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What does it all mean?
Author : Petcare Information and Advisory Service Australia (www.petnet.com.au)
When faced with the selection of a dog or cat there are many terms the potential purchaser will come across, either in advertisements or in conversation with breeders, welfare organisations or pet stores.
Breeder -the person who bred the animal. It often means the person who is a member of an organisation which keeps a register of animals and the litter is registered with that organisation.
Purebred - means that both parents of the animal are the same breed. Pedigreed - usually infers that the animal is purebred
Crossbreed or crossbred - both parents are of different breeds.
Kennel name or kennel prefix, or stud name. A name which is registered with a breeding authority and which forms part of the registered name of every animal bred by the owner of the stud name.
Pedigree - a family tree of the animal.
Inbred - can only be determined from viewing the pedigree. Refers to the mating of closely related animals e.g. mother to son, father to daughter, brother to sister.
Line-bred - the mating of more distantly related animals. The pedigree will show an animal's name appearing several times on the pedigree in the second, third or fourth generation.
Out-crossing - the mating of two unrelated animals of the same breed.
With papers - means that the animal is purebred and has papers issued by one of the canine or feline organisations. It is also generally interpreted to mean that the transfer of ownership of the animal to your name will be permitted.
Without papers - means that the animal is purebred but that it is from parents which are not registered with an approved organisation or that the transfer and registration papers are being withheld.
Limited register -LR- some purebred organisations allow registration of animals so that they may participate in some of their activities but not be exhibited or used for breeding.
Vaccinated or "vacc" - the animal has been vaccinated against the infectious diseases for the species. In animals under 12 weeks old they will usually only have had the first in a series of vaccinations - often referred to as "temporary vaccination".
Champion - an animal which has competed in exhibitions and gained the minimum number of awards required by the organisation conducting the exhibitions necessary to qualify for the title of champion.
Imported or imp. - a dog which has been imported from overseas. The country will be shown by USA, UK, NZ etc.
AI - the animal is the result of a mating by artificial insemination - often to a male owned overseas.
C.D - CDX, UD, AD, T.D - titles awarded to dogs which have gained various levels of proficiency and competed in trials in obedience training
Hip Dysplasia or HD - an abnormal configuration of the hip socket of dogs. Believed to be an inherited defect. HD x-rayed - an animal which has been x-rayed to determine the incidence of hip dysplasia. HD clear or x-rayed clear means that the animal which has been x-rayed does not have HD - no guarantee that its offspring will be clear of HD. Usually only purebred will have been x-rayed although crossbreds may have HD. Dogs will usually not be declared free of HD under 2 years old.
Eye Tested. Dogs which have been examined by a canine opthamologist to determine whether they suffer from one of the many eye conditions Some eyes defects cannot be detected under 5 years old.
© Copyright Karen 2010, Last Updated 5 September 2010.