NORTH AMERICAN VERSATILE HUNTING DOG ASSOCIATION NAVHDA, P.O. Box 520, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, USA   Phone: 847.253.6488   Fax: 847.255.5987   E-mail: navoffice@navhda.org

NAVHDA Registry
Policies & Procedures
DNA Information

Policies & Procedures

NAVHDA promotes selective canine breeding and canine population control by making test results and various educational reports available to the public.

NAVHDA has an open registry. NAVHDA registration is a certification of purebred lineage, generated from a legitimate three-generation pedigree from a recognized registry or breed club. Dogs with an AKC-ILP (Indefinite Listing Privilege) number are not eligible for NAVHDA registration.

NAVHDA's pedigree is a NAVHDA performance and lineage document. The NAVHDA pedigree is the only document that provides the NAVHDA test results of the ancestors of a litter along with hip evaluations and DNA certification when provided.

The public or breeder can obtain a Breeders Report which provides test results of all dogs tested by a given breeder sorted by whelp date with dam, sire and progeny listed.

NAVHDA strongly promotes DNA testing of all dogs along with hip certification. Technology offers many options for improving breeds and for improving performance records.

Striking Dogs from the Record
Should a dog have been admitted to registration, a litter enrolled, or ownership transferred through misrepresentation or fraud, the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association, on discovery of same, reserves the right to declare the registration, enrollment, or transfer void, together with any entries that may have been made of any descendants of such dog.

NAVHDA reserves the right to require any dog or dogs to be DNA profiled pursuant to the maintenance of the integrity of the NAVHDA records.

Why we do not require NAVHDA testing prior to registration

1. There are many excellent hunting dogs that are not NAVHDA tested.
2. NAVHDA breeders need the flexibility to utilize dogs that have not been NAVHDA tested to improve their line or breeding program.
3. The NAVHDA Breeder Report documents the success of the breeder.
4. Future buyers and breeders can track the success of registered litters.

The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association Registry
recognizes the following registries:

• Canadian Kennel Club
• American Kennel Club
• Field Dog Stud Book
• Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI)
• Pedigrees from other countries are considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Pedigrees from versatile breed club stud books are considered on a case-by-case basis.

The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association
registration documents are recognized by the following registries:

• American Kennel Club
  Web: www.akc.org
  Phone: (919)233-9767
• Field Dog Stud Book
  Web: www.americanfield.com
  Phone: (312)663-9797

The NAVHDA Registry recognizes the following registries
for recording information on NAVHDA pedigrees:

• Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA)
  2300 Nifong Blvd.
  Columbia, MO 65201-3806
  573/442-0418
  www.offa.org
  
• Western College of Veterinary Medicine
  University of Saskatchewan
  Saskatoon, SK S7H 0W0
  
• University of Guelph
  Ontario Veterinary College
  Guelph, ON N1G 2W1
  519/823-8800
  
• PennHIP
  271 Great Valley Parkway
  Malvern, PA 19355
  800/248-8099
  www.pennhip.org
  
• Foreign documentation will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Registration Programs

Terminology
Breeder: A breeder is the primary owner or lessee of the dam at time of whelping.
Co-breeder: A co-breeder is co-owner or co-lessee of the dam at time of whelping.
Owner: An owner is the current owner's name as listed in the NAVHDA records. Or, in the case of a non-NAVHDA registered sire, the owner is the owner of the sire according to the records of the relevant and accepted registry.
Co-Owner: A co-owner is the current co-owner's name as listed in the NAVHDA records. Or, in the case of a non-NAVHDA registered sire, the co-owner is the co-owner of the sire according to the records of the relevant and accepted registry.

Frequent Sire Policy
Effective for litters whelped on or after January 1, 2005, every sire producing seven or more litters in his lifetime or producing more than three litters in a calendar year must be DNA certified through NAVHDA, AKC, or Field Dog Stud Book. These DNA profiles will be used for genetic identification.

