One of the main reasons that a lot of breeders are turning to different registries is the cost for registering the litters. With AKC it is 20.00 plus $2.00 per puppy. So if you have 4 pups in the litter it costs the breeder $28.00 to register the litter with AKC. They can register the litter with CKC for example for $12.00 (as long as both parents are CKC registered) no matter how many pups are in the litter. If the parents are AKC it doesn't usually cost the breeder anything to dual register them with another registry. That is a substantial difference if they have a lot of litters. People who are buying the puppy for a pet and not planning to show often don't bother to send the papers in anyway. If you check out some of the other registries you will find the same thing. The $$ amount will vary a bit but it is almost always more economical to use one of the other registries. It is also true that someone can buy a dog on AKC limited registration (can't register the pups as it wasn't supposed to be bred) and then dual register it elsewhere and that makes the pups registrable with the other registry.
As far as AKC registered puppies being superior in any way, I have to disagree with that. Two of my yorkies (sisters) are APRI registered but they are much closer to the AKC breed standard (show potential) then my AKC registered ones.
All of the above is JMHO after researching some of the other registries.
