SO MANY DOG BREEDS...SO LITTLE TIME

HOW MANY DIFFERENT DOG BREEDS ARE THERE???

Have you ever wondered just how many actual dog breeds are recognized by the different registries. First a quick definition of what a dog registry actually does.

From Good Old Wikipedia...(I condensed)

A breed registry is an official list of animals within a specific dog breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young. Such registries usually issue certificates for each recorded animal, called a pedigree, pedigreed animal documentation, or most commonly, an animal's "papers". Registration papers may consist of a simple certificate or a listing of ancestors in the animal's background, sometimes with a chart showing the lineage.

Kennel Clubs maintain registries, either directly or through affiliated dog breed clubs (called the parent club). 

There are also entities which refer to themselves as registries, but which are thinly veiled marketing devices for vendors of puppies and adult dogs, as well as a means of collecting registration fees from novice dog owners unfamiliar with reputable registries and breed clubs.

THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB

The American Kennel Club is the most established registry in the United States. As of today 189 different dog breeds are registered with 10 pending breeds in the Miscellaneous class.

The American Kennel Club has evolved over the years to become a central resource for all things purebred dog in the USA. You find info on almost every aspect of dog ownership and is a great canine resource to bookmark. Visit the American Kennel Club

FROM THE FCI

The FCI or Fédération Cynologique Internationale is the World Canine Organisation. It includes 92 members and contract partners (one member per country) that each issue their own pedigrees and train their own judges.

The FCI has five sections: Europe, The Americas and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, Middle-East and Africa.

The FCI makes sure that the pedigrees and judges are mutually recognised by all the FCI members.

The FCI recognises 344 breeds. Each of them is the 'property' of a specific country. The 'owner' countries of the breeds write the standard of these breeds (detailed description of the ideal type of the breed), in co-operation with the Standards and Scientific Commissions of the FCI. The translation, updating and publication  of the standards are carried out by the FCI. These standards are THE reference for the judges at shows held in the FCI member countries, but also for the breeders in their attempt to produce top-quality dogs.

FCI - Federation Cynologique Internationale

Hope this helped give you a quick overview of the world of registering purebred dogs.