Underage and Overage Dam Policy
Registration of litters or dogs out of a dam under the age of 8 months or over the age of 10 years at the time of mating, or by a sire under the age of 7 months or over the age of 12 years at the time of mating, will not be completed unless DNA certification is on file with NAVHDA or applied for through NAVHDA at the time of litter registration. Copies of NAVHDA, AKC, or Field Dog Stud Book DNA registration certificates will be honored.

Leased Dam Policy
If the owner of a dam anticipates registering a litter with a protected kennel name, and that dam's owner is not listed on the protected kennel record, the owner of the kennel name must formally lease the dam. The kennel name owner will be listed as the primary breeder and another name (usually the dam's official owner) can be listed as co-owner of this litter only. Verbal or written permission, other than the official lease document, is not accepted.

Multiple Sire Issue Policy
When, the identity of the sire is in question, all possible sires of the litter and dam must have DNA profiles recorded with NAVHDA as does each puppy in the litter to assign each puppy to the proper breeding pair.

Mandatory DNA Profiling
While the DNA program is offered to any single registration, litter registration, kennel name or transfer of owner, NAVHDA reserves the right to require any dog, dogs, or entire litters to be DNA profiled and/or have parentage verification pursuant to the maintenance of the integrity of NAVHDA records. A person who refuses to consent to profiling of a dog over which he/she has legal control, may be barred from all NAVHDA privileges.

Customer Driven DNA Complaint Policy
Any NAVHDA customer who questions the recorded parentage of a dog or litter may submit a complaint in writing to NAVHDA requesting DNA testing. The complaint must be accompanied by a deposit of $500.00. If the allegation is sustained, the deposit is returned. If the allegation is not sustained, the deposit is forfeited and becomes the property of NAVHDA.

In cases where parentage is shown to be incorrect, NAVHDA will work with customers to correct the registrations of dogs and litters when possible. The responsible parties will be billed for the DNA processing costs and registration correction fees. Registration services will be placed on hold until payment is made. When corrections cannot be made, the registrations will be revoked. A person who refuses to consent to these restrictions may be barred from all NAVHDA privileges.

Requirements for Registration of Litter

• A kennel name may be used as a prefix or a suffix. Each pup's name, including the kennel name, may not exceed 36 characters and spaces.
• In order to register any litter with NAVHDA, the dam must be NAVHDA registered, and the ownership must coincide with the information on the litter application. If the dam is not NAVHDA registered, a single registration for the dam may be submitted at the time the litter registration is submitted with the appropriate additional fee.
• If the sire is not NAVHDA registered, a copy of a three-generation pedigree and certificate of registration (AKC) from FDSB, AKC, CKC, or a recognized breed club must be included.
• If parents or grandparents have been found free of hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia, a copy of the certificate must be included.
• Owner of the litter is the owner/s or lessee/s of the dam at time of whelping.

Completing full litter registration

• The fee is reduced when a breeder registers the litter and all the puppies in that litter. The breeder must pay for the litter and dog registrations for the ENTIRE LITTER.
• The breeder shall provide the name of each puppy and the name and address of its owner with the full registration application. If no owner and/or puppy name is/are provided, a prepaid dog registration form will be issued. The pedigrees and prepaid dog registration forms will be sent to the BREEDER, UNLESS OTHERWISE REQUESTED. The breeder will receive a pedigree for each new owner. New owners of fully registered litters will be allowed one name change of their dog before the dog has produced or sired a NAVHDA registered litter or has run in a NAVHDA test in its lifetime, as long as the new name includes the breeders registered kennel name and the application is accompanied by a letter of authorization from the breeder.

Advantages to full litter registration

• The customer receives a completed pedigree; no additional registration needs to be done.
• For the Utility Breeder Award, ownership is a requirement. It’s easier to complete this process before the puppies go home, than three or more years later when you are seeking this recognition. Do it now.
• The NAVHDA stud book record will have complete information on each buyer.

Listing of Registrations
Litter registrations are listed on the NAVHDA website.

