The Attachments to the LCA Breeding Regulations are clubforms are available only in pdf format. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available for most operating systems. to download them.
Appendix A
Leonberger Club of America Code of Ethics
Leonberger Club of America
Breeding Regulations
FORWARD
The Leonberger Club of America, in keeping with its goal of encouraging the development of high quality Leonbergers, has adopted these Breeding Regulations as part of its Code of Ethics to promote and foster the highest standards among breeders and owners, and to encourage cooperation in the improvement, advancement and protection of our breed.
To achieve this goal, the membership of the Leonberger Club of America has agreed to be bound by these regulations. Under these regulations, only Leonbergers conforming to rigid breed standards are allowed to reproduce.
In addition to following these regulations, all breeders are encouraged to educate themselves in health, genetics, and the breed standard before engaging in a breeding program. It is recognized that responsibility for the future of the Leonberger breed depends solely upon the educated choices and sound judgment exercised by breeders. To this end, the LCA stands ready to assist.
Anyone having questions about educational resources, breeding, or these regulations is encouraged to contact a member of the Leonberger Club of America (LCA) Breeding Committee for assistance.
I. REQUIREMENTS FOR LEONBERGERS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR BREEDING.
The Breeding Committee may assign a Category I or II rating according to section A or B, below. A Leonberger must have a Category I or II rating before an approved breeding occurs. There are four category ratings which Leonbergers may fall into (see Attachment A):
Category I and II (Breedable pursuant to sec. II(C)),
Category III (Unrated and unbreedable), or
Category IV (Unbreedable due to major faults).
A. For North America (and other non-European countries):
The Breeding Committee may assign a Category Rating to any Leonberger which is twenty-four (24) months or older based upon:
1) LCA registration of the dog;
2) Completion of a Breeding Acceptability Check List (BACL) form (See Attachment B) by a qualified evaluator anytime after the Leonberger has reached sixteen (16) months of age;
3) Assignment of an Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) number and a passing elbow and hip x-ray rating (which is based upon x-rays of elbows and hips taken after the dog has reached twenty-four months of age);
4. Proof of hip dysplasia free for three generations; OR
B. For Europe:
The Breeding Committee may assign a Category II-E ("E" for European Leonberger) rating based upon:
1) FCI member National Leonberger Club registration (a list of such clubs is kept by the BC chairperson);
2) Approval for breeding under the breeding rules of the National Leonberger Club in the country of registration;
3) A passing elbow and hip x-ray rating (by OFA or foreign equivalent);
4) A three (3) generation pedigree and proof of hip dysplasia free for three generations; OR
5) If, in addition to the above, a BACL is completed pursuant to section I (A)(2), the Breeding Committee may assign a Category I-E rating.
The purchaser must submit to the Breeding Committee originals or copies of the documentation required above for the Leonberger to be eligible to obtain an LCA category rati
II. MATE SELECTION PRIOR TO BREEDING.
Before any proposed breeding occurs, Leonberger owners must:
A. Be thoroughly familiar with the Standard for Leonberger Dogs (See Attachment C).
B. Identify from the pedigrees of the proposed bitch and stud, the Coefficient of Inbreeding (See Attachment D). (A proposed breeding with a coefficient of inbreeding higher than 39% is not allowed without prior approval according to Section VI below).
C. Verify the Category Rating (See Attachment A) of both bitch and stud. Category Ratings dictate which Leonbergers may be bred together as follows:
1) Leonbergers rated Category I may be bred to Category I or II (or, I-E or II-E):
2) Leonbergers rated Category II (or II-E) may only be bred to a Category I (or I-E);
3) All other breedings are unauthorized, and the litters of such breedings may be rated Category IV (Unbreedable), unless PRIOR application is made for an exception as provided in Section VI.
III. REQUIREMENTS FOR BREEDERS.
Breeders must have an LCA registered kennel. This requires:
A. North American residency and membership in good standing in the LCA;
B. Appropriate facilities for the clean and safe operation of a kennel according to the Code of Ethics, these regulations, and applicable local law;
C. Completion of a Kennel Application/Letter of Agreement Form (See Attachment E),which shall include a proposed kennel name of not more than twenty (20) letters, and submission of the completed form with a check for the appropriate kennel registration fee (See Attachment F, Fee Schedule) to the LCA Registrar, after which the Registrar may forward notice of approval and a kennel number.
D. A breeder breeding a bitch must disclose the names of all owners of that bitch to the owner(s) of the stud prior to the time of the breeding.
E. A Confirmation of Breeding form (See Attachment G-natural), (Attachment G-AI) must be signed by all owners of a bitch for each breeding of that bitch.
.
IV. REQUIREMENTS FOR STUD OWNERS.
A. Ownership of a breedable stud dog (If there are multiple owners of a stud, that fact must be made known to the owner(s) of the prospective bitch before the time of breeding).
