Registration Rules - A Full Guide

The main objective of the Society is to promote and foster, in such countries as may seem desirable, the breeding, training and improvement of the shepherd's dog. The ISDS Stud Book which is published each year was set up in the late 1940s and remains an invaluable and comprehensive list of working sheepdogs and their progeny. There are over 300,000 registration entries in the Stud Book.

Breeders can use the Stud Books to look up the parentage and lines of any ISDS registered dog. Good dogs, of known working ability or trialling success, can be identified and sensible breeding decisions made. That is why so many people are recognising the value of registering with the ISDS and more are joining each year.

The Registration Rules Full Guide (updated April 2018) to Member Services and Stud Book Rules is provided as a PDF download.

The Registration Rules can be quite complicated, however the points below provide a basic overview of the process and rules.

The ISDS does not register adult dogs (except in special circumstances), only pups and young dogs up to two years of age.

Both parent dogs must be ISDS registered or in another approved register (e.g. ABCA).

The owners of the sire and dam must be ISDS Members.

The process starts with the sire owner submitting a Mating Card.

The Breeder is sent a Registration Folder to complete when the litter is ready.

The sire and dam must have passed defined eye scheme requirements when the Registration Folder is submitted.

All pups to be registered must have been microchipped.

If accepted, the breeder will be sent Registration Certificates for each pup and the details are entered in to the Stud Book for the year that they were registered.

If you buy a registered dog from someone, do ensure that they sign a Transfer Form and send it to the ISDS office so that we can re-record the dog in your name.

There are specific rules regarding Artificial Insemination that the Full Guide refers to.

Information regarding eye test schemes required for registration can be found here.

Recognition of other Registries

The ISDS announced in September 2003 that it will recognise the dog pedigrees issued by the ABCA for the purpose of registering progeny in the ISDS Stud Book. In January 2004 the same recognition was accorded to the CBCA, and further extended to the SASDA and in 2013 the AWBCR. These notes will, hopefully, explain to those unfamiliar with the ISDS how dogs may be registered in the ISDS Stud Book.

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