Why is there such a dramatic drop now in cavalier registrations?

What is the cause for this Alarming Drop in Cavalier Registrations?

In 2004 there were around 10,700 Cavalier Puppies Registered by the Kennel Club

Last year 2010, the Cavalier Registrations had fallen to around 8, 100.

These are figures taken from the Kennel Club's Cavalier Breed Supplement.

This year 2011, the Cavalier Registrations January -March in the Breed Supplement ,were just over the 2,000,so if it continues like this for the rest of 2011 ,the Cavalier Registrations could be again around 8,000.

Have the Cavalier Buying Public now realized that the Cavalier Breed has Two such Horrendous Health Problems ,SM and MVD, that it costs so much for the Medication to Alleviate the Cavaliers who are suffering from those Diseases?

The figures for CM which is Chacterised with the Brain being too big for the Skull, in Cavaliers is around 90%.

The MVD Figure is 50% for Cavaliers of 5-6 years of age.

What other cause can there be that the Public is not buying Cavaliers,are the Cavalier Breeders now wary of Breeding too many Cavaliers and being left with them.


Bet

I would suggest three reasons - one good and two sad:

The good: The general public is beginning to get the message that Cavaliers have health problems and can be very expensive pets. The drop in registrations began a couple of years ago, after the TV programme.

The first sad: a lot of health-conscious small-scale breeders have given up in despair (even within my limited acquaintance, I know of several). In some ways, the new DNA tests are making things even more complicated - if your bitch is positive for Episodic Falling or Dry Eye, you now have to find a dog to mate her to who is himself clear of MVD and SM, and whose parents and grandparents are all clear, and who isn't a carrier for EF or DE - and, if you want to show or continue breeding, a dog who also approximates to the standard and has a good temperament. Even my most dedicated friends are tearing their hair!

The second sad: a lot of puppy farmers and BYBs don't bother to register their puppies, so registration isn't an accurate picture of how many Cavaliers are being bred - it just shows a drop in numbers of breeders who register because they want to show, because they find KC registration is a selling point, or because they are serious but non-showing breeders who want to keep tabs on their breeding over the generations.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

I'm not sure I'd call it a dramatic drop in cavalier registrations.
First quarter 2010 there were 2145,this quarter,2134.
More of a levelling out I'd say.
Kate is spot on about the BYBs and puppy farmers.Maybe they're just not bothering to register.People who buy pups from a shed aren't overly concerned about KC registration for their new pet.
Sadly,some breeders have reluctantly decided to call it a day.It's hard to breed through a scenario where there appears to be more problems than solutions.
Also you can expect numbers to drop as people remove bitches from their breeding programme if they scan badly under 2.5yrs.
They may also be a temporary reduction in litters, as people decide to breed their bitches later.
Finally,breeders have their eye on the economic situation,noone will breed more litters than they can expect to sell and times are increasingly tough for people who have to manage feeding,grooming and basic veterinary care for a pet dog.

Sins

Maybe a way of trying to measure overall whether fewer cavaliers are being bred, is to monitor the number of ex breeding stock from puppy farms being taken into Rescue Centres. I imagine that Rescue Centres do keep stats.

As the economic situation continues to bite, there may be an increase of cavaliers needing to be rehomed as Puppy Farms find they are unable to sell the requisite number of pups to make a profit.
Following that there could be a decrease in the number of ex breeding bitches finding their way to Rescue. This would indicate that not as many pups were being produced (but only after careful monitoring over a period of 3 - 5 yrs) so that 'Trends' can be verified for accuracy.

sins said:

I'm not sure I'd call it a dramatic drop in cavalier registrations.
First quarter 2010 there were 2145,this quarter,2134.
More of a levelling out I'd say.
Kate is spot on about the BYBs and puppy farmers.Maybe they're just not bothering to register.People who buy pups from a shed aren't overly concerned about KC registration for their new pet.
Sadly,some breeders have reluctantly decided to call it a day.It's hard to breed through a scenario where there appears to be more problems than solutions.
Also you can expect numbers to drop as people remove bitches from their breeding programme if they scan badly under 2.5yrs.
They may also be a temporary reduction in litters, as people decide to breed their bitches later.
Finally,breeders have their eye on the economic situation,noone will breed more litters than they can expect to sell and times are increasingly tough for people who have to manage feeding,grooming and basic veterinary care for a pet dog.

