What is a champion bloodline dog and are they any better than a non-champion bloodline dog? Champion bloodline dogs have a champion title winning dog in their family tree. This could be a parent, grandparent, or a dog that is generations above them.
Champion bloodlines don’t guarantee that your dog will be a champion themselves. In fact, they don’t even guarantee that your dog will qualify for show. But, champion bloodline dogs consistently cost a lot more than non-champion bloodline puppies. So let’s find out more about the term, and the hype surrounding these dogs!
What is a Champion Bloodline Dog?
As you search for a puppy online, it’s likely that you’ll come across the term “champion bloodline dog”. This doesn’t mean that your chosen puppy is guaranteed to be a champion in a certain field. It doesn’t even mean that your puppy will definitely qualify for show or fit in with the strict breed standard. But, champion bloodline dogs do have champion status dogs somewhere in their ancestry. This could be a parent, grandparent, or an individual dog even further back in history.
Not all champion bloodline dogs will have the same type of champion titles in their history either. So, if it’s important to you what type of champion lineage your dog is from, you should ask the breeder further questions about it!
What Does Champion Sired Mean?
“Sired” simply means fathered by. So, if a term ever involves the term “sire”, it will relate to your puppy’s father. Champion sired suggests that your puppy’s father has earned a champion title. But, the term alone doesn’t specify which title your puppy’s father received. So, you may want to ask your breeder a little more about it. Or take a look at their pedigree to find out more.
Types of Champion Titles
There are a lot of different champion titles that dogs can earn through kennel club shows and trials. Here are some AKC champion titles that you may see in your champion bloodline dog’s ancestry:
- FC (Field Champion)
- CH (Conformation Champion)
- HC (Herding Champion)
- DC (Dual Champion)
- MACH (Master Agility Champion)
- OTCH (Obedience Trial Champion
- TC (Triple Champion)
And a number of others. So, now we know a little more about what champion titles are available, how can you find out if you have a champion bloodline dog?
How to Find Out if I Have a Champion Bloodline Dog
Pedigree dogs are all purebred, so if you have a mixed breed dog, you may struggle to learn if your dog has champion titles in its ancestry. However, not all purebred dogs are pedigree. A pedigree dog is one whose name is on their breed’s pedigree record. In other words, their breeder has gone to the effort of getting them officially certified, and they have been issued AKC papers recording their ancestry.
If your dog has a championship bloodline, you will see champion title codes, like the ones listed in the previous section, before a dog’s name. In fact, you may see multiple dogs with champion title codes! But, for your dog to have a champion bloodline, you will see at least one ancestor with one of these codes.
What Else Can You Tell From Pedigree Papers?
There are a number of things you can learn from your dog’s pedigree papers. Whether or not they are a champion bloodline dog is just one of these things. You will also be able to tell if any of the individuals in your dog’s ancestry were imported from another country.
One of the more important things you can find out is whether any individuals were health tested and registered with the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals). And, you can learn more light hearted facts, like what color your dog’s ancestors were!
Are Champion Bloodline Dogs Best?
We know the answer to the question “what is a champion bloodline dog”, but is a champion bloodline always a mark of quality in a puppy?
It’s common to see puppies advertised as champion bloodline online. In fact, studies have shown that using the term “champion bloodline” when selling puppies increased the price of puppies regardless of their breed. So, there’s a chance that some disreputable breeders may advertise champion bloodline dogs without any proof that they are actually champion bloodline dogs. And, a champion bloodline alone isn’t a guarantee that your puppy is bred from healthy parents that have no serious hereditary problems they could pass on.
Champion titles vary massively. For instance, herding champions or field champions are bred and trained to have a particular set of skills. But, conformation champions are chosen based on how well they match their breed’s breeding standard. And, puppies from the same litter can be very different from one another.
Different Puppies
Let’s take Labs as an example. One Lab puppy may look exactly how the breed standard states they should, but may not have the typical Labrador retrieving skills. But, that Lab’s sister may be the perfect retriever, and fit none of the breed standard’s specifications. So, there’s no guarantee that champion bloodline dogs are any “better” than non-champion bloodline ones. In fact, it will completely depend on what you’re looking for in a dog.
Finding Champion Bloodline Dogs
Dogs with champion titles in their ancestry do tend to cost more than those without. You can look for puppies online and will likely stumble across them with a basic search. Another great place to look is through AKC or breed club registered breeders.
However, demand for champion bloodline dogs may be a little higher than for regular puppies. So, there’s a chance you may need to go on a waiting list to get your puppy. And, the same general guidelines apply when looking for a champion bloodline puppy. Only choose breeders that have clear health certificates for their parent dogs. Make sure the parent dogs are friendly, and that all dogs and puppies appear healthy and well looked after. Always avoid puppy mills and backyard breeders. Go to breeders with a long list of questions and be prepared to answer plenty from your breeder too!
What is a Champion Bloodline Dog – A Summary
So, the term champion bloodline has less to do with your dog than you might initially think! It simply means that you have a purebred dog with an ancestor that was awarded a championship title. This could be for their conformation, or their skill in various trials.
Do you have a champion bloodline dog at home? Or are you currently trying to get a champion bloodline puppy?
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References and Resources
- Voris, H. (et al), ‘Characterization of Advertisements for Puppies Sold Online: Determinants of Cost and a Comparison with Parent Club Breeders’, Preventive Veterinary Medicine (2011)
- Farrell, L. (et al), ‘The Challenges of Pedigree Dog Health: Approaches to Combating Inherited Disease’, Canine Genetics and Epidemiology (2015)
- Rooney, N. & Sargan, D. ‘Welfare-Concerns Associated with Pedigree Dog Breeding in the UK’, Animal Welfare (2010)
- ‘Titles & Abbreviations’, American Kennel Club (Accessed 2021)
- Holloway, S. ‘What is a Pedigree Dog’, Dogsnet (2020)
The Labrador Site Founder
Pippa Mattinson is the best selling author of The Happy Puppy Handbook, the Labrador Handbook, Choosing The Perfect Puppy, and Total Recall.
She is also the founder of the Gundog Trust and the Dogsnet Online Training Program
Pippa's online training courses were launched in 2019 and you can find the latest course dates on the Dogsnet website
