BREEDER OBLIGATIONS

As registered breeders with the ANKC, we are bound by certain regulations (codes of practice) with regards to keeping our dogs and breeding from them. This is mostly regulated by registration paperwork which is processed for each litter by the state authority under the ANKC. Dogs Victoria also has the ability to perform spot inspections of our premises and records, and we are also obligated to provide the RSPCA with the same access. The ANKC keeps computer based records on all registered dogs and as an example, they can see how many litters of puppy each dog has in their lifetime, so if more than the allowance has been registered it will flag an urgent review of such a breeder. 

The Pet Industry Association of Australia (PIAA) which governs many puppy farms also has regulations but these are relaxed and do not appear to be regulated. Puppy farms are also required to abide by the RSPCA rules and can be spot inspected, however due to limiting funds in the RSPCA we have seen to date that many puppy farms go under the radar. 

The following lists the most important obligations to which we abide by as ANKC registered breeders: 

  • We breed to improve quality and / or working ability of the breed, not for quality or to supply the pet market. 

  • We do not allow our dogs to mate with other breeds of dogs (including Mittel to Klein) or to unregistered (or limited register) German Spitz.

  • The minimum age for breeding is 12 months. 

  • Females (bitches) are not to whelp (become pregnant) more than twice in eighteen months, and to have no more than six pregnancies in their life. 

  • We are responsible to perform the necessary (available) tests to reduce the incidence of hereditary diseases. 

  • Puppies in our care will not to be sold or otherwise transferred under 8 weeks of age. Puppies must be a minimum of 11 weeks prior to export. 

  • All puppies will be vet checked, wormed, 1st Vaccination and micro-chipped prior to being sent to their new homes. 

  • We will supply all puppy buyers with a 'welcome pack' detailing the care, welfare and responsible ownership of the dog along with vaccination records, worming records, breed characteristics and any applicable ANKC documentation such as Pedigree certificate. 

  • We will not knowingly sell a dog to any person who does not have sufficient room, proper shelter or capacity to care for one of our dogs. 

  • For the life of the dog, we will be available for support and advice. In the instance an owner can no longer keep their Origins German Spitz, we will take the dog back to re-home it. We do not want our dogs ending up in shelters or in puppy farms, so if a puppy is re-homed to a friend, we would also like to be kept informed. 

  • In the rare instance where a dog has a known health issue or defect, we must obtain written and signed acknowledgement from the buyer on acceptance of this condition prior to placing the puppy. 

  • We will not sell puppies to pet shops, and we do not surrender dogs to shelters or pounds.

  • We will not allow for a puppy to be given as a prize, auctioned or donated. 

  • We do not allow breeding of mother to son, father to daughter or sister to brother.

In addition to the ANKC regulations, we have a few additional policies and processes...

  • Although the minimum breeding age is 12 months, we prefer to wait until 18 months (or thereabouts) for bitches to ensure full maturity is reached. The age of 18 months is particularly important for our females as bones typically set around this age and we don't want any babies impacting on any structural development. We may mate a bitch either side of our own preference depending on the frequency of her seasons. 

  • Where possible, we will always try to have homes for all puppies prior to the puppies being born. 

  • All puppies will be provided with a 'puppy pack' to help them settle into their new homes.

  • Our puppies are not to be bred from unless written agreement is in place and they are on the mains register. 

  • We request that our puppies are desexed by an agreed age. We require a copy of the desexing certificate to be provided to us. 

References: Code 20.1 Dogs Victoria (REGULATIONS, CODES, POLICIES & PROCEDURES)