Encouraging New Owners to Register their Yorkies
 

I check my MyAKC Breeder records every day, and it is disappointing to see how few of my new owners register their puppies... I have tried all kinds of things: telling them how important it is, sending them literature from the AKC, filling out most of the application for them, etc. How can I get my new owners to register with the AKC?

Does anyone else have this issue?

I have also noticed a drop in registration. Up till last year 95% of our puppies were registered. I am not sure if it is the economy, or that people just don't care about getting them registered since they are on pet only contracts. AKC is offering a great price for registering the whole litter and then transferring, I may end up doing this with the upcoming litters. AKC must also be concerned that people are not registering the pups, I have noticed they are stressing it in the litter packets.

I only registered one of my dogs because I felt like what was the point if I wasn't going to breed them.

I may do that as well.... We're also getting a good discount on litter registrations ($20 flat rate for the whole litter, yeah, sweet). SO, the total cost would be minimal....

And, I think "What's the point?" also hits the nail on the head....

For me the point is, it tracks your baby! And, if you ever do decided to enter an AKC event, you won't have to pay like $400 in late fees. haha. Or, if you want to breed, or, if you just want to show off your Yorkie's pedigree....

But, obviously me telling people that isn't helping.

I mean, what's the point of having AKC registration if no one registers. I have people all the time talk about the CKC and APRI, etc as "puppy mill" registries, and they'll only buy AKC yorkies, but then they don't register....

I really don't see the point in registering a puppy that is on a pet only contract or is fixed. I never pull out my AKC paperwork to show friends, and if I weren't going to breed my yorkies, I wouldn't have bothered with sending in their registration apps when I got them.

What are the reasons to register with AKC? I thought it was just something to show that your dog is purebred.

Maybe when they come to pick up the pup, sit down with them while they fill out the paperwork and put it in the mail yourself. Let them know in advance you will be doing this and pitch it as a 'favor' to them. Tell them in advance what they will need (name, price of registration, etc). Explain to them why it is important to you and for your records.

I think that a lot of it has to do with if they are breeding their pups or not. I know that right now with the economy and being a stay at home mom I haven't had the funds to register my little guy, but it is on my to do list to do today as it needs done before my little girl could become pregnant by him soon.

I think that its a good idea to sit down with the new owners and fill out the paperwork. I'm thinking when its time for me to sell my puppies I will add the registration amount to the price of the puppy and register them myself for the new owner whether they care or not.

I slacked a bit on the registration and when I finally did it, they charged me 60 or 80 dollars as late fees! If you intend on registering, do it right away because I got ripped off by slacking off!:rolleyes:

What a great idea !!! I will be doing this for my next litters. ;)
It is a sort of way to force all of my puppy buyers to register but I think at the end it will be like a favor ...... most of them do not follow with the registration mainly because they keep forgetting , misplaced papers, and I will say the word ,( forgive me) lazyness* , I know I have been lazy before and kept saying I'll do it tomorrow and that tomorrow never came.
Not actually because of the $20 dlls fee .....it doesn't make sense to me that people are spending a good amount $$$ then holding off on the registration because of the 20 dlls.
A lot of people wants AKC pets even if they are not thinking about breeding or showing but if they are not following with the Registration process , their dog is Not an AKC Dog unitl the applications is send in and approved by AKC.

Honestly though, what does it matter if they are not breeding or showing?
I just don't understand why it would matter if someone who purchases a puppy from someone registers if they are mearly pets.

Some breeders like to keep track of the dogs they place and see if they are registered. Many are checking to make sure that the dog was registered limited if that was part of the original agreement.
Also, it puts on record that the puppy was produced by the breeder. What if a breeder had an entire litter and none of the owners registered any of the pups? Where would the official record that the litter existed be?

When I sell a puppy I personally do not care if they register them or not. I sell as a pet only with limited registration and from now on all my pups will leave my house spayed or neutered and then I'll really have no worries :) Also, I in the past I never handed them the AKC papers until they showed me proof of spay/neuter.

Donna Bird
Brooklynn's Yorkshire Terriers

Registration
 

My registration has also dropped off in the last year. I'm not sure of the reasons. I do really think the comments so far are quite interesting, as those are the same as I hear from my buyers. On one hand, I do understand since it is an added expense and most buy AKC to insure quality as opposed to really caring about registering the dog itself. I have thought about registering entire litters, but I think that will end up basically the same as new owners probably wouldn't transfer. I can't see paying to register the litter, the extra expense of registering each puppy in my name and then the expense to transferee to new owner.

