I.W.C.R Code of Ethics

International Wolfalike Companion Registry Breeders Code of Ethics

IWCR ( International Wolfalike Companion Registry ) has the right to refuse to register any litter that doesn’t meet the criteria below.

Full Registration is issued to all wolfalike offspring born from registered IWCR parents, which have met the following breeding requirements. These requirements are subject to change if any new DNA tests or issues occur. They are also reviewed on an individual basis for each mating.

Disclaimer: IWCR cannot reject a breeding, however, the IWCR Breeding Committee can reject the registration if they find that the parents do not meet the criteria below, or the breeder does not follow the ethical breeders’ code.

The IWCR Breeding Committee can provide advice and test matings to calculate inbreeding coefficient, health advice etc.

All breeders, Stud dog owners and new owners who register ownership of their dogs with the International Wolfalike Registry (IWCR), accept the jurisdiction of the IWCR and undertake to abide by its Code of Ethics.

Breeders and Stud dog owners will be referred to as Breeder(s) throughout this document.

  1. Health Criteria:
    1. We suggest that both Dam and Sire are DNA profiled by any company with the appropriate accreditations, in order to prove parentage.
    2. Both Dam and Sire must be microchipped.
    3. Members will only breed from dogs who have passed their standard breed-specific health tests.
    4. Both Dam and Sire must have had eyes examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist and have passing scores; we suggest breeders now include gonioscopy grading with under 50% as a pass.
    5. Sire must have been examined and signed off by a licensed Veterinarian that the sire was found to have two normal testicles fully descended within the scrotum.
    6. Both Dam and Sire must be DNA tested for Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) or cleared by parentage. At least one parent in every mating must be (DM) clear and neither may be affected.
    7. With Northern Inuit linage or original foundation, both Dam and Sire need to be tested for OSD3, even if clear by parentage.
  2. Breeding Criteria:
    1. A bitch shall not be bred from until she has reached 22 months of age.
    2. The bitch and stud must be in good health at the time of mating.
    3. It’s recommended that a bitch has her first litter before the age of 5.
    4. A bitch may not be bred from after the age of 8 without written consent from a veterinarian to say she is fit to be bred.
    5. A bitch can not be bred from twice within a 12-month span.
    6. A bitch can not be bred from if she has already had 4 litters (as of the 1st January 2012 the Kennel Club, International Clubs and all associated members changed the limit from 6 litters to 4 litters).
    7. No bitch is permitted to have more than two C-sections.
    8. A stud dog can not be used before the age of 16 months.
    9. Brother/Sister, Mother/Son and Father/Daughter matings are not permitted.
    10. If a bitch is taken abroad for mating, she has to return back home as soon as possible.
    11. A bitch shouldn’t be exposed to a longer journey later than 4 weeks from whelping. This includes import or exporting from a different country.
    12. The Breeder must provide appropriate veterinary care during and after pregnancy for both the bitch and pups.
  3. Litter Registration:
    1. A litter registration must take place within 4-6 weeks of the date of birth.
    2.  The registration must include all living puppies at the day of the registration.
    3. A health form for all puppies must be submitted at 6 weeks. This must include any stillbirths, deaths or any other health issues or defects.
    4.  No puppies to be culled by the member for not being to standard and any critically ill pup must be seen by a vet.
    5. A puppy that does not meet the standard should be placed in suitable homes with a spay/neuter contract to be upheld by the new owner.
    6. No puppies must be sold or removed from the breeders care under 8 weeks of age.
    7.  Puppies should be microchipped and vaccinated according to the country of birth prior to leaving the member’s care.
    8. Puppies are to be wormed regularly whilst in the care of the breeder. ( Drontal is every 2 weeks but Panacur is 2, 5 and 8 weeks)
    9. The Breeder must provide details of puppy owners to IWCR and report any ownership changes.
    10.  A puppy sold abroad must either be kept by the breeder until it can leave for its new home, or placed with a responsible fosterer.
  4.  Breeder obligations
    1. The breeder is to maintain accurate breeding records, pedigrees and registration documents.
    2. The breeder is to follow the area/state/country they live in welfare laws.
    3. The breeder has to ensure that the puppies are raised in the home and not in kennels and/or outhouses. IWCR recommends breeders look into bringing their litters up with the puppy culture or life skills method and with appropriate enrichment and socialisation ( such as being well handled, introduced to household appliance noises, etc) as well as being introduced to toilet training.
    4. The breeder will need to make sure that every new owner signs a contract where the new owner agrees that if they for some reason can not keep the pet it has to go back to the breeder for rehoming.
      The breeder must be in the position to take the dog/puppy back or arrange for foster care.
    5. Unless the dog is sold explicit for breeding, the member is to encourage the new owners to neuter/spay their animal. IWCR recommends that this procedure is done from 24 months of age.
    6. The breeder should make sure that the puppies are placed in suitable homes, and can reject buyers if they feel that the person and pup will not make a good match. No puppies can be sold to retailers.
  5.  Obligations of the IWCR to the breeder
    1. The IWCR will provide comprehensive litter registration forms in both a physical and downloadable format.
    2. The IWCR will provide a five generation pedigree certificate on behalf of each puppy registered, or, if the information on the generations is incomplete then a pedigree certificate including as much information as has been made available to the registry will be produced.
    3. The IWCR will endeavour to be timely in the postage of documents and information to the breeder.
    4. The IWCR will provide advice on lines, health testing and other aspects of breeding if it is requested. Questions will be brought to the Breeding Committee who will provide advice based on their knowledge and experience. It is up to the discretion of the breeder whether any advice is followed, however, the breeder is of the understanding that should they break the Code Of Ethics, future litters will not be eligible for registration with the Registry.
    5. In the event of previously unknown or untested health issues arising within a litter or line registered with the registry, the IWCR will support the breeder to the fullest extent and offer knowledge, advice and assistance in order to better preserve the health of the wolfalike breeds.
    6. IWCR will provide a safe group on Facebook for all breeders and owners to chat and enjoy each other’s journeys with their wolfalike dogs.