Baseline requirements that apply to all CDP members regardless of registry participation or project membership. These standards are not modifiable by projects.

I. Business Ethics Standards

Members will behave in a fair, open-minded, forgiving, non-discriminatory, and reasonable manner toward other breeders, members of the public, potential puppy buyers, and others in the dog community

No member will engage in online harassment, bullying, or slander of another person or program.

Puppy sales and other business dealings of members will be conducted in a professional manner and with transparency and honesty.

Training methods should avoid the use of excessive fear, intimidation, or pain. Aversive tools, as defined by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), should not be used on young puppies or recommended to puppy owners as a standard training method or without the guidance of a competent, experienced professional trainer (AVSAB, 2021).

Puppies will be sold only with a contract between breeder and buyer. The contract must include:

• an offer to assist with rehoming, or provide support in case the buyer can no longer provide appropriate care in the future
• a commitment from the buyer that the puppy shall never be placed in a rescue or shelter of any kind, or be resold for a profit
• a commitment from the buyer that the puppy will be provided an indoor or other breed/mix appropriate home and appropriate veterinary care
• any other conditions deemed appropriate by the breeder

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II. Husbandry Standards — Dogs

All dogs, regardless of breeding status, should be kept in conditions consistent with their physical and mental well-being in the Five Domains of animal welfare, including at a minimum:

(Mellor, et al 2020)

• Access to routine preventative veterinary care including basic vaccines included in the 2022 AAHA Core and Noncore Vaccines for Dogs, and preventative medications as recommended by a licensed veterinarian
• Microchipping with current registration to the breeder or guardian
• Access to consistent human caregivers who provide assessment of health and well-being, and individual attention at least daily
• Presence of human companions aligned with the dog's social dependence needs
• Opportunities to choose and engage in a diversity of canine specific behavior (e.g., chewing, wrestling, digging, chasing swimming, retrieving, etc.)
• Access to sufficient exercise to meet individual needs
• Sanitary conditions including clean food and water bowls and a toileting area separate from sleeping and eating areas
• Access to adequate clean fresh water
• An appropriate and varied nutritionally complete diet providing sufficient calories, including additional calories for pregnant and nursing females
• Reasonable protection from accidents, including supervision or secure containment outdoors
• Access to emergency veterinary care as needed, particularly during pregnancy or whelping
• Grooming appropriate to coat type to prevent significant matting or nail overgrowth

Breeding females during whelping should:

• be attended throughout by a known and competent attendant
• be provided with a safe sheltered space isolated from other dogs and an appropriate whelping box
• have access to water and nutrition
• have the ability to move about freely
• have uninterrupted free access to their puppies for at least four weeks (except in cases of severe illness, safety concerns, or other complicating factors)

Intact animals should be kept separated as needed to prevent unplanned breeding

Intact males kept separated from females in heat should be protected from extreme stress, including refusal to eat or sleep and prolonged frustration

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III. Husbandry Standards — Puppies

Puppies should be kept in conditions consistent with their health and well-being, including:

• Puppies bred solely for companionship should be housed in a home environment within the same indoor dwelling as their human caretakers, within earshot of at least one living space, and with appropriate climate control
• Puppies of guardian or working type dogs should be housed in a safe and appropriate space for their needs
• Puppies should be kept on a soft absorbent surface with traction sufficient to allow normal movement from birth (Feng, 2025)
• The use of pig rails in whelping boxes is recommended to reduce the risk of neonatal injury or crushing
• Puppies should be provided with a designated toilet area from no later than three weeks of age
• Puppies and their enclosure should be kept clean and free of continuous soiling
• Puppies should be monitored for congenital defects, failure to thrive, parasites, or infectious disease, with veterinary care provided as needed
• Puppies should be weaned gradually to solid food; weaning should proceed slowly enough to prevent suffering of the dam or puppies
• Natural weaning guided by the dam is encouraged whenever possible
• Puppies should have continuous access to clean water from no later than four weeks of age or when receiving nutrition other than maternal milk
• Puppies should be examined by a licensed veterinarian and microchipped prior to leaving the breeder, and buyers advised of any health issues identified
• Additional enrichment and socialization beyond basic requirements is expected; methods are at the breeder's discretion

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IV. Vaccination Standards

Breeders must ensure adults and puppies follow a veterinarian directed vaccination plan. Puppies should receive at least one age-appropriate core vaccination prior to placement unless a veterinarian directed nomograph protocol specifies different timing. (AAHA 2022)

Breeders are expected to advise puppy buyers of the timing and schedule of planned puppy vaccinations and when vaccination is due.

Canine nomographs are a validated method for determining optimal timing of core vaccinations by accounting for interference from maternally derived antibodies. Use of nomographs allows vaccination timing and follow-up to be tailored to individual litters and has been shown to improve immunization outcomes compared with fixed-age vaccination schedules (Larson et al., 2020).

