Breeding Regulations

Purpose of the association "American Collies Europe e.V." (hereinafter referred to as AC e.V.) is the preservation and promotion of the American Collie in Europe, according to the American breed standard, with its appearance, special nature, characteristics, variety of colors and size, while promoting health values ​​and genetic diversity at the same time.

1. Studbook Office

The stud book office of the AC e.V. association is managed by the breed manager (stud book leader, head of the breeding board). The breeding manager is elected by the general meeting. The breed manager is a member of the board of the "Amerikanische Collies Europa e.V." association. He leads the stud book. The stud book office centrally records all relevant breeding data of the AC e.V. association, such as e.g. kennels, breeders, stud dog owners, breeding bitches, stud dogs, litters. The individual dogs are registered with all relevant data, such as full pedigree name, ancestors, stud book and chip numbers, date of birth, gender, hair type, color, DNA profile number, health values, title as well as the name and address of the breeder and the name and address of the owner including contact details. Dates of mating, birth dates of litters are recorded as well as the entire litter size, including all living and possibly stillborn or later deceased puppies, plus any peculiarities and abnormalities of individual puppies and the mother dog. The studbook office creates, among other things, pedigrees and breeding statistics, records and checks breeding applications, mating and litter reports as well as litter inspections and cares for international protection of kennel names at the umbrella association.

as Zuchtbuchamt des Vereins AC e.V. wird geführt vom Zuchtbuchführer (Zuchtleiter, Hauptzuchtwart). Der Zuchtbuchführer wird gewählt von der Mitgliederversammlung. Der Zuchtbuchführer zählt zum Vorstand des Vereins "Amerikanische Collies Europa e.V.". Er führt das Zuchtbuch. Das Zuchtbuchamt erfasst zentral alle relevanten Zuchtdaten des Vereins AC e.V., wie z.B. alle Zuchtstätten, Züchter, Deckrüdenbesitzer, Zuchthündinnen, Deckrüden, Würfe. Die einzelnen Hunde werden erfasst mit allen relevanten Daten, wie z.B. vollständigem Pedigree Namen, Ahnen, Zuchtbuch- und Chipnummern, Geburtsdatum, Geschlecht, Haarart, Farbe, DNA-Profil-Nummer, Gesundheitswerte, Titel sowie Name und Adresse des Züchters sowie Name und Adresse des Eigentümers inklusive Kontaktdaten. Decktage und Wurftag werden ebenso erfasst wie die gesamte Wurfstärke inklusive aller lebenden und eventuell totgeborenen oder später verstorbenen Welpen zzgl. Besonderheiten und Abnormitäten einzelner Welpen und der Mutterhündin. Das Zuchtbuchamt erstellt u.a. die Ahnentafeln und Nachzuchtstatistiken, erfasst und prüft Zuchtanträge, Deck- und Wurfmeldungen sowie Wurfabnahmen und lässt Zwingernamen beim Verband international schützen.

2. Breeding Commission

The breeding commission is constituted of the breed manager, the breed warden and the breed warden candidates as well as the 1st and 2nd chairmen plus one representative each for stud dog and one for breeders. All are committed to regular further education. Regular meetings and information exchanges take place, this can also be done electronically. Members interested in becoming a breed warden candidate can apply to the breed manager and if approved by the breeding commission, become a memberit. After acquiring the specialist knowledge, they are appointed breed ward by the breed manager.

The data recorded by the stud book office are evaluated by the breeding commission and breeding strategies are developed. Criteria e.g. for breeding licenses and litter control are checked and if necessary altered or complemented. The breeding commission makes suggestions for changes and additions to the breeding regulations. These are then presented at the general meeting, which decides by majority on acceptance or rejection. The breeding commission is also authorized to make short-term changes to the breeding regulations, which are then put to the vote at the next regular general meeting.

The breeding commission supports advanced training, courses and conferences on training and further education in breeding. It advises breeders, stud dog owners and kennels. It also checks whether participation in current research studies is reasonable and issues appropriate recommendations. It checks whether all requirements for a breeding license of breeding candidates are met and then decides by majority on their breeding confirmation. The breeding commission can decide by majority on restrictions in breeding use, even retrospectively, if e.g. the offspring of a breeding bitch or stud dog increasingly show defects that exclude breeding or questionable hereditary factors come to light. The breeding commission maintains lists of recognized specialized evaluation centers for X-ray reports (GRSK), specialized eye examinations (DOK/ECVO/ACVO) and evaluations from high-quality laboratories as well as for central dog registers. It regularly creates and revises all forms, applications, approvals, reports, control sheets, certifications and examination documents necessary for breeding, according to the requirements of the breeding regulations.

