Each breed has a mother club, it's a group of breeders dedicated to protecting and preserving the breed. They are encouraged to participate in showing their dogs and they learn from each other. They are the ones that set the standard and the AKC is the registry they use. Not just anyone can become a member of the breed club. Not sure about other clubs, but with the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America (YTCA) you have to be recommended by two other members in good standing who've known you for at least two years, and you have to agree to abide by certain rules. You can lose your membership, if you break certain rules, for example, if you sell a dog before 12 weeks and a buyer shows proof of this. I believe that most members of the YTCA really are breeding for the right reasons, but you have a few bad apples in every club, so when buying a dog, you still need to check out the breeder even if they are a member of the YTCA. |