Reduction of unnecessary vaccination while maintaining protective immunity is a legitimate goal when decisions are made under veterinary supervision (WSAVA 2024)

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Administrative and structural requirements for participation in the Companion Dog Registry. These rules apply to all CDR participants and are not modifiable by projects.

V. Registration

Dogs may be registered in the Companion Dog Registry (CDR) as either full or limited registration. Registration status is determined by the breeder based on the terms of the sales or co-ownership contract between breeder and buyer.

Full registration indicates that the breeder of record or managing program has authorized the dog for breeding use. Full registration does not by itself qualify a dog to produce a Verified Litter; health badge requirements (Section IX) must also be met.

Limited registration indicates that the breeder has not authorized the dog for breeding use. A dog's registration status may be changed from limited to full by the managing program breeder at any time, subject to the terms of the original contract.

Dogs not owned by CDP members may be added to the database as unregistered parents for the purpose of registering a litter with the owner's permission.

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VI. Litter Registration Requirements

All litters produced by CDP members must be registered with a recognized registry. Accepted registries include:

• Companion Dog Registry (CDR)
• American Kennel Club (AKC)
• IWR (International Working Dog Registry)
• Goldendoodle Association of North America (GANA)
• Worldwide Australian Labradoodle Association (WALA)
• Australian Labradoodle Association of America (ALAA)

Litters registered with any accepted registry satisfy the registration requirement.

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VII. Breeder Listing & Visibility

CDP breeder profiles and puppy listings provide public visibility for breeders who are actively producing Verified Litters.

A breeder must have a planned Verified Litter before receiving a public profile and appearing in registry search. The profile will be visible after the breeder's first Verified Litter is listed in puppy listings or registered.

A breeder's profile remains publicly visible and they may list all litters as long as at least one out of every two CDR registered litters meets Verified Litter criteria. This guideline is intended to respect breeder discretion and allow for flexibility while maintaining a baseline standard.

If a breeder falls below this threshold, the following process applies:

• The breeder will receive notice that their listing is at risk of being hidden
• The breeder will receive a warning.
• If the breeder remains below the threshold after notice, their profile will be hidden and they will be unable to list puppies on the CDR puppy listing page

Breeders whose listings have been hidden may restore their visibility by listing or registering a planned Verified Litter.

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VIII. Membership

Membership in the Companion Dog Project is open to breeders and co-owners who agree to abide by the standards set forth in this document.

Membership may be suspended or revoked for:

• Violation of the business ethics standards in Section I
• Falsification of records as described in Section XIII
• Failure to meet husbandry standards in Sections II–IV
• Conduct that is materially harmful to the reputation or mission of CDP or CDR

Members will receive notice and an opportunity to respond before any suspension or removal action is taken.

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Standards for health testing, litter verification, and breeding strategy. These represent CDR default requirements. Approved projects may adopt these standards as written or propose modifications for CDP approval as described in Part 4.

IX. Health Badge Requirements

These are CDR default requirements. Individual projects may propose modified health badge requirements subject to CDP approval.

The CDR Health Testing Badge is earned by completing health and genetic evaluation appropriate to a dog's breed composition, size, and population type. Earning a health badge qualifies a dog to be the parent of a CDR Verified Litter.

Minimum health testing requirements are determined by breed composition and size and may be updated as new evidence emerges.

Health testing requirements for a specific dog's breed mix can be calculated using the CDR Health Testing Guide:
https://app.companiondogproject.org/health-testing.html

Age and Passing Criteria

• Hips — OFA Certified Excellent or Good at ≥ 12 months, OFA Fair at ≥ 2 years, or PennHIP at ≥ 16 weeks with DI ≤ 0.60
• Elbows — OFA Certified at ≥ 12 months
• Patellas — OFA Certified or verified vet exam at ≥ 12 months
• Eyes — OFA Certified or verified vet exam at ≥ 12 months
• Cardiac — OFA Certified or verified vet Auscultation or Echocardiogram (dependent on breed requirements) at ≥ 12 months
• DNA — Results from an accepted genetics laboratory

Family History Rule

If a parent or littermate has been diagnosed with a condition, testing for that condition is required regardless of breed mix percentage.

Microchip

All dogs require a microchip to be registered.

Breed Composition

All dogs in the registry including unregistered parents of litters must have verification of breed content. This can be through registration on both parents of the dog in AKC, IWDR, GANA, WALA, or ALAA or by completing an Embark panel.

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X. CDR Verified Litter Requirements

These are CDR default requirements. Individual projects may define their own litter designations and pairing-specific requirements subject to CDP approval.

