UKC Papers instead of AKC - Page 1

I am such a greenie in the dog world I didn't realize there was more than one kennel club. I find my registered German Shepherd - working line dog is purple ribboned in the "UKC" when I thought the "AKC" was the only kennel club. Went to send off check and realized it wasn't to AKC. Could you please tell me the ramifications of being with the UKC rather than AKC. I read the other posting about AKC vs UKC and found little helpful information except the suggestion to registar a dog in both if you want to do UKC events. Can I take a UKC pup and transfer to AKC? My nearest UKC unit is 6 hours away and I am using the AKC puppy training classes right now. What ramifications does this have for my puppy?  Thank you.

Were you planning to breed?
If not, then you are in luck.  The only drawback to not having AKC registration papers for your dog is that you cannot register litters or offspring from your dog with AKC, you also cannot show your dog in AKC conformation shows (working lines don't do very well in AKC conformation anyways.) 
But, you can still do other AKC competitions like obedience, agility, tracking, rally, etc.  To register your dog with AKC you will have to do it thru here http://www.akc.org/canine_partners/  You will have to register your dog as if he was a mix breed with AKC.

UKC hosts a lot of dog competitions too, if you want to show in conformation then they are a great place for novice handlers, also your dog (being a working line) is more likely to earn champion status in UKC.  UKC also has plenty of obedience, etc. classes.  If you are really set on breeding then UKC will register your litters. 

If you were not planning on participating in any kind of competition with your dog then there really isn't much point in registering a dog. 
If you want to breed dogs then you should stick with AKC registerable dogs (with Full AKC breeding rights.)  Pretty much all GSD breeders in the USA want their dogs to be AKC registered, and many people seeking to purchase a puppy (even if it's only going to be a pet) want it to have AKC papers. 

Also, were you told upfront by the pup's breeder that he/she is UKC reg, and not AKC reg?  Many breeders sell UKC pups for much less than AKC pups, so if you paid for what you thought was going to be an AKC reg dog, then only got UKC papers, you may need to contact the breeder and discuss this matter. Personally I know I'd be HIGHLY upset if I was under the impression it was an AKC pup I was buying then only got UKC papers.  But that should have been disclosed prior to pups purchase.  But that's up to you, like the previous poster said, if you're not interested in breeding/showing it really doesn't matter unless you paid more than what a UKC pup is worth.

UKC ..... is a farce ....................... you write the pedigree in the slots ....................... I did it 11 yrs ago ....... what a farce organization ...... Greg

I didn't even know UKC registered shepherds. I bred American Pit Bull Terriers for 21 years and at the time I bred Pit Bulls they weren't registering Shepherds. My question is how did the dogs lost their AKC registration. Since UKC didn't register Shepherds AKC were the only registrar for Shepherds which means these dogs could have only been registered with AKC, unless you have pups from dogs that were never from registered stock. I would do some research to see if any of the dogs in your pup's pedigree have ever been registered. When I bred Pit Bull I discovered there were a lot of dishonest breeders who submitted erroneous registration papers and pedigrees. I hope your pup's ancestors were not rescued from the animal shelter and registered with an erroneous heritage. Good luck!

Oh and purple ribbon simply means that at least 3 generations of your pup's ancestors have been registered with the UKC!

I show in both AKC & UKC, but only register my litters with AKC.  If you have an AKC papered dog, you make copies of their papers and take 3 photos front and one of each side of the dog and send it in with a filled out pedigree, to get them registered with UKC.  If you have a UKC dog and want to get it a number with AKC, you would have to show proof from a vet that it is spayed or neutered, not sure about if you have to send pictures. You use to have to send pictures saying the breed it looked most like, but since they have been giving numbers to mixed breeds I am not sure on that part.  I enjoy having mine duel registered because it gives me more opportunities of showing in my area. I personally think the UKC obedience is harder than AKC, and in the conformation ring for GSD's I think they judge more according to standard....JMO  I hope you enjoy and have fun with your new puppy!! :)  CT

Thank you so much for the information. My husband said the breeder did tell him, but he didn't realize it was important. She is an incrediably beautiful, intelligent dog and a beloved addition to our family. We are planning obediance and tracking. Think I will leave the breeding to others who know a little more and just enjoy her.

Excellent attitude -
You can still do obedience and tracking.....and best of all you can also enjoy your dog.