# AKC vs. ACA



## Jsweeney76 (Jan 31, 2013)

Hi. I'm currently in the market for a male pup with high drives. I'm planning on training and titling him in IPO/schutzhund. I found one breeder that looks to have decent pups but they're register with the ACA and not the AKC. Is there a difference in these organizations? What limitations does ACA have with breeding and stuff?

Also, if anyone has any pups available in the NJ area, please let me know. I'm quite interested. Thanks. 

Jim


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

AKC is legitimate, ACA is not.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

ACA is not a valid registry. It is not recognized by the FCI or the SV. Anyone can just send in paperwork and have their dog registered, no proof required. Very commonly used by puppy-millers. 

You do not have to have an AKC registered dog to do IPO, or a pure-bred dog for that matter. However without papers from an internationally recognized organization, your dog will be listed as "mix" on the official paperwork, as there is no proof of lineage. 

I would ask why this breeder does not use AKC. I can think of a couple of valid reasons, like this breeder has tons of experience in working and breeding K9 for Schutzhund and law enforcement, if breeding his own lines for years with a proven degree of success for health and temperament, and his dogs are in high demand in the working dog community. Law enforcement, SAR, etc - don't care about papers, they care about a dog that can do the work. Perhaps there was a technical glitch somewhere that prevented the registration of one of the foundation dogs with AKC, and so the breeder is using ACA just to have an official record of the dogs of his breeding. 

Or, 

this is a BYB breeding random dogs just because he can. I'd ask. 


Though if you are wanting a high-drive dog for sport/protection work, I'd find a breeder that is experienced in that area, works and titles dogs in IPO or other protection sport, is in demand in the work/sport community, and can talk all day about the pedigree of the dogs, and the reasoning and experience that has gone into this specific breeding.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Or the breeder has been banned by the AKC thus can not register puppies with them.


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## Kaimeju (Feb 2, 2013)

Would a legitimate breeder ever use the ACA? I would think their reputation is bad enough that they would want to avoid the association if they are a truly quality outfit.


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

ACA stands for American Canine Association which is the largest Veterinary Health tracking association. Here is a list of benefits with ACA:. What are the benefits of registering my dog with ACA?

- Lifetime Lost and Found Services 24 Hours / 7 Days a Week- Behavior Questions? ASK-A-TRAINER- Health Questions? ASK-A-VET- Lifetime Genetic Health Tracking- Free Microchip and Tattoo Registration- Organized Dog Shows- Toll Free Telephone Customer Service at 1-800-651-8332- Toll Free Fax at 1-800-422-1864- Friendly and Fast Service- Both English and Spanish speaking Customer Service Representatives- Full Pedigree Service- Legislative Protection- Award Winning Educational Breeder Programs- Dog Shows and Events


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

that doesn't fit at all with the ACA shows/representatives that I have seen.

-encouraging people to breed "just pets." 
-encouraging people to register their "limited registration" AKC dogs with ACA so that they can sell puppies for "lots of money"
-lack of basic knowledge of breeds - told a family with a young sable female that she was a Belgian Malinois because "gsds don't come in that color" and that by registering with ACA they could earn back the purchase price of the dog by the time she was a year old.
-telling people that breeders who sell dogs with AKC limited registrations are just trying to protect their profit margin 
-encouraging people to avoid AKC breeders because they are "uppity" and look down on anyone who breeds a "pet" dog. That there is no reason to title a dog because that is for "snobs"

Yes, went to an ACA show once with some friends just to check it out. Heard all of these things and more with my own ears and saw them with my own eyes.


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## Jsweeney76 (Jan 31, 2013)

Wow. That's scary. Thanks all. I think I'll stick with AKC. 


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Kaimeju said:


> Would a legitimate breeder ever use the ACA? I would think their reputation is bad enough that they would want to avoid the association if they are a truly quality outfit.


I would think so too, but not knowing anything about the breeder the OP is asking about, I did want to give them at least the benefit of the doubt and not bash them over the internet. 

That ACA website does not fill me with confidence - very flashy with a lot of buzz words to give a positive spin to puppy-mill bred dogs. They are open and honest about being the registry for "the industry", trying to give the business credibility. 

Quotes from the webstie:


> ACA/ICA believes that this five star rating system will enable potential puppy customer clients to quickly identify professional and high quality breeders. Pet store sales associates are easily able to provide assurance when answering the uncomfortable question: Did this puppy come from a puppy mill?


