Dogs and People

Gretchen: How can I find out if my German Shepherd puppy is purebred? I bought a German Shepherd puppy and when I called the guy to get my puppy's papers, he said he did not register him. Both his parents are registered but he can't find their papers. Can I take the puppy to my vet to find out? Can you get the papers done up with a blood test? Photo Credit: Yama Zsuzsanna Márkus/Pixabay Answers and Views: Answer by Marlow You need his mother's registration and the father's registration to prove that your German Shepherd is a purebred. Check out the American Kennel Club website for more info. Answer by amarantine28 If your veterinarian offers DNA tests you could probably test him to find out if he is purebred. Answer by jcantrucker I think if you can find out the full names of your puppy's parents. Then you might contact the AKC and find out. If the parents are both registered then your German Shepherd baby is full just not registered… If they didn't register the parents then you would have to go on down the family tree… If the parents are registered then the owners should have a paper with all the pertinent info for you to send into AKC and get yours registered. Answer by TJ As the owner of the dog, you would be the one to register him. Pure-breeding is not something that is going to show up in a vet exam. It is all about the papers establishing the lineage of the dog. You need the papers of the parents to complete the registration. If the breeder is legitimate, he should have no problem producing the papers of the animals he is breeding. Even if the dog is not a purebred or you find you cannot register him as such, he should still make a splendid pet with proper care and training. Answer by Jen Get him tested. Otherwise, you can't really tell. Answer by Dane Lover No, there is no way to be 100% sure. Before buying a dog is the time to find out from the breeder if the pups are registered/purebred not after the sale. There is also no way to prove the parents are purebred without seeing their registration papers. In order to be 100% sure the DNA from both parents would need to be on file with the AKC as well as the registration for both parents..then the puppy would need to be DNA tested to see if he matched the parents. I would say you definitely didn't buy your puppy from a responsible breeder and I hope you won't have any issues with health/temperament later on down the road. Answer by lachiva Does it really matter if he is a purebred? Mutts are just as lovable as a purebred one! Answer by killer189 You get papers from the breeder you bought the dog from. There is another way to determine if a dog is a pure breed through DNA testing but it is extremely expensive. How do I Know if my Rottweiler is Purebred? How Much is a German Shepherd Without Papers worth? Can I Get my Dog Papered if her Parents Didn’t Have any? Answer by Lizzie A breeder must have two registered dogs to be able to register their litter as a group. Then, each puppy buyer is given a paper (the registration application form) to fill out and send money with, to register the puppy as an individual dog that belongs to that person. If the buyer doesn’t fill out and send in the registration application form, with the check, then the dog is never registered as that person’s dog. Other papers you may get with a dog are a pedigree, a copy of the contract from the breeder, basic care guidelines, etc. Hopefully, the people that you got this dog from will find the “papers” and send them to you. If they didn’t register the dog, you probably still can. If they did register the dog, they need to sign the form so that ownership can be transferred to you. Unfortunately, registration papers don’t prove anything except that someone paid money and picked out a name to register the dog, and so the dog has a registration number and is recorded in AKC records. There are a great many mixed-breed “oops” puppies that are mistakenly registered as purebred dogs. I’m not too sure how good dog DNA tests are these days but you may be able to prove that a dog is purebred that way. If you could find out the registration numbers of the dog’s parents, you could then contact the AKC and get assistance in either locating the lost papers (getting a copy from the AKC) or registering the dog if it hasn’t been registered. A blood test wouldn’t help, sorry. Unless you plan to breed, show, or compete with this dog is dog sports and other activities, you don’t need the registration papers. You can apply for and get an Indefinite Listing Privilege number, or ILP number for short, which will allow you to compete in obedience, rally, flyball, freestyle and more, through the AKC. Answer by leslie You have to get the papers from him or the mom's litter registration number at least. You can not get a blood test done to get papers. Papers are a dog's family tree. Answer by Ocimom “Papers” are the registration papers that come with the dog – if you don’t have them or the previous owner doesn’t have them, you can’t just get them. The dog had to have been registered by the original breeder both as a litter and individual. Blood tests won’t prove anything. But you should just spay/neuter and forget about getting any kind of registration papers. Most likely the dog really was not registered by the previous owners or the breeder. Answer by Hannah Only the original owner can get the papers. Have them write to the American Kennel Club for a copy. If they can’t “find them” they may be scamming you. Blood tests are no proof. When you buy a dog represented as AKC registrable, you should receive an AKC Dog Registration Application form properly filled out by the seller. When you complete your portion and submit it with the proper fee, this form will enable you to register the dog. When the application has been processed, you will receive an AKC Registration Certificate. Under AKC Rules, any person who sells dogs represented as AKC registrable must maintain records that make it possible to give full identifying information with every dog delivered even though AKC “papers” are not yet available. Do not accept a promise of later identification. Answer by Helen Rempel Some registries (like AKC and UKC) are legit; others like Continental KC are scam registries that aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on because they’d register a toaster as long as you sent the appropriate fee. Be aware that the excuse of “not being able to find them” is often used as a ruse. Chances are your dog was never registered in the first place. However, if you want to be able to enter your dog in performance events (obedience, agility, etc.) you can get him PAL-registered with AKC as long as he is neutered. There is no reliable DNA test to prove a breed. Answer by mauveme49 Blood tests are not proof of purebred. Apply to the AKC for a new copy of “lost papers". The application has to be notarized in order to get them. They will go to the old owner who then can sign them over to you. All supposing that the old owners actually had papers and are not selling you a line. The original owner lost the papers on my CKC (Canadian) std poodle. That is what I did to get the papers for her. If you don’t have a registration number then you are SOL, and only the breeder and owner will have that. (breeders are required to keep full documentation on all litters they sell and who each puppy goes to) Answer by Kali You cannot get papers through a blood test as that is not what they are. But if you have no interest in breeding him or showing him. they are worthless to you anyhow. They are only needed if you plan on selling the dog or you are purchasing a show puppy. He probably did not have any, to begin with. Answer by *Barbie Girl* I feel bad for your German Shepherd. What if you find out he isn't a purebred? who cares if he isn't a purebred. Screw the papers! Take care of your dog. I feel bad for him. Here you are doing everything in your power to prove that he's a purebred and if he isn't your going to just throw him away like last year's Prada bag. Grow up. Know better? Give your own answer to this question!