite its stated mission.

[Carol PW]

Christie-



Colleen made me cry even though I have managed to avoid that throughout the entire pet food recall debacle and attendant deaths. Thank you for expressing so well that the dog of one's heart does not necessarily come in a pedigreed package.

[VJ]

Darn I got so involved with the blog tonight, had planned on watching a new series Creature Comforts earlier. The writeup said "animals say the darndest things. That's the premise of this goofy

new series from the folks behind Wallace & Gromit. Ordinary people are interviewed on everyday subjects then their words are put into the mouths of animated animals." Sounds like it might be cute. Will have to tape next week so I don't miss it again.

[elegy]

I sincerely hope that the AKC does open companion events to mixed-breed (or non-AKC breed, which is what I have) dogs. Yes, the AKC is a purebred dog registry blah blah blah but I think they have become far more than that, and their exclusion of mixed breed dogs is sad, especially in the current culture.



The UKC is also a purebred registry, and an older one than the AKC at that, and they've allowed mixed-breed dogs in their companion events for years.