B. Stud owners are responsible for the breeding of their studs. Sale of the semen from a stud does not relieve the owner of this responsibility. A Confirmation of Breeding form (See Attachment G or G-AI) must be signed by the owner(s) of a stud for each breeding involving semen from that stud, whether by natural or artificial means. Ownership of donor semen does not substitute for ownership of the donor stud.
V. REQUIREMENTS FOR LITTER REGISTRATION.
A. No later than seven (7) days after a breeding, the breeder must complete and sign a Conformation of Breeding form (see Attachment G) and forward it to the Registrar.
B. Within three (3) days of the birth of each litter, the breeder shall inform the Registrar of the names of the parents and the number of puppies born. (For purposes of registering the litter, a litter is defined as one (1) puppy. The date of birth of a litter is defined as the date the first puppy of the litter is born.)
C. At five (5) weeks after the birth of each litter, the breeder shall inform the Registrar of the number of puppies which have survived to that point. The Registrar will then send the breeder an official Puppy Registration form (See Attachment H), which includes the assigned registration numbers, along with an invoice for the appropriate fees, if everything is in order.
D. Upon receipt of the puppy registration form and invoice, the breeder shall complete and return the form with payment for all invoiced fees. The Registrar will then prepare pedigrees for the puppies, which will be mailed to the breeder within six months, if everything is in order.
E. In naming the pups for registration, begin the individual names with the letter code of the litter (the first litter of a kennel being the "A" litter). These names are for registration and pedigree purposes and do not necessarily reflect the eventual call name of the Leonberger.
F. Upon receipt of the pedigree(s) (See Attachment I), the breeder shall sign and distribute the pedigree(s) to the appropriate puppy owner(s). At the breeder's option, and under appropriate circumstances, the breeder may mark a pedigree "Pet Quality," to designate that a particular Leonberger is not to be bred.
VI. EXCEPTIONS TO BREEDING REGULATIONS.
The purpose of the Breeding Regulations is to preserve the qualities of the breed. However, it is recognized that the Regulations cannot cover every possible situation. Accordingly, the following provisions have been made for requesting exceptions to the Breeding Regulations.
- A. Upon prior written petition, and upon reasonable notice (30 days shall be considered reasonable notice under all circumstances), the Breeding Committee may consider and grant (or refuse to grant) exceptions to these Breeding Regulations on behalf of the Board in the following circumstances:
- A proposed breeding between two (2) Category II dogs,
- A proposed breeding involving any Category Not Ratable dog(s),
- A proposed breeding of any bitch without the required ten (10) month rest period between a mating that produced a litter and the next mating, or a proposed breeding involving other health requirements.
- A proposed breeding which would be an inbreeding according to Attachment D of these regulations.
B. All other requests for exceptions, particularly those involving Category IV dogs, shall be submitted to the Breeding Committee (as required in Section A, above). The Breeding Committee shall review the petition and forward the request, along with their recommendation on the request, to the Board of Directors of the LCA for a final decision.
C. No request for an exception shall be granted unless a sound reason can be given for the proposed breeding. Breeder convenience alone shall not be considered a sound reason.
D. Upon granting a request for exception, a notice of the granting of the exception, and the reasons therefore, shall be published in the LeoLetter.
VII. UNAUTHORIZED LITTERS
An unauthorized litter is defined as any litter produced by a breeding not in compliance with these regulations and may subject the responsible parties to disciplinary action under the Code of Ethics. A puppy from an unauthorized litter may not be registered by the LCA.
The LCA reserves the right to require genetic proof of parentage before registering puppies from any litter. If testing, performed by a lab chosen by the LCA, determines all of the puppies to be of the parentage claimed in the Conformation of Breeding form submitted to the Registrar, the LCA shall reimburse the breeder for the cost of the test. Otherwise, the breeder shall pay the cost of the test in addition to any disciplinary measures applied against the breeder under the Code of Ethics.
VIII. MISCELLANEOUS.
The following are also requirements:
A. Between the third and fifth day of birth of each litter, the breeder shall have all rear dewclaws, if any, surgically removed by a veterinarian.
B. No less than seven (7) weeks after the birth of each litter, the breeder shall have each puppy tattooed with its registration number. The tattoo must be placed either in the left ear or inside a thigh.
C. A bitch must be allowed a ten (10) month rest period between a mating that produced a litter and the next mating. No Leonberger bitch may be bred beyond age ninety-six (96) months [96 mo. = 8 years].
IX. ENFORCEMENT AND FEES.
A. Enforcement: These Regulations are part of the LCA Code of Ethics. Accordingly, all matters of enforcement of these Regulations shall be handled under Section 7 of the Code of Ethics.
B. Fees: All LCA breeding related fees are listed in an attachment hereto (See Attachment F).
X FOR REGISTRATION ONLY
For registrations only, see Attachment J.