Naming of Dogs
The person who owns the dog at the time the application for registration is submitted to NAVHDA has the right to name it. Names are subject to NAVHDA approval and the following guidelines:

• Name choices are limited to thirty-six (36) letters. Spaces between words, apostrophes and hyphens are counted.
• All letters in a dog's name are limited to the Standard English alphabet.
• If a dog comes in from another registry and has been named in that registry with a NAVHDA protected kennel name, the owner’s initials will be placed at the start of the name on its NAVHDA pedigree.
• Roman numerals must not be included at the end of the dog's name. NAVHDA reserves the right to assign roman numerals for identification purposes.
• Words and phrases that may not be included in a dog's name:
  • VC, UT, UPT, NA
  • Obscenities and words derogatory to any race, creed or nationality or transliterations of such words.
  • Kennel(s), male, stud, sire, bitch, dam and female.
  • Breed names alone.

An imported dog must be registered with the same name under which it was registered in its country of birth, except for the addition of a Registered Kennel Name.

No change in the name of a dog registered with NAVHDA will be allowed to be made except for a one-time change for a dog whelped in the United States which the breeder(s) has registered with NAVHDA and has authorized their consent. However, no change in the name will be recorded by NAVHDA after the dog has produced or sired a NAVHDA registered litter or has run in a NAVHDA test. Additionally, no change may be made to the dog's registered name unless the breeder(s) of record has consented in writing to NAVHDA approving the change.

Co-ownership contracts
Co-ownership arrangements, in far too many cases, lead to problems. While NAVHDA registration application forms provide for more than one owner, we recommend that co-ownerships be avoided. It has been our experience that purchasing a dog ‘outright’ is preferable.

Buyer purchases a sick or defective dog
NAVHDA is always concerned when we learn about the sale of a sick dog, or a dog that has been diagnosed as having a congenital defect. However, NAVHDA does not license or endorse anyone engaged in the commerce of selling purebred dogs, and therefore has no control over the business practices of those involved in such transactions.

While NAVHDA attempts to foster sound breeding practices through education, and while many breeders offer various guarantees with respect to the health of dogs, our jurisdiction is limited to the practices one must follow to ensure proper identification of dogs registered with NAVHDA. Registration, in and of itself, does not guarantee the quality or health of a dog.

There are no provisions in our rules to preclude the breeding of dogs of questionable quality. We would certainly hope, however, that if the matter is brought to the attention of the owners of the dogs involved, they would give the matter careful consideration before contemplating breeding the dogs again.

If you feel that you should be compensated for all or part of the purchase price of your dog, and if you are unable to resolve the matter with the seller, we can only recommend that you seek legal counsel to determine if you can obtain relief through civil channels. You may also wish to bring this matter to the attention of your local Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Service.

With regard to the facility at which your dog was purchased, if you feel the conditions there do not meet acceptable health standards, the matter should be brought to the attention of your local ASPCA, humane society, or health department, as they have the authority to take action in these matters.

To Establish and Remove NAVHDA Breeding Restriction
A Breeding Restriction may be requested for a dog when the individual registration application is submitted, provided the application, together with a request for such restriction, is filed by the owner(s) of the litter at birth or the owner(s) of the single registration.

Each registration certificate for such dog shall carry notice of the restriction, and the restriction shall continue, regardless of any change of ownership, unless and until the owner(s) of the litter at birth or the owner(s) at time of single registration shall apply to NAVHDA for removal of the limitation.

No offspring of a dog for which a Breeding Restriction has been established is eligible for registration.

In order to remove the Breeding Restriction, the owner(s) of the litter at birth or the owner(s) at time of single registration will need to complete the Application to Revoke Breeding Restriction, and submit the form, along with a processing fee to the Central Office. After processing, a Full Registration certificate will be sent to the dog's owner.

It is the breeder's ethical duty to inform the buyer, prior to purchase, that the dog's registration papers will be printed with a Breeding Restriction.

NAVHDA does not license or endorse anyone engaged in the commerce of selling purebred dogs and, therefore, has no control over the business practices of those involved in such transactions. NAVHDA will not become involved in disputes concerning "Full" or "Breeding Restriction" registration of a dog. The parties involved in the sale of the dog must resolve these disputes.