I've had oh so much fun lately as my kennel flooded during Hurricane Ike and all paperwork in the bottom drawer of my file cabinet turned to mush. I've had to go through record recovery with AKC and it has been a long process. It may take several more months to get everything in order....

When we got our Oliver the breeder did the registration and we received it in the mail it also has a red letter imprint on it non breeding...but that was over 11 years ago...Do they not do that in the USA ?

I just registered a new Yorkie with AKC and was shocked to receive a coupon from AKC via email paying for her first puppy visit with a participating Vet. To my surprise, they even listed the veternarians in my area who are participants and mine was on it. Tell your new puppy owners that. It must be a new promotion AKC is doing to increase registrations.

I got one last year when I registered my female, and then I got one today when I registered my male, the only problem I have is my vet is not on the list (1 hr away), and I don't trust the vets here in my town. That is great that your vet is on the list.

Nah, they've been doing that for awhile. Really you are not saving much. I brought Diesel to the vet with our coupon and it still cost well over $100 just for a standard puppy visit because it only covers the office call. :rolleyes:

I have 2 yorkies--I wasn't going to register either one of them. I paid $1200 for the 1st one, my husband told me that you didn't pay 1200 bucks for her, to not register her.(Even though, she was spayed and over a year when I did the registration). My other baby I got for free, I had her spayed about 2 weeks ago--and have decided that I am not wasting the money to register her(being that she was free, my hubby didn't care either way). I have her paper from the breeder, so I will store that with my other baby's AKC paperwork. Money is tight right now, so the $32 it would have cost to register her-I put toward getting her microchipped.

Also, It would be nice if AKC came out with some sort of micro-chipping procedure, that when a breeder registers a litter-they have the option to purchase chips registered to their kennel--to that specific litter/each puppy, and when the new owner does the papers-it will automatically transfer that chip # to them. This would help the breeder have the litter registered and help the new owner if the pet is lost/stolen, etc.

Please don't think that the AKC registration doesn't matter just because people don't send it in. I didn't register Sammy but I DID save her paperwork that has her birthday and the other information on it. I couldn't think of a good fancy name and then I missed the deadline and the late fee wasn't worth me sending it in. I had sent Loki's in right away and got his certificate back and filed it and I don't think I've ever pulled it back out...

I have ALWAYS registered my Yorkies. Yes, they are pets, but I feel honored that they have wonderful bloodlines and ok, so this may sound silly, but I had their pedigree's framed.

Sheila

I can completely understand why someone might want to register their dog even if it isn't going to be used for breeding or showing, I just don't understand why someone should have to or be required to. :)

I always encourage people to register, whether or not they plan to breed. I believe in the AKC and the registration fee is only $20.00. For an extra $15.00 they get lifetime lost and found with a tag and phone number to call that offers a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week service. You can contact them if your dog is lost, and they contact local agencies, and vets. Also, if your dog has a microchip they will record this number as well.

The AKC is the only registry that does routine unannounced kennel inspections, these inspection cost money, and I believe that the AKC is trying to rid themselves of bad breeders. Registration also helps keep breeders honest. Many times a person has tried to register their dog, and later found out the dog was not eligible, or the DNA didn't match up. Many breeders tell buyers that registration cost hundreds of dollars and why bother if they aren't breeding, but they know that if there is record of how many pups they are producing, they will be more apt to have as frequent kennel inspections and DNA proof is required if they produce more than a certain number of dogs.

Besides doing over 5000 kennel inspections a year, the AKC supports the Canine Health foundation, (CHF) which funds research projects focusing on the genetics of disease. AKC supports professional and volunteer canine search-and-rescue (SAR) organizations throughout the United States through its national program, DOGNYSM — America’s Tribute to Search and Rescue Dogs. SAR dogs came into the spotlight after the attacks on September 11, 2001. But few people are aware of how instrumental SAR dogs are in maintaining the safety and security of our communities on a daily basis.

