Why did the Australian Cobberdog Society form?

In 2023, a number of reputable Australian Cobberdog breeders and former Breed Advisory Committee (BAC) members, were becoming increasingly concerned with the management of the breed under the one banner (a privately owned company).  

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The breeders united and raised their concerns with the privately owned company, specifically registering litters from brother x sister mating's, underage females being bred, and having no mandated minimum health standards for breeding dogs.

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Due to the mismanagement of the breed and allowing poor breeding practices to continue, puppies were being sold with serious health conditions, and puppy families were left with no recourse of action.

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The breeders collectively raised these concerns in the BAC group and directly to the CEO of the privately owned company.  A proposal was made to implement mandatory health testing in breeding dogs and to allow an avenue for breeders to have a voice in the future direction of the ACD.  These requests were vehemently denied. 

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Having one controlling body who is (a) a privately owned company (deriving income from registering dogs) and (b) a breeder of Australian Cobberdogs for profit, demonstrates a clear conflict of interest when given the sole power on managing what is best for the breed.

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The united breeders chose to advocate for the breed and create the Australian Cobberdog Society, where all members have a say in the expectations of the breed management and where higher standards could be implemented and mandated. 

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The ACS is not in competition with any other registry, association or privately owned companies.  The ACS gives a choice to breeders and community members, offering an alternative registry for breeders of Australian Cobberdogs who share our same vision and values.

What are the Society's aims?

The Society aims to:

1. Promote the Australian Cobberdog breed.

2. Maintain a health and pedigree database for its members.

3. Create a platform to advocate for the future recognition of the breed through the Development Register of Dogs Australia (Australian National Kennel Club, an associate member with the FCI). 

4. Establish a Breed Standard through a majority vote among its breeder members.

5. Establish a Code of Ethics for breeders through a majority vote among its breeder members.

6. To raise the health status of The Australian Cobberdog by imposing breeding standards.

7. Establish a breeder mentorship and development program.

8. To unite breeders and enthusiasts who share the passion of the Australian Cobberdog for the purpose of promoting the breed in the community and creating an inclusive community.

Does the ACS issue pedigree certificates?

The Australian Cobberdog Society issues registration certificates for all ACS registered dogs.  The certificate includes a 3 generation pedigree, ACS registration number, full registered name, the breeder and owner details, date of birth, size, colour, microchip and the dog’s breeding status.  

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Registration Certificate Example here 

In addition to the Registration Certificate, we are able to provide a 5 generation Pedigree Certificate.  Breeders also have access to the database where the entire pedigree generations can be viewed at any time and at no cost.

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Pedigree Certificate Example here 

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Additionally, breeders are able to generate ‘Hypomatings’ (hypothetical pairings between a dam and sire) and print/share the generation pedigree of their planned matings for their own records and/or prospective buyers.

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Hypomating Example here

What does high breeding standards mean?

Health Standards for Breeding Dogs

The ACS is the only Australian Cobberdog Registry to implement mandatory health testing for breeding dogs where a defined health criteria must be achieved and maintained to become 'Approved' for breeding.  Only litters from 'Approved' breeding dogs can be registered in the ACS.

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Compulsory Veterinary Assessments for Puppies

When you purchase a dog from an ACS registered breeder, you can be assured that it has received a veterinary health check by a practising veterinarian.  Breeders are required to provide a copy of the veterinary check to the ACS before puppy registration can occur. 

Why is the ACS a not-for-profit organisation? what does this mean?

Legal Entity

The Australian Cobberdog Society Incorporated is a legal entity and hold a Certificate of Incorporation under the Queensland Associations Incorporation Act 1981 Section 15.

The Australian Cobberdog Society Incorporated, is further registered with Australian Securities Investment Commission as a Registered Australian Body (ARBN 679291975).

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Why Not-for-Profit

A not-for-profit organisation doesn't operate for the profit, personal gain, benefits of its members, the people who run it, or any other people. Rather, any profit made is used to further the aims of the organisation.

No member of the ACS, including the Management Committee and Founding Committee receive any financial benefit from the running of the Society, this ensures the members are motivated by the Society's aims and not for personal gain. 

The ACS is the only not-for-profit Australian Cobberdog registry in the world.

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How does the ACS manage and record health details?

ACS members can upload their dogs' health records (in PDF* format) directly to the database.  

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Once all health records have been uploaded, the ACS will verify that the results are entered correctly and then ‘lock’ the dog's profile.  Once a profile has been locked, any further additions must be submitted through the ACS for updating. 

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 *The PDF documents are only visible to the ACS Database team, who will verify the results, and ensure they are accurately reflected on the dog’s ‘Info Card’.  The dog’s Info Card is visible to all ACS Breeder members.

Is the ACS affiliated with any other breed societies or breed registries?

No, the ACS is not affiliated with any other breed society, registry or private companies. The ACS was developed by a global group of breeders and owners who are working together to achieve a set of objectives. These objectives are grounded in evidence and focus on the health and longevity of the breed as we move towards National and then Global recognition through Official FCI recognised channels.

Can ACS breeders work with members of alternate registries?

In order to produce the best progeny possible, the ACS encourages collegiality and collaboration.  Under both our Reciprocal and Foundation Registry ACS breeders are able to bring in new dogs from other registries. 

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ACS born dogs (G1 onwards) are not permitted to be used as a breeding dog in any other registry, society or breed organisation to remain in the ACS registry.

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*Reference Policy

• Combating Prolific Sire Syndrome

• ACS Standards

• ACS Registry

• ACS Code of Ethics

Does the ACS allow dual registration of breeding dogs?

The Australian Cobberdog Society has developed its own breed standard which differs from other registries, with breeders collectively working toward future Australian National Kennel Club and further FCI recognition. 

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With the exception of ‘Foundation Breeding dogs’, dogs born into the ACS registry become the collective group of dogs for submission on our Road to Recognition, these dogs 

 cannot be registered (for breeding) with an alternate Australian Cobberdog registry, in doing so, they would need to be excluded from our registry submission. 

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ACS ‘Foundation Breeding’ dogs may feature in the pedigrees of other breed societies, as all have come into the ACS Registry with many years of registered Australian Cobberdog breeding behind them. However once these Foundation Dogs are registered with the ACS their progeny will no longer appear in other ACD registries.​