Kennel Registration
No more than two people can apply for a protected kennel name. The first person is always the primary owner. Additional names may be added with a maximum of four names at any one time. At no time can another person use this kennel name. Verbal or written permission is not recognized.

Definition & Usage
A kennel name is a word or combination of words and/or letters, which does not exceed fifteen characters in length (spaces included). The kennel name can be used as a prefix or suffix to a dog's name. The kennel name MUST be reflected in the name of all dogs registered by the user of a kennel name. The owner of a kennel name can use the name only for dogs they have bred.

The awarding of NAVHDA protected kennel names is at the sole discretion of the Registrar.

Registered Kennel Name Transfer
If you wish to bequeath your kennel name upon your death, NAVHDA will honor your personal representative's (or your successor Trustee's) written direction, on a form provided by NAVHDA, upon payment of a transfer fee. This will also apply to co-owners of kennel names, please work out between you what needs to happen in the event that one of the owners passes, or is no longer able to participate.

The transferee of the kennel name will be required to maintain a NAVHDA membership as a condition of maintaining the NAVHDA registration of the kennel name. This procedure is essentially the same as is used for making a sale or transfer of registration of kennel name during the registered owner's lifetime, except the deceased will name a personal representative (executor or executrix) in the deceased's Will or Trust to carry out the procedure after death. If there is no Will or Trust, there will need to be opened an intestate probate estate, and a personal representative will need to be appointed, to act on behalf of the deceased.

Publication
Kennel names will be published in the official publication of NAVHDA subsequent to approval.

Registry Appeals Committee
A Registry Appeals Committee is appointed annually. Registry Items of a controversial nature are presented to this committee with all available details. This Committee renders advice to the Executive Council for final issue resolution.

Appeal Procedures
Objections may be filed within the period listed in the publication.
When this procedure is invoked, the Registrar is to send a letter of receipt of correspondence to the party initiating the letter. The Registrar's letter will state:

• The date their letter was received.
• That it will be forwarded to the Registry Arbitration Committee for an opinion.
• The Registrar will mail a response letter within 60 days.

A recommendation from each committee member is presented in writing to the Registrar. The Registrar acts on the item of concern. If the item is of such a nature that the Board of Directors should have input/vote regarding the decision, it is the obligation of the Registrar to obtain said input/vote. When an item is sent to the Registry Appeals Committee, the President will be made aware of the item in question. This notification does not have to be formal.

Prohibitions
NAVHDA will not knowingly approve an application for registration of a kennel name if the name applied for is:

• A name now used by a breeder other than the applicant.
• A name considered by the Appeals Committee to be phonetically identical to a protected kennel name.
• A color (by itself)
• Any name, which, if brought to the attention of the Committee, and in the opinion of the Committee, is considered to be misleading or confusing or is considered unsuitable as a kennel name.
• Exceeds fifteen characters and spaces.
• Kennel names can not contain any initials that are commonly used titles, the words .com or .net

Expiration of a Kennel Registration
A kennel name will expire if NAVHDA membership of the primary member is not maintained. Currently a renewal fee is required every five years.

Breeder Awards
Breeder Award Criteria

DNA Information

What Can DNA Testing Do For You?
When analyzed in the laboratory, a dog's DNA reveals a unique pattern-its DNA profile. DNA profiles allow a breeder to:

• Establish a permanent record of identity for any dog.
• Determine individual paternity for separately sired siblings.
• Provide bitch owners with guaranteed stud service.
• Verify artificial insemination.
• Resolve breeding disputes.
• Guarantee puppy buyers a solid pedigree and provides them a means of verify parentage.

Certifying DNA Status
The registered owner of a dog eligible for DNA status and which was profiled by the recognized lab but not through NAVHDA may move the dog's DNA profile into the NAVHDA database by sending a completed DNA Application form, along with a copy of the Certificate of DNA Analysis.

DNA Designations on NAVHDA Registration Certificates
The DNA number will be shown on NAVHDA registration certificates and pedigrees of DNA-Profiled dogs.

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