Furthermore, the AKC has built the world’s largest database of canine DNA profiles for the purposes of parentage verification and genetic identity. AKC uses DNA certification to ensure reliable registration records vital to the preservation and advancement of purebred dogs. I'm hopeful in the future this database will help scientists understand of genetic diseases better, as this type of information has proven extremely valuable in human studies. The AKC needs to be supported not just by just breeders, but the larger population of pet owners.

do the AKC also check breeders that are breeding many dogs a year starting with ones that are bred under the age of a year and those that are using pure breds for mixed breeds ?

:thumbup::thumbup:Very well said!!

The protocal is if you register 6 litters in one year, you will be inspected. That is not always the case though. I know a few people that are inspected every year and they only have 1 or 2 litters per year. Also, multiple breed registrations from one person sends up a red flag to AkC as well. AkC has age limits to register a litter. I think that a male has to be at least 8 months of age in order for his off spring to be registered. I think, but cant remember, a female has to be 1 year of age. Akc.org rules and regulations has that info. If AKC finds discrepancies in mixed breeds being passed of as purebred, you can lose all breeding AKC rights until the discrepancy is resolved one way or the other. All I can say is that you better have your paper work in order and all I's dotted and all T's crossed!!

Interesting
 

Quite an interesting conversation so far. : )

Just as a little insight, I want my new owners to register their puppies for a number of reasons:

So I can keep track of them (in a way)
So I can see what they name them (just for fun)
To support the AKC

I am proud of my little angels!

And, I agree that registering is another "check" on the breeder. I was trying to help a neighbor of ours register his new baby, and I found out that the papers were fake! The Sire of the puppy's litter had his AKC registration cancelled, and the puppy was unable to be registered with the AKC.

I know that some people really don't care about the registration, but to me, it is an important step in ensuring the longevity of the breed.

And, as an added information, there is a new incentive from the AKC for litter owners to register the puppies to themselves, then transfer registrations - you can register the puppies in your litter for $10 per puppy.

My yorkie is almost three yrs old and was just given to us by a family member who could no longer care for her. I have always wanted one, so I jumped at the chance and fell madly in love with my Princess. Niece kept saying she had the papers but could never find them, but swore she paid $400 in Amish country for her. Not planning on breeding, I didnt care, but wanted the papers anyway, since they did exist. Fast forward to now, and find out they arent the papers, it is only the application. She never sent out the application. I will have to pay $80 or so to get a limited registration, as she is OBVIOUSLY not show quality, and why bother, since I dont believe she is full bred yorkie anyway. She has hair of yorkie, face of yorkie, coloring of shnauzer. Groomer says same thing. Anyone could put anything on a piece of paper, does the AKC check it, or just take the breeders word for it. Unless I was to do DNA testing, how am I to know what I really have anyway. All I know is I love this dog, and I am glad to have her birthday info, but I dont really hold any of the other info on that application to be worth the paper it was written on.

Registrations of dogs came about many years ago with the sportmanship of show and competition. With the registries came the pride of ownership knowing you have bred a dog nearest to the standard that was set for that particular breed. With that pride came the responsibility as a breeder to insure your line was protected via registration. With that, I believe if you are a breeder, you would want your dogs registered and their offspring to perpetuate the purity of the line. There are many respectable lines out there in Yorkshire Terriers alone and one only needs to research to see how much a breeder has put into their lines. Sadly, greed breeds greed. However, those who have fallen victum to this, in my opinion, have not done their homework. There are those owners who really don't care and only care about owning a Yorkie. However, there are the true breeders of good showmanship that have bred as closely as they could to the standard and have protected their line accordingly. To all those breeders out there, I commend you. I myself have chosen my lines carefully and take great pride in registering them with AKC. AKC has alot of cleaning up to do. They have made many mistakes in the past and have angered many good breeders by false registrations or registering dogs that was against the breed clubs wishes. Here again, one must do the research in reading the monthly reports and annuals published by AKC or the blogs by angry breeders against AKC. However, all this depends on your starting point. Where are you going with your dog, and how proud are you as an owner that you have sought out a breed that has been registered with one of the best registries available. Again, it all depends on the individual and where they are going with their purebred dog.

You are right about the female having to be a year old or older, and no more than 12 (who ever breeds a dog at that age anyways is cruel!). A male only has to be 7 months old for the litter to be registered, and no older than 12 as well. They will accept litters registered to a breeding dam or sire over 12 years of age with a DNA sample.