Sporting registry for Staffords in UK?

The idea for this topic came from another thread and a comment hmots made,

Has there ever been or is there a sporting registry for staffords in the UK. Has anyone ever thought about trying to set one up as they did in the USA for the pit bull (ADBA)?

Lots of people complain about the state of the Stafford in the UK in fact world wide so how come no one has ever tried to set up a legitimate body (registry) for sporting Staffords? Surely there is enough people interested in preserving the sporting stafford to make a go of it.
So, come folks let me know your thoughts good and bad on this subject. Two registries, one for show people and one for sporting people.

Food for thought

 

I am sure Ed Reid has a registry for staffords ? When you say "sporting stafford" are you talking A frames and lure chasing etc?

 

ED reid's IKC is one.

 

Ours is not a British register, but also register the sporting Stafford bloodline!

INDEPENDENT KENNEL CLUB - Home

 

The registration of Staffords as a working breed would not do anything to improve the breed all this would do would give the unscrupolous breeders to charge more for second rate puppies . Today we have hundreds of Blue and Red staffords being bred with KC pedigrees that are falsely papered sold for ridiculously high prices simply because they are a certain colour , back in the days of the Pitbull News the average price for a stafford puppy was between £100 to £150 , now with false KC registration were some dogs are not even purebred Staffords they charge as much as £1000 a puppy . Does anyone seriously think because a breed gets a registration it will improve the breed ? Its down to each individual owner to set standards to aim for breeding from only proven tested dogs that satisfy YOUR needs not breeding to a set of standards , everyone has different views in what they require in a dog so to have a set standard dont help anyone . That a dog is registared dont make it a better dog that simply satisfies the owners usually with cash in mind , most of the great staffords i saw were not registared some were not even purebred a few were KC registared but all were good dogs . If you need to rely on standards set by others or registration then your in the wrong game , you should be able to control the breedings you make keeping accurate honest records yourself , this way YOU have control of everything and any mistakes in your stock are your doing and YOU can correct . Once YOU take control of your breedings without relying on others understanding the quality of your stock will improve drastically , honesty in dogs begins on your own yard and also ends there forget registration just be honest with yourself breed from only proven stock keep true and honest pedigrees and enjoy .

 

JT ,
I couldnt agree with you more , A registry and fancy papers do not a good dog make. I mearly sugested it because there are tose out there who appreciate what these dogs should be and look like that are fed up w the KC standard . In this day it is Illegal as you know to allow these dogs to reach thier full potential but registry such as the ADBA in the us allowed APBT owners the ability to enjoy thier dogs in thier proper form and not conform to the "Status Quo" and thier Ideas of what they think a working dog might look like. Although not all ADBA pits are GR CH where it would matter as to the games of old ,they generaly fit the bill in type and even temperment.
Unscrpolous people are everywhere with thier eye on the prise and not the betterment of thier breed and much to my dismay we cant cull them either but at least it is possible to seperate those who appreciate those of us who can appreciate the breedds for what they should b from those are in it only for coin.

 

I agree that registration for working breeds CAN be a good thing if the said breeds are allowed to continue to be worked as to attain the standards or attributes required in the said breed . Howevor we all know this isnt going to happen or be allowed , as any registration of Working type Staffords or Stafford types would give the HUMANE SOCIETY or RSPCA another weapon to use in there fight to outlaw anything other than KC Staffords . If you think what im saying is the ramblings of a paranoid ex dogfighter then simply ask any of the hundreds of owners of much loved Family pets that were killed under the dangerous dogs act . Also the registration of other breeds such as the Border Collie , Greyhound , Soft Coated Wheaten and yes the Staffordshire Bull Terrier hasnt done much to advance these breeds as working dogs and all were originally bred from proven working lines but are now two distinct totaly different breeds with Border Collies unable to work sheep , Greyhounds incapable of coursing hares and most Staffords incapable of anything .The only way forward to ensure that the Working Stafford dont go the way of other breeds is for each individual owner to set standards in what they require in a dog and stick to them , we are all individuals each with a different understanding and its this that makes these dogs so intresting . First you need to keep genuine and honest pedigrees and research the pedigrees of the dogs you own finding as much genuine history as you can , only then can you build on that foundation , then you must decide what you require in a dog and breed for that purpose . If your looking to use someone elses dog to breed then check out the breeding thorougly before doing so , its so easy to be fed a crock of bull about some dog only to find out later the dog might not be such a wonder dog or bred the way its shown , one incorrect breeding can ruin a lifetimes hard work . Most owners keep Staffords as companions but they like to have fit and healthy dogs , this DONT mean they want to fight them it simply means they like a more active sporting type of dog , its the same with Pitbulls . The author Richard Stratton has kept Pitbulls over fifty years and has never matched or worked a dog in his life , howevor he has always bred his bitches to some of the great fighting dogs throughout history , because he liked the qualities these dogs produced in there offspring . He wasnt trying to breed fighting dogs but dogs that were sporting athletic and intelligent and most of all good around people , something hes done for generations without ever being involved in any controversy , so it can be done . The only way to succeed in any breed of dogs is to keep genuine records of all breedings you make , record were all your puppies go from birth until they die , keeping records of any offspring they produce and were they go to , the easiest way to achieve this is not to publically sell pups . Keep records of all breedings to your stud dogs such as the number of pups produced and were they go to , be very selective if your allowing your dog to breed a bitch outside your own yard as someone elses understanding of what makes a good dog could be way different than yours , and if the pups are not good its your dog that gets the blame . Its so easy to let a puppy go to a newcomer then three months later they know more than Earl Tudor and breed the pup at its first heat to a totally inappropiate stud or if its a male pup breed it to every bitch in heat and all your years of hard work are ruined in one breeding .If you keep TRUE and ACCURATE records then success will follow , also it gives those who come after you a good basis to continue the line using good honest bred dogs as a foundation and cuts out the BS many of us have encountered when we came into dogs . All in all keep your OWN registrations this way YOU know its genuine as because a dog is registared it dont mean its got a GENUINE pedigree or is even purebred of the breed concerned and most of all keep scratchin

 

Hey jt,

That's great advice. If I ever decide to breed I will refer to this article. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Can you post any pics or vids of some of your past dogs. You can pm me if you want?

Cheers mate

 

Hello everyone

our registry, for example, allows to record not only "pure" dogs who have other pedigree (double registration) but also to registry working dogs without pedigree (first record) and working cross and their known genealogy.

The IKC also allows a breeder to be able to make a cross to revitalize its line of dogs and putting on pedigree the cross done. This is to help working dogs breeders to always select "pure dogs" in their work ability and not only in their morphology.

Best regards