Categories: Pets

How to Register a Litter with the AKC

Registering your first litter with the AKC (American Kennel Club) can be a daunting task but it will help if you read the AKC rules and regulations first and assemble all the information they require to register a litter. There are a number of steps involved in the process. All registration forms, instructions, rules, penalties and fee schedules are available on-line at: http://www.akc.org/reg/registeralitter.cfm

Only litters resulting from the breeding of an AKC registered male and an AKC registered female of the same breed, born in the United States or in one of its territories (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Marianna Islands), normally can be registered with the AKC.

You, the owner of the dam, are responsible for the following information in order to register your litter within six months of its birth:

The Breed of the dog
The AKC registered name and number (or AKC litter number if the dog is not registered) of both the sire and the dam
Sex, color and markings
Date of birth
Name and address of the owner of the sire as well as your current address and phone number. If there is more than one owner of the dam, all co-owners must be identified as well. You will also be asked for your email address, if you have one.

The permanent identification of both dogs (tattoos, microchips, marking, or tagging)

If, the stud dog you are using has been used several times at stud, you will also need verification of his DNA

For the dam you will need:

Name of the breeder of the Dam

Name and address of the person from whom the dam was directly acquired
The date you acquired (bought or were given) the dam

You will also need to provide the following information on the mating itself:

Date and place of mating
Names of the persons handling or witnessing the mating

When the babies are born you will need to record:

The date when the puppies were born (whelped)

The number of puppies whelped by sex, color and markings

The application for registration form must be signed by all of the owners and co-owners of the dam and by one owner of the sire. Missing information simply results in delays. Processing fees are nonrefundable, and all fees are subject to change without notice.

When you have completed filling out the application form and obtained all the necessary signatures, mail it, with your check, money order or credit card number to the AKC.

If your application was correctly filled out and paid for, the AKC will sent you a “litter kit” which includes registration forms for each individual puppy as well as a form you can use to keep a record of your litters. Make sure the papers are correct as soon as you receive your kit.

Once you have started finding homes for your puppies, you will need to keep careful track of the puppies and to whom you sold them. Record the dates on which you sold each puppy or gave them away. If one of your puppies dies after litter registration, make a note of the date of death.