The truth is, the most important part of a certificate is not the certification itself, but rather the knowledge absorbed during the cursus. Most expert breeders have no formal qualifications. They have learned over the years, learned from unsuccessful breedings, and perfected their craft by networking with fellow breeders and fanciers. Quality breeders read a lot, too.
Not a single said certificate is required to be an expert breeder! However, the knowledge behind it is an absolute necessity if you want to produce quality litters of puppies consistently.
Should I Become a Certified Dog Breeder?
Becoming a certified dog breeder entails properly equipping yourself with the right information. Indeed, you want your groundwork to help you achieve a level of success that will keep your kennel name running for the long haul. Many variables that go into the breeding process need to be considered. Errors need to be fixed, and the applicable paperwork needs to be duly refined. Conditional exigencies such as kennel club marketplace, registered kennel names, litter registration, etc., are only a few of the essentials that give credence to a dog breeder’s responsibilities. More than knowing how to become a certified dog breeder is examining whether you should.
This bears the question of whether or not the said-person who wants to become a certified dog breeder is fit for the bill, so to speak. Do you have the qualities that make up a successful dog breeder? Consequently, after analyzing the initial facets, one must determine the responsibilities involved in the process of getting accurately certified. This is the difference between one who is interested in breeding and one who actually holds a dog breeding certification.
In essence, as any major kennel club would advise, a breeder must avoid the mistakes that are commonly referred to as “kennel blindness“. Know your dogs and expound on how a breeding business operates. Form an overall understanding of the intimate aspects of breeding and the dogs. Enough to provide relevant information for your customers.
Becoming a certified dog breeder is established on the premises of both ethics and morality, which are quite revered obligations. The entire goal of a breeding program’s certification is primarily to raise the standards of the dogs in care. Currently, there is no institution available which delivers education in the formal fashion of traditional systems for official certification. However, there are numerous entities that offer dog breeding courses for profit, or non-profit, means. These individual organizations provide dog breeders the certified documentation that they would normally obtain from an educational institution without the interest of governmental parties involved.
Certification Has No Real Authority
Certificates are merely a piece of paper (or PDF) that, in summation, just shows that said person has taken a relevant course and completed it to the end. A breeder must keep in mind that the actual certification one attains through these various individual means does not possess any real power or authority, as one might presumably imagine. Due to these courses not having any outside governmental influence, or not being readily overseen by a higher authority, such certification does not offer clues in respect to how selective the process actually was. The information available which pertains to actual canine breeding can be found online so paying for it is not a necessity.
With that being said, it will always remain an issue in which one should obtain certification for basic show and use it to its advantage in the trade. In taking this route, what actually does affect the overall prominence of the breeder is the institution of the dog breeder certification itself. Therefore, the only facet one must consider when choosing to pay for a dog breeding course and getting officially “certified” is really how specialized, reputable, and trusted the platform delivering it is. These highly qualified programs can prove to be tremendous guides to the breeder and offer ample support in the process.
What Are the Best Dog Breeding Certifications?
Typically, a simple search will result in numerous dog breeding certification courses in various places, whether it is online, local, or out of state. However, as mentioned, it is important you obtain your certification from a trusted, reputable source. The best breeding certifications that are deemed worthwhile and have proven their repute are listed here for your benefit.
However, as these are fine, the dog breeding educational certificates matter very little to customers as they clearly prefer to give more importance to purebred registration forms rather than course certificates. At best, these breeding certification courses provide the user with valuable information which will undoubtedly prepare the breeder for any challenges ahead.
Dog Breeding Master Course
The Dog Breeding Master Course is the official course offered by Breeding Business. This course is aimed to focus on correcting the common mistakes that many dog breeders tend to make and how to avoid common bad practices. This course will teach the basics of responsible dog breeding and increase one’s knowledge in a substantial and ambitious breeding program. This master course offers 45+ advanced comprehensive lessons broken down into 6 modules. Its sole focus is to provide the most comprising, in-depth dog breeder training for any level. These include advanced canine genetics, pedigree analysis, anatomy, and structures. Much more is being offered.
The modules consist of fundamentals (ethics, bloodlines), anatomy, genetics, program (pedigree, linebreeding), pregnancy, and postnatal, respectively. These offer all the necessary practical components any certified breeder should expect in a course and avoids the common labored costs and time spent on personal research. With a price of $77, Breeding Business offers a $20 off bonus with a checkout code, along with a 24-hour money-back guarantee.
Canine Care Certified
The Center for Canine Welfare provides course services for dog breeding certification with the sole objective of providing optimum standards for all breeders with ethics in mind. Breeders for certification consideration are asked to meet the Canine Care standard criteria. They must participate in audits, such as third parties, and be fully recognized by an audit authority. They must also allow access to their operations including, but not limited to, live streaming. Annual renewal of certification is also to be expected, or every second year (no less).[pullquote-right]A certification, in the long run, does not hold the same value it does when compared to a breeder who has years and years of practical experience and has gone the route of personal study on his own accord.[/pullquote-right]
Founded by Dr. Candace Croney, Ph.D. at the Center for Animal Welfare Science, The Canine Care is intended to provide strict standards for the dog breeding organization, rather than guidance. These standards are marked and approved by leading veterinarians and animal science experts and focus on the breeder’s handling and re-homing of dogs. Their Five Pillars of Care hones these standards with Physical Health, Behavioral Health, Environment, Breeding Life and Retirement, and Caretaker Expectations, respectively. In terms of payment, breeders are asked to pay an initial deposit upon application with the total of the entire annual certification fee averaging out to $1,500.
AKC Breeder College
The American Kennel Club is noted for establishing their own coursework for dog breeder certification through their college. A wide range of courses is provided through the AKC Breeder College ranging from the ABC’s in anatomy, breeding systems, genetic defects, pedigree, kennel blindness, nutrition, and medical. Everything a dog breeder must know and master is provided within these ranges. The courses are free to take for breeders to enrich their business and enhance their comprehension, but for each category, an optional exam is available for certification and for a fee of $25 certification is obtained.
One such course of this program includes the breeding basics providing the basic fundamentals of breeding and responsible practices that may assist as an introductory source for new breeders. In addition to the vast array of learning tools, AKC Breeder College concentrates an entire course on just on the whelping process and the possible medical conditions that may arise. This information is proven to be vitally imperative for breeders to avoid any potential pitfalls and complications. The podcast is demonstrated by a joint collaboration of the AKC and Dr. Cindy O’Conner. Students are asked to download the appropriate study guide for the course in question and upon taking the accompanying exam, 2 ed credits are issued. A 70% score or higher is needed to pass and the certification is then mailed to the student.