3. Breed Warden

The breed manager assigns the breed warden with the tasks of kennel and litter control according to the breeding regulations. These inspections and approvals are documented on special forms and forwarded immediately to the studbook office. Every peculiarity and anomaly has to be noted.

Certified breeders of the AC e.V. stand for high-quality breeding, following the motto “quality over quantity”. New breeders must first demonstrate or acquire a good specialist knowledge in order to obtain a preliminary kennel of the AC e.V..  provisional recognition of the breeding facilities. All breeders and stud dog owners are required to undergo regular training to constantly expand their knowledge and to bring it up to date or to remain so. Everyone who wants to breed at the AC e.V. has to register with the stud book office. Prospective breeders and stud dog owners must be of legal age and a member of the "American Collies Europe e.V." association. Every breeder and stud dog owner are obliged to keep their own breeding or stud book. The templates from the stud book office of the "American Collies Europe" association can also be used as a supplement. Breeders and stud dog owners are obliged to meet all requirements of the breeding regulations on time and without being asked to do so. All data must always be forwarded immediately (also) electronically to the stud book office.

Breeding facilities that breed in accordance with the guidelines of the AC e.V. receive the special award of "Certified Kennel of American Collies Europe" (Amerikanische Collies Europa e.V.). We have designed a plaque for this purpose that breeders can put on their website. All dogs in a household must live in a breed-appropriate manner with their owners in the living area, with appropriate outlets during the day (enough walks, garden, etc.). Kennel keeping is not permitted. Of course, in addition to water always being available, regular, sufficient, high-quality feeding, care and health care must also be guaranteed. At the end of the pregnancy, the bitch must be provided with a separate, quiet area in the living area that is sufficiently illuminated by daylight and kept at a temperature of at least 18°C ​​(preferably a little higher).The whelping box set up there must be 2 - 3 m² in size. A heat lamp or mat must be able to be provided to be used when necessary. As the puppies grow, their range of activity increases, and the size of the run is gradually adjusted to suit their needs. At the age of four weeks, the indoor run must be expanded to at least 7.5m². With five weeks of age at latest, the puppies need to be able to access an outdoor enclosure at least once a day, which must be at least 12m² and starting at 6 weeks at least 24m². The older the puppies get the more time they should spend outdoors, up to several hours a day if weather conditions permit. The puppies must be able to protect themselves from strong sunlight, rain and moisture. For this purpose, a protected area of ​​at least 2.5m² (or better larger) is required, to offer enough space for the bitch and her puppies. Everything must be set up in such a way that no dog can injure itself. If the laws and regulations of the individual states and regions or the responsible authorities require larger areas, these must be complied with. Both inside and outside, the surfaces should be of as many different textures as possible (e.g. grass, plates, sand, tiles, laminate, etc.); hygiene must be always ensured. To prepare for their later life, various passageways, wobbly, elevated and shiny surfaces must be offered, as well as fluttering, rustling and wind moving environmental stimuli, along with age-appropriate toys. The puppies should grow up indoors in the living area, in close contact to ​​the breeder’s family, to become familiar with everyday life without stress. Everything is of course tailored to the puppies without any danger. Well-balanced nutrition with several meals a day and constantly available water are self-evident as soon as the puppies are able to eat and drink by themselves. Round-the-clock care is a basic requirement, especially during the first few weeks.

(Prospective) breeders who accept and implement all of our association's requirements can apply to the stud book office for a kennel name that is protected internationally by the umbrella association "Amerikanische Hütehunde Europa e.V. (AH e.V. - American Herdingdogs Europe). The name has to be clearly distinct to already existing kennel names. A kennel name protection will only become final with the recognition of a breeding bitch in our club. On the breeder homepage the logo of our association shall be led. If the breeder ends his breeding under our club, it must be removed immediately. When changing to another association, it must also be recognisable, that the breeding is being carried out under the new association and no longer under the AC e.V.. Active kennels of the AC e.V. can be listed together with their breeding bitches recognized by the AC e.V. The same applies to stud dog owners and their stud dogs. This requires that breeders such as stud dog owners are members of our association AC e.V.. Listed website links to the respective breeder or stud dog homepages must refer to the kennel or stud dog. If this is not the case, the association reserves the right to remove the link. Incoming emails from listed mail addresses shall be edited promptly. In the event of late payment or non-compliance with the breeding regulations or inappropriate behavior, the association reserves the right to remove the breeder or stud dog owner and his Collies from the homepage. The breeding committee decides by a majority. A resumption on the association’s homepage is subject to a charge. In principle, only breeding animals are presented on our association website whose owners are fully committed to our association, i.e. do not breed under another association, for example, but want to present their stud dogs by us. We are striving to keep our associations homepage up to date. Delays are possible. There is no legal claim. Likewise, the exchange of photos from time to time is possible only in the context of the reasonableness and feasibility of the honorary activities of the commissioned person. If a dog is removed of the breed, even temporarily, then the stud book office must be informed immediately.

