Chapter 11, Section 1.

No dog shall be exhibited in a licensed or member dog show, except for dogs entered in the Miscellaneous Class unless it is either individually registered in the AKC Stud Book, or individually registered with a foreign registry organization whose pedigrees are acceptable for AKC registration. A dog with an AKC limited Registration shall be ineligible to be entered in a breed competition in a licensed or member dog show.

An unregistered dog with an acceptable foreign registration that is individually registered with a foreign registry organization whose pedigrees are acceptable for AKC registration may, without special AKC approval, be exhibited in licensed or member dog shows that are held not later than 30 days after the date of the first licensed or member dog show in which the dog was exhibited, but only provided that the individual foreign registration and name of the country of birth, are shown on the entry form; and provided further that the same name (which in the case of a foreign-registered dog must be the name on the foreign registrations) is used for the dog each time.

No dog that has not been individually registered with The American Kennel Club when first exhibited in a licensed or member dog show shall be eligible to be exhibited in any licensed or member dog show that is held more than 30 days after the date of the first licensed or member dog show in which it was exhibited, unless the dog's individual AKC registration number is shown on the entry form, or unless the owner has received from The American Kennel Club an extension notice in writing authorizing further entries of the dog for a specified time with its individual foreign registration number. No such extension will be granted unless the owner can clearly demonstrate, in a letter addressed to the Show Records Department of The American Kennel Club requesting such extension, that the delay in registration is due to circumstances for which he is not responsible.

Such extension notice will be void upon registration of the dog or upon expiration of the period for which the extension has been granted if that occurs earlier, but upon application further extensions may be granted.

FAQs

Q:Why change the requirements?

A:The change was made to encourage exhibitors to register all puppies eligible for AKC registration.

Q:Must the dog have individual AKC registration prior to the closing date of the event?

A:Although it is best to register the dog well before the event, the registration must only be processed by AKC prior to the starting date of the event.

Q:Are Puppy Classes affected?

A:Yes, even dogs in puppy classes must now be individually registered. Dogs may not be exhibited on litter registration at licensed or member events.

Q:Do Foundation Stock Service (FSS) breeds and Miscellaneous Class breeds have to be individually registered to compete as well?

A:Yes, all dogs, including Foundation Stock Service breeds & Miscellaneous Class breeds must enrolled in the AKC Foundation Stock Service® prior to the day of the event to compete.

Q:Are all AKC sports affected?

A:Yes, all dogs competing in AKC performance events, companion events and conformation shows are required to be individually registered before competing in the event.

Q:May dogs with foreign registration compete?

A:Dogs individually registered with an AKC recognized registry (see: http://www.akc.org/rules/special_registry_services.cfm ) may exhibit for up to 30 days after the date of the first AKC event in which it was exhibited. After 30 days time the dog must have received AKC registration or have applied for and been granted an extension from AKC Event Operations in order to continue exhibiting at AKC events.

Q:May dogs with Limited Registration exhibit?

A:Dogs with AKC limited registration are not permitted to exhibit in conformation shows (except in Junior Showmanship Classes) but may exhibit in all Companion and Performance Events.