United Kennel Club

The UKC is geared more towards "show bred APBTs." The standard is slightly different than the ADBA, however it is a well respected registry which holds conformation and weight pull events in many states.

This excerpt taken from the UKC website:

"Established in 1898, the United Kennel Club is the largest all-breed performance-dog registry in the world, registering dogs from all 50 states and 25 foreign countries. More than 60 percent of its 12,000 annually licensed events are tests of hunting ability, training and instinct. UKC prides itself on its family-oriented, friendly, educational events. The UKC has supported the "Total Dog" philosophy through its events and programs for over a century. As a departure from registries that place emphasis on a dog’s looks, UKC events are designed for dogs that look and perform equally well.

Our mission is to be the world's best registry of purebred dogs, to offer our customers the most efficient and creative services possible, to use our data to help our customers breed the best dogs in the world and to create a wide spectrum of performance and conformation events in which those dogs can prove their instincts and heritage.

The programs at UKC include Obedience Trials, Agility Trials, Weight Pull Events, Terrier Races, Earth Work Events, Total Junior Program, Dog Sports (including Family Obedience), Coonhound Field Trials, Water Races, Nite Hunts and Bench Shows, Hunt Tests for retrieving breeds, Pointing Dog Events, Beagle Events (including Hunts and Bench Shows, and Cur and Feist Squirrel and Coon Events and Bench Shows.

Rounding out the 'Total Dog' package, UKC Conformation Events are among our largest growing events. UKC dog shows are family events designed by and for the breeder-owner-handler. Professional Handlers are not eligible to exhibit dogs for others at UKC Conformation Events. At UKC dog shows, the emphasis is on the DOG, not the SHOW.

Part of our mission is to have events where all dogs can compete. In addition to our purebred dog registry, United Kennel Club offers a Limited Privilege program. The Limited Privilege is open to all dogs that are spayed/neutered. This includes mixed breed dogs, purebred dogs of unknown pedigree, and purebred dogs with disqualifying faults as described in the UKC breed standards. The programs open to Limited Privilege dogs are Obedience Trials, Weight Pulls, Agility Trials, Total Junior Program and Dog Sports (including Family Obedience).

It is our firm belief that the right balance between performance and conformation results in healthier happier dogs for everyone. We are proud that we share that same philosophy with our growing number of dedicated participants.

Essentially, the UKC world of dogs is a working world. That's the way it was developed over a century ago, and that's the way it remains today.

Why UKC? What Makes Us Different?

Service . . . Events & Activities . . . Innovations

Service. First and foremost is UKC’s dedication to serving its customers. Our most important mission in customer service is our commitment to accuracy and speedy delivery. Our turnaround time is the best in the dog world.

Our ongoing pledge is to provide individual service and accessibility to UKC through our experienced staff. This is accomplished through hundreds of daily phone calls to the office, events organized by our Dog Events and Hunting Dog Departments and traveling across the country to support our clubs and their events. We are told this is especially true with owners who have had the opportunity to compare our services with those of other registries.

Events and Activities. Our event emphasis is on the owner-handler and breeder, and their dogs. The environment is friendly, open, fun, educational and competitive. While maintaining a degree of difficulty to preserve the integrity of the degree, UKC events and titles are attainable accomplishments for the amateur trainer and handler.

UKC events are, to a great degree, devoid of the pressure and disappointment experienced in similar events provided by competitive organizations. UKC encourages the owner/handler philosophy to aid in the growth and bond between owners and their dogs. This is proven over and over in the success and growth of our events across the country.

Innovations. UKC is the first to offer the Performance Pedigree®. This pedigree gives an accurate, up-to-date count of the number of puppies produced by each dog on the pedigree as well as the various Championships earned by those puppies. It also includes the coat colors of all 14 ancestors. The Performance Pedigree is a beautiful document and is the most complete pedigree in the World."