A new kennel is administrated as "Preliminary Kennel of American Collies Europe" (Amerikanische Collies Europa e.V.). While breeding, latest by the litter control, all requirements will be inspected by a representative of the AC e.V.. Only then the title “Certified Kennel of American Collies Europe” (Amerikanische Collies Europa e.V.) will be granted as a special predicate. The breeding kennels will be controlled on a regular basis whether they comply with all requirements to continue carrying this title. The studbook office has to be notified about any changes to the breeding kennel immediately, e.g. regarding accommodation or supply. Slight breaches of the breeding guidelines can be reworked. Larger breaches will result in an entry to the pedigree “Not according to the sbreeding regulations”. Serious breaches will result in an exclusion from breeding. Only kennels that meet all requirements receive documents for their puppies. Inspections by a representative of the AC e.V. are possible at any time and he must be granted immediate access.

To receive a breeding license, the breeding candidates must meet several quality and health requirements. All documents, including results, must be emailed tot he stud book office or the expert reports are sent directly to the studbook office by the evaluator.

External Appearance: They must comply to the original AKC (American Kennel Club) breed standard for American Collies, taking into account the guidelines of the AC e.V.. A presentation at our exhibition is desired.

Character: The Collies must demonstrably have a flawless breed-typical character.

Pedigree: They must have a complete pedigree accepted by the AC e.V., spanning at least three generations.

Identification: Every breeding candidate must have an easily readable implated microchip (transponder), with a 15-digit number code, stored in the EU Pet Passport.

Condition: Every actual and future Breeding bitch & Stud dog and all other dogs living in their home must be in excellent grooming, nutrition, and health condition.

Health certificate: A current veterinary health certification including dental check must be presented for the breeding candidate (special form) or alternatively the breeding license from another recognised breeding association with all required informations. Every breeding candidate shall have a complete scissor bite.  

X-examinations: At the age of at least 15 months, or better 18 months, all breeding candidates must be X-rayed for HD, ED and LÜW (special forms) and voluntary for OCD. The evaluation is carried out by a specialist expert of the GRSK (curr. Dr. Witteborg in Germany). For Collies, that have already been x-rayed, the exsisting results can be submitted, even if no examination for ED and LÜW has yet taken place, if there was no obligation at that time. The breeding commission decides on recognition.  

Eye examination: Every breeding candidate must have an eye examination for hereditary diseases by an ophthalmological specialist of the DOK (ECVO/ACVO).

Genetic tests: Every breeding candidate must verify his exact genetic status for MDR1, DM, CEA (Laboklin), PRA, GCS, IPD and DMS (Laboklin). For this, according results must be presented, each from a recognized laboratory of the AC e.V., either from the breeding candidate himself or his ancestors if there are clear results (only with two homozygous parents etc.). MH and HUU are voluntary but are strongly recommended, especially the former, as a dominantly inherited anesthesia and drug intolerance. In addition, every breeding candidate must have a genetic profile from a recognized laboratory of the AC e.V..

Breed excluding faults: Chronic diseases, hereditary defects, heart defects, epilepsy, autoimmune diseases, kinky tails, monorchidism, cryptorchidism, hereditary skeletal deformations, lip-, jaw- and palate-cleft, hereditary eye diseases like Cataract and PRA, visual impairments up to blindness, deafness, albinism, Double Merles, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, lumbar transition vertebra, considerable dental flaws, considerable jaw anomalies (e.g. overshot and undershot), considerable aggressiveness and overanxious nature. Should such defects become evident later, the breeding license will be denied.

Application for Breeding License: Every breeding candidate shall be presented to a representative of the AC e.V.. Breeding licenses must be requested at the studbook office per email, accompanied by submitting a copy of the pedigree and all the above-mentioned reports and evaluations, as well as a current photo of the Collie. If approved, the applicant will receive an application for Breeding License by email. This form must be completed in Word program and emailed back as a Word file (not PDF) so that it can be completed accordingly by the stud book office and presented to the breeding committee, which will then make the final decision on approval. Please note that only club members can have dogs declared suitable for breeding. This also applies to the use of stud dogs outside of our club. These must be declared suitable for breeding by the owners of the breeding bitches interested in them, submitting all documents. These stud dogs will not be listed later on the club website under stud dogs, as this is reserved for club members.

Click here for the Breeding Programs:

Click here for the Breeding Implementation:

The current fees are documented in the fee regulations:

Changes to the breeding regulations require the approval of the General Assembly. The breeding commission is authorized to carry out short-term changes to the breeding regulations, which are then put to the vote at the next regular general meeting.

The order was approved on 24^th November 2024, by the general meeting in Kerpen and enters into force immediately.