Abbreviations

The American Kennel Club (AKC), the Continental Kennel Club (CKC), and the United Kennel Club (UKC) are known throughout the world. Membership in these clubs can be advantageous if you are showing, competing, or breeding your standard poodle. All three kennel clubs register purebred standard poodles. The three kennel clubs each register dog breeds, but have a few differences:

AKC
The American Kennel Club (AKC) registers dogs within the United States. Only offspring of the original purebreds accepted into the AKC can be registered with the AKC. AKC registered purebreds can only be bred with other AKC registered purebreds of the same breed in order for a puppy to be eligible for AKC registration. Poodles shown in the AKC are required to have docked tails.

CKC
The Continental Kennel Club (CKC) was established in 1991. It does not have closed registry, and does not require that the parents of a puppy be registered in the CKC. In addition to breed preservation, the CKC is dedicated to improving the breed health and the quality of dogs’ lives. The CKC breed standards are written to encompass the healthy physical attributes that make each breed unique while allowing breeders the freedom to move away from unhealthy conformation practices. The CKC will allow new dogs into the registry based on two witnesses verifying validity of the breed and three photos to visually confirm the breed of the dog. The CKC also uses DNA testing when necessary to check the validity of an applicant.

UKC
The United Kennel Club (UKC) is the second largest purebred dog registry in the world. The UKC dogs compete in performance and conformation and UKC expects this to result in healthier, happier dogs for everyone. DNA testing is used to establish a dog’s parentage. A majority of the licensed UKC events are tests of hunting ability, training, and instinct.