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Parent Clubs
What is a parent club??
In short, a breed's parent club is the organization/ club designated by the American Kennel Club to be the stewards of that breed for AKC concerns. You have the best chance of finding your breed's most reputable and knowledgeable people within that club. Parent clubs are national in scope, but accept memberships from all over the world. Many have local or regional clubs as well- one may be near you! If you own that breed of dog, regardless of whether you show him or her, you should considering joining your parent club to help support your breed. Many parent club memberships come with a publication specifically for and about that breed.
How to find your breed's parent club:
1. Visit www.akc.org
2. Click on "clubs" from the left menu
3. Click on "club search" from either the left menu or from the center page choices
4. Click on "national clubs" from the center page choices.
5. Select your breed from the menu and click "Search"
You will then be given the contact information for that breed's parent club. Most all parent clubs have web sites and e-mail addresses listed. Click on the web link or e-mail address. If neither exists, you will be given a phone number or mailing address.
Your Parent Club's website and their National Specialty Show:
Parent club websites are typically busting with information about their breed. You will likely find a breeder referral list and you'll also probably see something mentioned about their "National Specialty Show," or "NSS." Take note of when and where the NSS is and try to get there if you are really a fan of the breed and want to see a lot of them in one place and talk to other owners. At a national, you will find others who share your love of the breed, along with many of the top competition dogs of the breed from around the country. Competition may include obedience, agility and other performance events, in addition to the standard conformation competition like you see on television. Winning the National Specialty Show is a breed's top honor. Some Nationals have hundreds of entries, others not so many. You can e-mail your parent club and ask them about their typical entry size. Nationals last from a day to a week, depending on the breed. What a great vacation that could be!