CDR Verified Litter requirements represent pairing-specific standards applied in addition to the requirement for both parents to have Health Testing Badges.

Pairings should result in a predicted genetic COI of ≤10% (Mabunda, 2022)

CDDY / IVDD Requirements

Pairings that produce affected puppies should be part of a defined strategy to eliminate CDDY/IVDD over time. Litters in which all puppies are homozygous for CDDY are not eligible

Copper Toxicosis Requirements

For litters in which either parent contains ≥10% Labrador Retriever ancestry, litters in which any puppies are homozygous for the ATP7B accumulating variant are not eligible

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Breedings

Because Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have a high and well-documented prevalence (cavalierhealth.org) of inherited cardiac and neurological disease, additional pairing-specific requirements apply when either parent contains ≥10% Cavalier ancestry.

Cardiac
Both sire and dam must have an echocardiogram performed by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist prior to first breeding and repeated at least every two years. Heart disease is expected in all cavaliers at some point. Cardiac testing ensures that all dogs bred to cavaliers are free of heart disease and tracks age of onset in cavaliers.

Neurological (CM/SM)
MRI screening is optional when breeding to normal-skulled mesocephalic breeds.

MRI screening is required when breeding Cavaliers to brachycephalic breeds or breeds with elevated CM/SM prevalence

Genetic Testing
NEBL3 (MMVD) genetic testing is required for both sire and dam. Litters in which all puppies are homozygous for the mutation are not registerable. (Axelsson et al 2021; Mellis, 2025)

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XI. Breeding Strategy

These are CDR default requirements. Individual projects may propose modified breeding strategy guidance subject to CDP approval.

Temperament

Temperament is the most important factor in all breeding decisions. Careful assessment of breeding candidates' biddability, levels of arousal, intrinsic motivation and drives, reactivity to stimuli, social dependence, handling tolerance, and behavior around resources should be made.

Pairings should have the goal of improving on or maintaining the parents' qualities as follows:

• Highly resilient, flexible temperament (lack of fear, frustration, panic, or excessive arousal in a diversity of settings both in the home and public)
• Low aggression – sociability with humans and other dogs and minimal resource guarding
• Minimal persistent predatory drive
• Can be reasonably expected to thrive in the typical home in which the puppies will be placed without the need for extensive professional intervention or medication

Health and Structure

Breeding dogs should have good inherent health and be free from conditions that significantly impact quality of life and pairing choices should seek to avoid duplication of any minor health concerns present in parents

The goal of pairing should be to produce puppies with sound and functional physical structure that supports ease of movement and normal exercise tolerance

(Hekman, 2025)

Genetic Health

Frequent introduction of new breeding stock is encouraged to support genetic diversity (Kraus, 2022; Boyko, 2014)

Carrier status for recessive mutations should not exclude dogs from breeding unless all other factors are equal

Coat Color and Pattern

Coat color and pattern should not be a primary selection priority and should not be intentionally selected for aesthetic preference except when other considerations are equal.

Merle

Merle dogs may be bred by breeders who are knowledgeable regarding merle genetics when the dog is otherwise the best available breeding candidate based on temperament, health, structure, and functional suitability.

All merle breeding must include genetic testing sufficient to reliably prevent harmful outcomes

Puppies produced with any visible, hidden or cryptic merle should be DNA tested prior to placement if needed and full disclosure of merle status should be given to buyers, with education provided about the risks of merle breeding.

Excessive use of merle in a given program or line is to be avoided

White and Dilute

Excessive white patterning associated with increased risk of sensory impairment should be avoided

Dilute coat color associated with known health risks should be avoided

Reproductive Function, Age, and Management

Reproductive management decisions should be made based on veterinary guidance, the individual dog's condition, and breeding goals

Skipping heat cycles is optional and may be appropriate depending on health status and reproductive history

No female may be bred:

• more than four times total without veterinary approval
• after eight years of age without veterinary approval

At the time of breeding, all dogs must be in good general health, including:

• normal appetite
• freedom from acute illness
• sound mobility
• healthy weight and body condition
• parasite-free status

Dogs should not be bred while ill, underweight, obese, or otherwise compromised, as poor health at the time of breeding is associated with increased reproductive risk and poorer outcomes for both dam and offspring

Natural mating is encouraged for each dog's first breeding; ability to mate naturally should be considered.

Successful unassisted whelping and natural maternal care are breeding goals; inability should be considered in future breeding decisions.

Unexplained infertility or consistently small litters should be addressed and bred away from

Age and Maturity

Breeding age should not be determined by any single universal cutoff but evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Dogs with unknown parentage should be fully socially mature (approximately 2–3 years old) prior to breeding.

