Can You Register An Aussiedoodle? Does It Matter


Poodle crossbreeds, like the Aussiedoodle, are becoming highly sought after. This has many owners wondering if their Aussiedoodle or other doodle breeds can be registered to prove its linage and generation level.

Hybrids, crossbreeds, and designer dogs like the Aussiedoodle, can be registered with alternative clubs like Canine Partners Program, Continental Kennel Club and Designer Breed Registry. Most of the primary, well-known kennel clubs, be it American, Canadian, or British, will only register purebred dogs.

Much of the decision about where and how you will register your Aussiedoodle has to do with your goals. Do you want to enter your dog into competitions or prove your dogs lineage?

To better understand your options and even why Aussiedoodles are not recognized as their breed, we’ll have to dig into what kennel clubs are why dog owners register their dogs with them. 

aussiedoodle lying on back

About the Kennel Clubs 

Why do people register their dogs with kennel clubs anyway? The answer varies from owner to owner, depending on what they plan to do with their dog.

The bulk of dogs registered are either for breeding, sport, or show. Kennel clubs can provide pedigrees for sires (fathers) and dams (mothers) so that breeders can assure buyers the puppies are purebred.

Because these kennel clubs only register pure breeds, they offer thousands of possible sports and competitions that certain breeds can compete in.

Since there is a standard for purebred dogs, they can also show dogs. While there are a few other minor reasons one might consider registering their dog, those three are by far the most prominent.

Dogs can’t win specific competitions or shows if they’re not registered, and some owners won’t buy puppies that don’t have registered parents. 

Kennel clubs like AKC (American), CKC (Canadian), and KC (British, also the original kennel club) are primarily for pure breeds. Why? Because a pure breed has a standard that should be replicable to a fault.

It should have a reliable pedigree and ancestry. A pure breed dog is guaranteed to be exactly like any other pure bred of its breed in necessary temperament and appearance. Because of this standard, the dogs can be fairly judged against each other, against their prototype. 

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So Why not Register an Aussiedoodles? 

The primary reason Aussiedoodles cannot be registered in these primary kennel clubs is that they are a hybridbred or a designer dog. Aussiedoodles will always be a cross of an Australian Shepherd and a Poodle and will never have a reliable standard of appearance or temperament. 

There is too much possible variation. While you can usually say with relative surety what their temperaments might be since both parent breeds are well-tempered, you cannot ever have a standard of size or coloring, or coat type.

There would be no way to assure buyers that puppies will look a certain way or even behave the same across the entire litter. There is no definite and set standard that the crossbreed could be judged either in any formal show or in competitive sports. 

Aussiedoodles will be unable to be registered by either the AKC or CKC (the British KC has a few different registration rules so that it might be possible there). As such, they can’t compete in performance sports like herding or hunting.

They also can’t enter Conformation (a formal dog show). But that doesn’t mean you don’t still have some options. 

Where can you Register an Aussiedoodle

Now, though Aussiedoodles and all other crossbreeds and hybrids can’t be registered with AKC or CKC like a purebred dog, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have options. The AKC has a program especially for crossbreeds, the Canine Partners Program

In this program, registered crossbreeds have many of the same sports available for competing in that the purebreds have, sports like agility, tracking, scout work, and obedience. Besides, they can get titled in AKC therapy, search and rescue, and a good citizen. 

All these options are open for mixed breeds or hybrids that register with this unique Canine Partners Program. 

Another option would be to register your dog with the Continental Kennel Club (CKC and not be confused with the Canadian Kennel Club).

The Continental Kennel Club will register crossbreeds and hybrids. A certificate from this CKC does not carry the weight that an AKC might, but they do register Aussiedoodles, and sometimes that is enough for the potential buyers of puppies.

Another option would be to register your dog with the Designer Breed Registry, specially made for dog hybrids like the Aussiedoodle. 

Designer dogs are not dogs that were bred at random or without thought of improving the breed. Designer breeds have been carefully thought out and bred to improve a breed or create a hybrid to have certain qualities, like the hypoallergenic trait that Aussiedoodles are known for.  Find out more about if Aussiedoodles are hypoallergenic in my article, Are Aussiedoodles Hypoallergenic? You May Be Surprised.

Cute Aussiedoodle at a fence keeps a close watch.
ID 73424845 © Claudia Närdemann | Dreamstime.com

Could the AKC recognize Aussiedoodles? 

It’s highly unlikely the American Kennel Club, AKC, (or the Candian or British Kennel Clubs) will ever recognize the Aussiedoodle. Mixed breeds cannot have a standard, and the AKC can only register dogs that conform to a strict standard of a pure breed. Aussiedoodles can never be a pure breed or a breed all to themselves. They will always be relegated to the illustrious title of “designer dogs”. 

It is possible that someday it may be attempted. National Breed Clubs are clubs devoted to a particular breed of dog and many times with the intention of getting them recognized as an AKC approved breed. 

The process is long and complicated, though. You have to have a club with at least 100 household members, a population of your breed of at least 300-400 in the US, and geographically, the population must be spread out over at least 20 states. 

When a National Breed Club applies to the AKC, they have to provide proof of at least three generations of the breed to prove it is pure, and they have to create an “eternally observable” standard of appearance and temperament. The potential breed has to have a history as well. 

The AKC may decide to move a breed forward based on the application, but the breed will be consigned to a miscellaneous class for three years before being officially recognized.

During this time, the Breed Club will have to be reporting on events, both local and national, in which the breed takes part. 

They will have to be showing the dogs and hosting seminars about the breed. 

I think it is safe to say that the Aussiedoodle will be unable to meet these standards anytime soon. 

Final Thoughts 

You will not be able to register your Aussiedoodle in either the American or Canadian kennel clubs. However, programs are made especially for crossbreeds that are available to you if you want to enter your dog in competitions.

If you’re going to legitimize your puppy’s parents, it is possible, especially if the parents are purebred Poodles and Australian Shepherds. 

Even if one parent is already an Aussiedoodle, there are places to register them and get a pedigree to reassure potential buyers. In the end, though, Aussiedoodles are still wonderful pets, registered or not.

Diane

Diane is a lifelong owner of Labs, Retrievers, a Poodle, Labradoodle, and, more recently, a Goldendoodle. She loves dogs and enjoy's taking her Goldendoodle Nala for walks in the woods with her daughters.

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