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 is 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 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.

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 certifications when provided.

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: The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association
registration documents are recognized by the following registries: The NAVHDA Registry recognizes the following registries
for recording information on NAVHDA pedigrees: 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 dam is leased, both owner and lessee signatures are necessary.

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 to assign each puppy to the proper breeding pair.

Requirements for Registration of Litter Completing full litter registration Advantages 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: 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. .

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: 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: 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: 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.

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 or dogs to be profiled 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.

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