Females must be:

• over 18 months of age
• second heat cycle or later

Breeding females at the youngest appropriate age is encouraged to reduce whelping complications associated with advanced maternal age (Cornelius et al 2019)

Males must be at least 15 months old at the time of breeding. Later use of breeding males is encouraged when feasible, as it allows greater confidence that late-onset or inherited conditions and may support improved longevity. However, delaying use of genetically valuable males is not always appropriate. Considerations include the need to introduce new genetic material to reduce COI, limitations on a male's reproductive window, potential decline in semen quality after approximately 6–7 years of age, and the availability of the dog for breeding.

CDDY / IVDD

Risk for chondrodystrophy and intervertebral disc disease is associated with FGF4 retrogene insertions, including CDDY (Batcher, 2019)

All breeding dogs with any breed content known to carry any prevalence of CDDY should be tested for CDDY/IVDD prior to breeding.

CDDY status alone does not preclude breeding; results should be considered in pairing decisions with the goal of reducing production of affected dogs over time

Copper Toxicosis

Copper-associated hepatitis can result from inherited variation in hepatic copper transport and regulation and has been identified across multiple breeds and mixed-breed populations

Although ATP7B and ATP7A variants are well characterized in Labrador Retrievers, copper accumulation has been documented beyond traditionally recognized at-risk breeds, and absence of known breed risk does not exclude susceptibility

All breeding dogs in a mixed breed program should be tested for copper toxicosis risk variants

Where Labrador Retriever ancestry is present, testing should include ATP7B and ATP7A variants (Hille Fieten et al 2016)

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The Companion Dog Registry supports breeders working collaboratively toward defined breeding goals through approved projects.

XII. Projects

The CDR seeks to support breeders in designing and participating in projects in the interest of developing new types, refining existing types, conducting strategic outcrossing, and working collaboratively with other breeders toward specific breeding goals.

A project may be formed whenever two or more breeders wish to work together toward a shared set of objectives. Projects operate within the CDP framework and are subject to the Membership Standards (Part 1) and Registry Rules (Part 2) at all times.

Projects may adopt the Breeding Standards in Part 3 as written, or they may propose modifications to any of the following for CDP approval:

• Health badge requirements (Section IX)
• Litter verification requirements and litter designations (Section X)
• Breeding strategy guidance (Section XI)

Each project must have defined goals and standards that have been reviewed and approved by CDP before taking effect. Project-specific standards may be more restrictive or more specific than the CDP defaults, but must remain consistent with the Membership Standards in Part 1 and the Registry Rules in Part 2.

Approved projects may define their own litter designations in place of or in addition to CDR Verified Litter status. For example, a project developing a specific type may designate litters meeting its standards under its own project name.

Anyone interested in starting a new project or joining an existing project should contact the project leader or email registry@companiondogproject.org.

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Policies governing data ownership, record-keeping responsibilities, and privacy for all CDR participants.

XIII. Data Integrity & Record-Keeping

Members are responsible for the accuracy of all pedigree, health, and genetic data submitted to the CDR. Information should be submitted promptly and kept current.

All data submitted to the Companion Dog Registry becomes the property of CDR upon submission. CDR reserves the right to retain, aggregate, anonymize, and use submitted data for research, population health analysis, and registry operations, including after a member's participation has ended.

Falsification of pedigree, health, or genetic records is grounds for suspension or removal from CDP and CDR. This includes, but is not limited to, misrepresentation of parentage, fabrication of health testing results, or omission of known health conditions.

Members are expected to promptly update records when new health information becomes available, including diagnoses occurring after placement of offspring.

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XIV. Privacy & Data Use

CDR is committed to responsible stewardship of member and animal data. The following principles govern data use and visibility:

Data ownership. All data submitted to CDR, including but not limited to pedigree records, health testing results, genetic data, breeding records, and litter information, becomes the property of CDR upon submission. By submitting data to CDR, members grant CDR an irrevocable, perpetual license to retain, store, aggregate, anonymize, and use the data for registry operations, population health research, and other purposes consistent with CDR's mission.

Research use. CDR may anonymize and use submitted data for research purposes, including collaborative research with third parties. Anonymized data may be used and shared even after a member's participation in CDP or CDR has ended. Individual dogs and members will not be identified in published research without the member's express consent.

Public display and member privacy. Members have the right to request that their personal information and their dogs' information not be displayed publicly on the CDR directory or website. CDR will honor reasonable privacy requests regarding public-facing display of member and animal data. Privacy preferences do not affect CDR's internal use or retention of data, nor do they affect CDR's right to use anonymized data for research.

Buyer privacy. Personal information of puppy buyers will not be publicly displayed or shared with third parties without the buyer's consent, except as required to maintain accurate registry records.

CDR reserves the right to update its data use and privacy policies. Members will be notified of material changes to these policies.

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