Breeder's Code of Ethics | International Wolfal

I.W.C.R 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 who 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 can reject the registration of any litter or individual if either the sire or dam fails to meet the criteria below or the breeder is found to violate the breeders' code of ethics

If requested, the IWCR Breeding Committee can provide advice and test matings to calculate the inbreeding coefficient, alongside health and temperament advice.

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.

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.
5. We suggest breeders now include gonioscopy grading with under 50% as a pass.
  This should be done every second to third year.
6. The sire must have been examined and signed off by a licensed veterinarian, who found two normal testicles fully descended within the scrotum.
  Exemption to this will be given on a case-by-case basis.
7. 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.
8. With Northern Inuit linage or original foundation, both Dam and Sire need to be tested for OSD3, even if clear by parentage.
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.
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. The Breeder must provide appropriate veterinary care during and after pregnancy for both the bitch and pups.
Litter Registration:
1. I.W.C.R. must register and approve both parents before the litter is registered. Failure to do so might result in the rejection of the registration.
2. The litter registration must occur within 4-8 weeks of birth.
3. The registration must include all living puppies at the day of the registration.
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.
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 inform I.W.C.R immediately if the bitch should pass away while nursing the puppies or if the pups are younger than 8 weeks old.
4. The breeder must ensure that the puppies are raised in the home, 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
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 will be produced with as much information as has been made available to the registry.
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 preserve the health of the wolfalike breeds better.
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.