How to check the stigma in a puppy?

Puppy branding is a procedure carried out by a club or kennel. Dogs of all breeds registered with the Russian Cynological Federation (RKF) must be branded. Therefore, to the question of whether a puppy must be branded, the answer is simple: yes, if the pet is thoroughbred. Moreover, the breeder is responsible for this procedure, since branding, according to the Regulations of the RKF, is carried out by responsible territorial cynological organizations or the owner of the kennel.

What is a label and why is it needed?

A puppy brand is a tattoo consisting of two parts: an alphabetic three-digit code and a digital part. Each cattery is assigned a certain hallmark code, which is assigned in the RKF. And all puppies born to dogs from this kennel must be branded only with this code.

At the same time, the digital part may differ in two different nurseries – it indicates the number of puppies born. Here everyone independently chooses a digital classification that is convenient for themselves.

The brand is placed on the inside of the ear or in the puppy’s groin. The stigma data is entered into the puppy metrics, and later into the dog’s pedigree.

Why put a label on?

• The brand allows you to establish the “personality” of the dogs before mating. First of all, it is compared with the data of the pedigree;
• At the time of purchase, the brand allows you to identify the selected puppy and avoid the fact of animal substitution. The same applies to events (eg exhibitions);
• If the dog does not have a microchip, the brand will help to find the lost pet.

Unfortunately, in practice, the stigma does not always indicate the purity of the pet. Fraudsters can even fake this data. How to check a puppy for the RKF brand?

Brand identification:

1. The first step is to compare the tattoo code with the code indicated in the puppy metric. They must match exactly;
2. Another option is to check the puppy’s stigma against the RKF database. You can personally contact the Federation or do it through the cynological service. The disadvantage of this method is that the stigma is entered into the RKF database only after the cattery has registered the litter. And this can take a lot of time;
3. Keep in mind that over time, the puppy’s stigma is erased, blurred and becomes difficult to recognize. This is fine. Therefore, if you see an adult dog with a fresh, clear brand, there is reason to doubt its purebred.

Chipping

Today, more and more often, kennel owners and dog owners not only stigmatize, but also chip puppies. This procedure does not replace, but complements branding. So, a microchip is necessary if you are planning a trip with a pet to Europe, the USA and a number of other countries. In addition, it allows you to quickly identify the origin of the dog. This is especially true in the event of the loss of a pet.

Checking the stigma of a puppy in the database, in fact – to establish the authenticity of the code, and therefore the purity of the dog breed, in fact, is not easy. Therefore, the choice of a breeder and nursery should be approached very carefully, especially if you are planning to buy a show or breed class pet. Trust only trusted breeders who are ready to honestly and openly provide all the information you are interested in.

April 18 2018

Updated: April 24, 2018