1. Applications for Recognition of Breeds
The Kennel Club will consider an application for recognition of a breed once there are specimens of it resident in the UK and the dog(s) are imported from a country either having a national registry with which there is a reciprocal agreement or which has full membership of the FCI or where there is a breed club maintaining a Stud Book and acceptable to the Kennel Club. In general, an application should consist of:
- Names of UK owners/importers
- Total number of dogs of the breed in the UK [ideally at least 20, preferably unrelated]
- Copies of pedigrees of dogs imported and resident in the UK – at least 3 generations
- Proposed plans for future breeding and achieving genetic diversity
- Indication of breed type, characteristics and temperament
- Recognition status in the country of origin/development
- Details of registration body in country of origin/development
- If the breed has been crossbred, when the registry closed
- Brief history of the breed in its country of origin/development and photographs
- Functionality of breed and how widely it is used – video footage [if available]
- Breed Standard from country of origin/development
- Breed registration statistics in country of origin/development and other countries
- Show entry statistics in country of origin/development and at international level
- Details of any breed-specific health conditions and inherited diseases recognised in the breed
[Please note that it is the individual responsibility of those applying for breed recognition to ensure due compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements, including requisite licences, permissions and consents as are laid down by the general law, with regard to the keeping, breeding and selling of any particular breed. Recognition of the breed by the Kennel Club will not denote that any of the above has been satisfied or complied with.]
Applications for recognition of a breed which appear to meet the criteria are referred to the Breed Standards and Stud Book Committee, which meets quarterly. The recommendation of the Committee is then considered by the Kennel Club Board at its next available meeting (held roughly every 1-2 months) and once the minutes of this meeting are approved, the outcome is communicated to the applicant.
Recognition of a breed allows registration on the Imported Breeds Register, although the breed would not be eligible for exhibition until such time as an Interim Breed Standard is published. This is not considered at the same time as recognition, as it is the Kennel Club’s policy to allow the breed to develop slowly before show participation is permitted. Importers of new breeds are encouraged to form a provisional breed club, registration of which can be applied for once the breed is recognised.
The Kennel Club may, in its absolute discretion, refuse to recognise any proposed breed.
2. Eligibility for Competition
Immediately the dog is accepted on the Imported Breed Register it can be entered and compete in Kennel Club working trials, obedience, agility, flyball, heelwork to music, rally and handling competitions. These dogs are also permitted to be entered as ‘not for competition’ at shows. Competition in field trials is subject to approval by the Kennel Club Board.
Entry and competition at other Kennel Club licensed events for dogs on the Imported Breed Register is limited to certain classes, matches and companion dog shows, and then only after an Interim Breed Standard has been approved by the Committee and published in the Kennel Club Journal. Winners of Imported Breed Register classes are eligible to compete in the relevant group competition and best in show if declared best in group.
Inclusion on the Imported Breed Register does not automatically progress to the issue of an Interim Breed Standard. The Kennel Club may, in its absolute discretion, defer the issue of an Interim Breed Standard.
3. Breed Club Registration
Supporters of a new imported breed will be encouraged to form a breed club. Once a breed achieves Kennel Club recognition, the breed club may apply for registration of title with the Kennel Club. Registered clubs for breeds on the Imported Breed Register are referred to as ‘provisional’. Once a provisional breed club has been registered, and an Interim Breed Standard has been approved and published as above, it may schedule match competitions but only as an internal club match or with another registered provisional breed club. The breeds eligible to compete would be only those breeds included within the title of the club(s) involved. Provisional status is removed from a breed club once the breed is transferred from the Imported Breed Register to the Breed Register.
4. Production of an Interim Breed Standard
At the appropriate time, the Breed Standards and Stud Book Committee will produce a draft Breed Standard.
5. Transfer of a breed from the imported breed register to the breed register
A breed will remain on the Imported Breed Register until it is considered sufficiently well established to move to the Breed Register. An application for transfer to the Breed Register would include:
- A brief history of the breed following its imported registration, including an account of the number of dogs shown in Imported Register classes.
- The size of the gene pool and the available breeding lines in this country.
For a breed to progress from the Imported Breed Register to the Breed Register, the breed must have appointed a breed education co-ordinator; and held a breed appreciation day and subsequently a multiple-choice breed standard exam within the 12 months prior to an application being considered, as per JEP guidelines.
Kennel Club Regulation B3 defines the Imported Breed Register as follows:
The Imported Breed Register
- The Board may accept for entry on the Imported Breed Register an imported dog of a previously unrecognised breed if the dog is imported from a country either having a Kennel Club with which there is a reciprocal agreement or which has full membership of the FCI or where there is a Breed Club maintaining a Stud Book and acceptable to the Kennel Club. The Kennel Club may, in its absolute discretion, refuse to recognise any proposed breed.
- A breed given Imported Breed Register status may be transferred to the Breed Register at a later date at the discretion of the Board. Applications to transfer a breed from the Imported Breed Register to the Breed Register should be made to the Board by the appropriate Breed Club in accordance with the guidelines most recently published.
- Foreign breeds, previously eligible for entry on the Breed Register will be transferred to the Imported Breed Register in accordance with Regulation B1b where there has been no registration activity for 10 years.
- Breeds on the Imported Breed Register will be de-classified if there has been no registration activity within the breed over a ten year period.
NOTE:
It must be emphasised that only when a breed has been transferred to the Breed Register may dogs in the breed be entered in breed classes at shows. Breed classes can be scheduled provided the first day of the show is on or after the date the breed is moved on to the Breed Register
If ten years elapse without any new registration on the Imported Breed Register the breed will be deleted from this register.