FAQ - Breed Standards
What is a Breed Standard?
Breed standards are the guidelines which describe the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential.
Who owns it?
Breed standards are owned by either the ANKC (Australian National Kennel Council), AKC (American Kennel Council), Kennel Club (UK) or the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI.)
Can a Breed Standard be changed?
The majority of breed standards are not owned by Australia but by the country of origin or their governing body. The ANKC uses standards from either the country of development, the Kennel Club (UK), American Kennel Club (AKC) or the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI.)
As some breed standards differ slightly from organisation to organisation, the ANKC National Breed Standards Group (NBSCG) will consider which of the standards is most suitable for the Australian dog world.
Should the majority of breeders/owners feel that one standard is more suitable than the one being used, it is possible after a long and involved process involving all of the people in that breed to change the standard being used by one organisation to another. As an example this allows the ANKC Ltd to change from an AKC standard to an FCI or an FCI to a Kennel Club (UK) standard but it does not allow for the content of any standard to be changed in any way.
Details on applying to change a breed standard can be viewed on the following link http://ankc.org.au/Breed/UmbracoDataDetail/2368
Applications to change a breed standard need to submitted by the Breed Council or if there is no Breed Council then by the Breed Club. In the first instance this application is tabled on a Management Committee Agenda.
Where can I find out more?
Please refer to the ANKC website. Look for the section under the “Breeds” heading.