GREATER MONROE KENNEL CLUB
What are some dog myths?
A dog with AKC papers must be good quality.

AKC is simply a registration body.  As stringent as AKC is in verifying “pure-blooded breed
registration” it can not and does not register quality.  It doesn’t matter if the puppy is purple
with 7 legs.  AKC registration does not ensure health, temperament or even if the dog will
truly resemble their breed.
If the sire/dam were of the same breed and registered with the AKC on a full registration, the
puppy can be registered
It’s critical to choose a responsible breeder to best ensure you are getting a healthy puppy.  
It also ensures the pup will have the traits that made you choose the particular breed, such
as temperament and appearance.
Ask and expect the breeder to have tested their breeding stock with known faults within the
breed you are desiring.

Purebred dogs are not as healthy as mixed.

Not necessarily.  A purebred dog from a responsible breeder will come from health tested
stock.  They have predicable traits, even down to what health issues they may have.
So few purebred dogs come from responsible breeders, it’s no wonder people think that “all
purebred” dogs have issues.
Did you know that over 80% of purebred dogs are produced by one-time breeders?  These
people breed Fluffy to Fido without knowledge of potential problems.

All dogs within a chosen breed are pretty much created equal.

All though predicable traits are one of the positives of purebred dogs, the dogs are not
stamped out of a giant cookie cutter.  Where you purchase your puppy could very likely be
more important than what breed you choose.
All breeders are not created equal and the importance of breeder shopping as opposed to
puppy shopping can’t be stressed enough.  
There will always be another litter, don’t rush into purchasing the first pup you can find.

Rare colors, “teacups” and extreme sizes (extra large/small) are worth more
money than their litter mates.

Often time “rare colors are considered mismarks within the breed standard.  Read up on your
breed before purchasing and understand which colors are permissible.  Mis-marks should
typically be sold at a lower cost as they are considered pet marked.  Note:  Mis-marked dogs
can be registered with the AKC and can compete in most any AKC event except for
conformation.
Be leery of extreme sizes as sometimes it can come at the cost of health issues.  Some
breeds have minimum and/or maximum height or weight requirements.  Any breeder striving to
produce a dog outside of their breed’s standard should not be considered responsible and
their motives for breeding should be questioned.
There is no AKC “teacup” breed. Period!

You only want a pet, so there is not need to go to a “show breeder”.

Conformation showing is how a dog conforms to their breed standard.  This is important,
even if you want “just a pet”.
Good conformation ensures a dog’s body’s structure is built to avoid early crippling
problems.  For instance, poor conformation can lead to problems with the spine or legs that
can result in lameness and more serious injuries.
Showing a dog in conformation is an opportunity to gather unbiased opinions on breeding
stock.  Without these unbiased opinions, a breeder can let their personal affections for dogs
cloud breeding decisions (this is called kennel blindness) by over looking the dog’s faults.
Showing connects breed fanciers, allowing breeders to be aware of current needs, trends or
problems within a breed. It also allows a breeder the chance to find better mates, as their
search isn’t typically restricted to what is in their backyard.
Even the best litters have pet puppies in it.  Breeding champion to champion does not mean
all the puppies can become champions (which is why starting with mediocre or poor
specimens results in even poorer quality offspring.)

When looking for a purebred puppy, make sure there are no repeated dogs in
the pedigree.  That means they are inbred and more prone to problems.

Breeding related dogs can be referred to as line-breeding or in-breeding, depending on how
closely related the dogs are.
Neither line-breeding or in-breeding themselves are bad, nor do they create good or bad
offspring.  It all lies in the selection of the breeding stock.
Line-breeding or in-breeding can be a useful tool for breeders, to set traits.  This can be
beneficial in making the breeding results more predictable and fixing problems within a breed.
Some of the most influential dogs in their breed are line-bred.  When these line bred dogs are
bred to others, their strong traits can be passed along to their offspring.
The problems happen when there are health, temperament and/or structure problems with the
breeding dogs.  All the problems are concentrated in the puppies.

Certain breeds are hypoallergenic.

Some breeds do not shed or shed very little perhaps once a year but they are not
hypoallergenic.  Most individuals allergic to their dogs are sensitive to the dander carried on
the skin and hair.  The dander is made up of skin flakes, dried saliva, dust particles,
microscopic mites, etc. that fall into their environment.

When a dog scoots on its bottom it has worms.

Dogs have anal glands (scent glands) just inside their rectum.  When they become full or
itchy “scooting” helps to relieve the fullness and helps to scratch the itch.

Dogs are sick when their noses are warm.

Another “old wives tale”.  The temperature or whether it is dry or wet does not indicate
sickness or health.  The only way to check a dog’s temperature is to take it .  Normal
temperature should be 100.5 to 102.5 degrees F.

A wagging tail means a happy dog.

A wagging tail can mean the dog is happy but you must look at the overall “signs” the dog is
providing.
Look for clues of aggression like laid back ears, hair on the back standing up, any display of
teeth, and just a slight wag of the tail.
When a dog is happy the ears are up the hair on the back is down and smooth and the
whole body is wagging.