Fall 2018  Saber Tails 61    

Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America

shift and the public became more careful with their use of time and discretionary dollars. As the cost of a good dog, 

lodging and food increased and the chances of success for the novice decreased, many became overwhelmed and quit.  

When these factors are combined with the other socio-economic conditions found in a changing society several puz-

zling trends begin to surface.  Plaguing the sport is the lingering problem of a dog club’s ability to attract new members 

which are needed to manage their shows and other events. While millions continue to own purebred dogs, entries at 

dog shows continue to decline and the trickledown effect from these factors impact not only the supply of show dogs, 

but the number of new breeders, exhibitors and the sport itself. 

This paper addresses the three major factors and seven elements thought to be the contributing factors that drive these 

trends.  Data in Tables 1-4 show how seven elements influence a breed’s future and their involvement in the sport. The 

question raised from the data is why so many Americans own a purebred dog yet choose not to breed using a breed 

standard or belong to a breed club.  As these concerns continue to grow the unintended consequences for doing noth-

ing suggest that:

1. Sixty breeds will become extinct in the show ring

2. The number of breeders who breed based on a breed standard will continue to decline

3. The number of clubs that cancel or discontinue holding shows will increase 

4. Show entries will continue to decline

5. Fewer clubs will be able to educate their members and the public

6. More breeds will experience declining gene pool size and genetic diversity affecting breed health. 

Three recommendations are proposed on page 18 (please refer to page 18 included in the Appendix online) which ad-

dress these problems. 

DATA AND TABLES

All of the AKC recognized breeds in the stud book are included in this report. The data in Tables 1 -4 are based on a three-

year average (2013, 14, 15) for each breed. Three-year averages are used to eliminate the effect of any unusual event that 

might have occurred in any one year that could influence the results.  

Each table and discussion explains the importance of how four factors and seven elements influence in some way a 

breed’s gene pool size, registrations and show entries. The seven elements discussed appear as column headings in 

tables 1-4 for each breed. They are:

1. Total number of litters registered per year 

2. Total number of pups produced

3. Total number of pups registered (conversation rate)

4. Conversation rate for each breed (%)

5. Total number of pups registered on a limited registration (LR)

6. Total number of dogs actually bred 

7. Total number of dogs actually entered in AKC events 

Table 1 includes all 188 AKC breeds in the AKC stud book in alphabetical order. Table 2 lists all of the 188 AKC breeds in 

descending order based on the average number of litters each breed produced each year. Table 3 lists the 90 Low Entry 

breeds.  Table 4 Lists the 60 breeds with the fewest number of litters and those predicted to become extinct in the show 

ring. The column headings for each table are the same for tables 1-4. 

Table 1 begins the discussion with the alphabetical listing of all AKC recognized breeds. This table is useful to find and 

compare differences between breeds. The seven column headings serve as reference points that show how conversa-

tion rates, status as a LE breed and use of LR can and do influence gene pool size and genetic diversity.  

Table 2 lists all of the breeds in the AKC stud book in descending order based on the average number of registered lit-