Sins

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WHY IS THERE SUCH A DRAMATIC DROP NOW IN CAVALIER REGISTRATIONS?


I would'nt say it was a Levelling out.

There was a 3,000 Cavalier Drop in Registrations in One year. was it 2009 to 2010

That was a Quarter of Cavaliers being Registered

This was even commented in the Dog World.

If the Cavalier Registrations are checked , there are far more Registrations of Cavaliers from Cavalier Breeders out-with CKCS BREEDERS who are CLUB MEMBERS .

This figure was put on a Cavalier Forum recently by Graham Ford.

Bet

All 3 of my cavaliers are AKC eligible and I refuse to register them.

2 of our 3 cavaliers came from "highly recommended AKC show breeders". I did everything "right" when it came to finding a puppy both times and yet I still ended up with dogs who had multiple problems/neglect from these "amazing" breeders. Because of this I personally chose not to support an organization who was clearly supporting both of these horrible breeders as they were allowed to call their puppies AKC eligible.

I know that this is not always the case but I have met with many MANY Cav owners here in America who will not register their cavs with the kennel club until changes are made and more regulations are put into place. I actually HOPE this is the reason for the slight fall in registration. Maybe people will start to see that just because you get a puppy from someone "reputable" there are still many risks when it comes to this breed. Breeding regulations have got to get better for AKC breeders before I'd ever support them.

Obviously however the AKC is closer to change than other organizations which is why I don't think any others should even be considered when looking for a puppy.

Bet said:

What is the cause for this Alarming Drop in Cavalier Registrations? ...

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In part, could it be that more breeders are following the MVD breeding protocol. An essential consequence of following that protocol is that fewer litters would be bred.

LexieAndSprinkles said:

All 3 of my cavaliers are AKC eligible and I refuse to register them. ... I personally chose not to support an organization who was clearly supporting both of these horrible breeders as they were allowed to call their puppies AKC eligible. ...

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Bet's opening post on this topic was about the UK registrations, so the AKC situation is a bit different. But, as strongly as I feel about genetic health testing and following breeding protocols, I would register all of my cavaliers with the AKC for the somewhat selfish reason that AKC-registered dogs can participate in AKC's companion (and performance) events, such as obedience, rally, agility, and tracking.

With the exception of one current total couch potato, all of our cavaliers have been trained in obedience and agility, and most of them have entered AKC-sponsored obedience and agility events. You have to register your dog with AKC -- in one way or another -- in order to participate in those fun activities.

I don't know for sure what you mean by AKC supporting "these horrible breeders", but I have found that AKC has done more to hold "puppy millers" and large commercial breeders accountable for inhumane care of their breeding stock and puppies. AKC has implemented kennel inspection standards that are stricter than any other registry, and AKC has been funding its inspection program with millions of dollars. That is one of the primary reasons that AKC's registration numbers have declined consistently over the past fifteen years. AKC's enforcement of its DNA testing of sires and its suspension of breeders found to inhumanely treat their dogs has driven the millers and commercial breeders to create their own "registries" which really are nothing but certificate-issuing mills.

IMHO your post is spot on Sins.

I am one of those who has agonised about whether to breed and decided against it yet again. 50 percent of the decision because my girl has missed/miscarried 3 times. She has scanned clear of CM, SM and PSOM at both Chestergates and my local referrral centre. She is now 4 1/2 years old. She is also mvd and eye clear.

For me the most important 50 percent of the decision is that she was delivered by a C Section. I have talked at length with the repro vet, who agrees with me that like mother like daughter is likely to apply. There is a significant mortality in risk allowing a bitch like Bubbles to start labour, then go into the vet hospital for a Section. Apart from that there is a small but appreciable risk with any kind of anaesthesia.

Much as I care about the health of the breed and wanted to put healthy pups back into the breeding or pet chain, there is no way I will risk my lovely girl's health or cause her unnecessary pain or distress. It just isn't on.