What reputable, ethical breeder sells through a pet store? Well, if you are a Five star puppy breeder, then pet store staff can avoid answering awkward questions. 



> ACA/ICA now offers an innovative awards program to professional breeders who want to communicate and advertise their high quality kennels. ACA/ICA always endeavors to provide fine breeders, such as yourself, with new techniques and tools for marketing your puppies.


Because quality breeders NEED new tools for _marketing _their pups? Real quality breeders do not need to market their pups, because they don't run a puppy factory churning out more puppies than they know what to do with, and when they do breed, the pups are usually sold before they are even born.


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

My foster dog from a while back was ACA registered. She was a Petland puppy. Pedigree was "pet-dogs" and she had severe EPI and temperament issues. 
Petland was not interested.
Her breeder was in North Dakota but she was shipped and then sold out of a Petland in Georgia.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I keep wondering about their claim that they are America's largest veterinary health tracking canine registry.

Has anyone ever tried to look up health information about the health of the lines of their ACA puppy? Does it exist?


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

There was no health testing listed on Daisy's pedigree ...and the owners had purchased a pedigree as well as her registration papers.


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## Doglovr82 (Apr 18, 2020)

Jsweeney76 said:


> Hi. I'm currently in the market for a male pup with high drives. I'm planning on training and titling him in IPO/schutzhund. I found one breeder that looks to have decent pups but they're register with the ACA and not the AKC. Is there a difference in these organizations? What limitations does ACA have with breeding and stuff?
> 
> Also, if anyone has any pups available in the NJ area, please let me know. I'm quite interested. Thanks.
> 
> ...


The American Kennel Club, Inc. (American Kennel Club) is the oldest and largest dog registry in the United States. The American Canine Association, Inc. (https://www.acainfo.com) is the second largest dog registry in the United States. Both AKC and ACA have dog shows, but AKC has a greater number of dog shows.

As of 04/12/2020, AKC’s standard registration rate for a dog is $37.99. AKC’s dog registration certificates are 3.5-inch (height) x 8.5-inches (width) printed on heavy weight paper. ACA’s standard registration rate for a dog is $19.00. ACA’s dog certificates are 11-inch (height) x 8.5-inches (width) printed on certificate paper with a gold seal.

AKC charges late-penalty fees for dog registrations:
LATE FEE – OVER 6 MONTHS AFTER LITTER REGISTERED $4.99
LATE FEE – OVER 12 MONTHS AFTER LITTER REGISTERED $35.00
LATE FEE – OVER 24 MONTHS AFTER LITTER REGISTERED $65.00
AKC’s late fees can be viewed on Fee Schedule – American Kennel Club. 

ACA does not charge customers any late-penalty fees for dog registrations.

AKC charges an additional $10.00 per registration if the customer wishes to add a co-owner to the dog. ACA adds one or more co-owners to a dog free of charge.

AKC’s microchip division for lost & found protection is AKC Reunite (Pet Microchips | Lost Pet Recovery | AKC Reunite). ACA’s microchip division for lost & found protection is MARRS Microchip (ACA's Microchip Animal Rapid Recovery Services (M.A.R.R.S.) - Home Page). AKC charges customers $54.95 for AKC Registration + lifetime AKC Reunite lost & found coverage. ACA charges customers $19.00 for ACA Registration + lifetime ACA MARRS Microchip lost & found coverage. Both AKC and ACA are participating companies with the American Animal Hospital Association (Participating Microchipping and Pet Recovery Services | AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup).

AKC’s standard litter registration fee is $25.00 plus and additional $2.00 fee per puppy in the litter. ACA’s standard litter registration fee is $18.00 with no additional fees for each puppy in the litter.

AKC charges late-penalty fees for litter registrations:
LATE FEE – OVER 12 MONTHS AFTER LITTER REGISTERED $35.00
LATE FEE – OVER 24 MONTHS AFTER LITTER REGISTERED $65.00
AKC’s late fees can be viewed on Fee Schedule – American Kennel Club.

ACA does not charge customers any late-penalty fees for litter registrations.

ACA also includes lost & found tags with their dog registrations free of charge. The ACA tags have their official seal on one side of the tag. On the other side of the tag is says: “I am lost. Please call” and a toll-free 1-800 number along with a unique ID number exclusively for the dog. The 1-800 numbers are answered by live operators 24 hours a day / 7 days a week to reunite the lost dog with the ACA owner. There is no additional annual or lifetime fees for this service. It is included in the initial $19.00 ACA registration fee.

I hope this helps!


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