OK – so you have decided that you want to buy a Pedigreed dog, to make sure that you get what you pay for? Well there are a couple of traps to be wary of; particularly if you think you might like to Show or even Breed at a later date?

When we were amateurs, we thought that if you bought a pedigreed dog, then you were guaranteed of getting a good dog, free of defects. Not so – some breeders will still knowingly sell a dog with a defect, and just not mention it. We found that out when we got our first ever Pedigree Staffordshire Bull Terrier – she had the Short Toe Defect mentioned on this site in video and via an article. So you still need to be alert and get the dog checked over by a Pro!

But there is another potential problem – lurking for the unwary!

The problem is that of restrictions placed on YOUR Dog, restrictions put there by the breeder, via the pedigree registration!

And this is much more common than most people know! To have ALL rights to what you can do with a pedigreed dog, your dog MUST be registered on the MAIN Register.

Registration on the Main Register enables you to:

a) Show your dog in ANY type of Show you choose, including Conformation Shows, Trials etc
b) Breed from your dog or bitch
c) Register pups that your bitch produces
c) Export any pups that your bitch should produce

The Main Registration certificate is generally blue – the blue colour denoting the lack of restrictions.

BUT there’s another type of registration, not often talked about – called Limited Registration. Dogs on the Limited Register – are, – well, what can I say…. limited!

This register was originally designed to restrict the use of pups/dogs that were perhaps not up to par – but still allowed them to be sold etc. I guess that’s better (from a Doglovers perspective) – otherwise some of these dogs may have ended being destroyed. But the Limited Register can also be abused – if a Breeder wants to control!

Limited Register pups and adult dogs:

a) Cannot be shown dog in Conformation Shows, but are allowed in Trials and Obedience Shows etc
b) Cannot be bred from
c) If you do breed anyway – pups simply CANNOT be Registered
c) Prevents the export of any pups that your bitch should produce

The Limited Register certificate is generally pink – with the pink colour denoting the restrictions on the dog. In the wrong hands the Limited Register can be used by people who want to control Show Ring results and keep winning awards with reduced competition! Be aware that this does occur – believe it or not some people build their self esteem on how well their dogs do in the Show Ring!

IMPORTANT NOTE – THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN UN-DO A LIMITED REGISTRATION – IS THE BREEDER THEMSELVES!

So – REMEMBER TO ASK – DOES MY PEDIGREE INCLUDE REGISTRATION ON THE MAIN REGISTER? If the person is evasive or does not answer you forthrightly – it may be time to look for another breeder?

Steve