Of course she is KC registered, as would any pups have been.

My occupational pension is paid into my bank account quarterly and is due this month. I have already booked Bubba's pre-spay health check with the vet. As soon as the money arrives in my account I will make the appointment.

Bubbles is yet another with a potential litter lost to the KC registration figures Bet. There must be many others for reasons as diverse and varied as this and many other considerations which breeders need to make before they reluctantly decide to opt out of the breeding stakes.

Just to clarify a US/UK difference stemming from Rod's remarks about needing to register dogs in order to do obedience and agility. Our KC has the main breed register, and of course any pedigree dog registered on that can do showing, obedience, agility, field trials or any other sport. But there is also the Activity Register, which enables any dog, whether pedigree or not, to compete in the various sports. My Oliver is on the breed register; my rescue Aled, although clearly a purebred Cavalier, has no pedigree so can't be on the breed register, but he is on the Activity Register and competes in obedience, along with a great number of crossbreeds and Heinz 57 varieties. Being on the Activity Register also means that I can take him along to breed shows and enter him Not for Competition, which I do to get his heart checked at the Cavalier Club championship show every year (and if I still showed Oliver, Aled would be able to come along as well, though I couldn't show him).

Kate, Oliver and Aled

Kate H said:

Just to clarify a US/UK difference stemming from Rod's remarks about needing to register dogs in order to do obedience and agility. Our KC has the main breed register, and of course any pedigree dog registered on that can do showing, obedience, agility, field trials or any other sport. But there is also the Activity Register, which enables any dog, whether pedigree or not, to compete in the various sports. My Oliver is on the breed register; my rescue Aled, although clearly a purebred Cavalier, has no pedigree so can't be on the breed register, but he is on the Activity Register and competes in obedience, along with a great number of crossbreeds and Heinz 57 varieties. Being on the Activity Register also means that I can take him along to breed shows and enter him Not for Competition, which I do to get his heart checked at the Cavalier Club championship show every year (and if I still showed Oliver, Aled would be able to come along as well, though I couldn't show him).

Kate, Oliver and Aled

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AKC has a similar registry for purebreds which cannot prove their pedigrees and for mixed-breed dogs. But, for those categories, the males must be castrated and the bitches spade. Those dogs may participate in non-conformation events, like obedience and agility.

RodRussell said:

AKC has a similar registry for purebreds which cannot prove their pedigrees and for mixed-breed dogs. But, for those categories, the males must be castrated and the bitches spade. Those dogs may participate in non-conformation events, like obedience and agility.

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Ok. Never heard "castrated". Ugg. I get squimish on things like that. I guess I understand that. I personally feel very strong about having your dogs (ones sold by breeders as pets) spayed and neutered (as bob barker said) which is what breeders in the breed clubs state I believe. I'm glad the AKC has that so that people can participate in non-conformation events.

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anniemac said:

Ok. Never heard "castrated". Ugg. I get squimish on things like that. I guess I understand that. I personally feel very strong about having your dogs (ones sold by breeders as pets) spayed and neutered (as bob barker said) which is what breeders in the breed clubs state I believe. I'm glad the AKC has that so that people can participate in non-conformation events.

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Anne, "neutered" is an animal-rightists' term. Castrated is descriptive of what is done to the dog. I am not a fan of early neutering of either gender; whereas H$U$ and PETA advocate neutering all purebreds at 4 months. And I do mean ALL. It is one of their giant steps toward their goal of ending purebred breeding.

RodRussell said:

Anne, "neutered" is an animal-rightists' term. Castrated is descriptive of what is done to the dog. I am not a fan of early neutering of either gender; whereas H$U$ and PETA advocate neutering all purebreds at 4 months. And I do mean ALL. It is one of their giant steps toward their goal of ending purebred breeding.

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Among other goals, like making everyone vegan, ending all pet ownership, and putting an end to medical research using animals (without which advancements in medicine would essentially stop).

Soushiruiuma said:

Among other goals, like making everyone vegan, ending all pet ownership, and putting an end to medical research using animals (without which advancements in medicine would essentially stop).

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Yes, what she said.