The Atlas/Breeding/FCI Breed Standards
VoluntaryInternational
FCI Breed Standards
FCI · Fédération Cynologique Internationale
The international system of breed standards and pedigrees that most national kennel clubs outside the United States work within.
01 What It Is
The Fédération Cynologique Internationale is the international canine federation, founded in 1911 and based in Belgium, with member and partner organizations in around a hundred countries, one to each country. It maintains the official breed standards for recognized breeds and governs pedigrees and competition across its members, which makes it the central reference for purebred dogs across much of the world.
02 What It Covers
The FCI recognizes several hundred breeds and treats each as belonging to its country of origin, which writes the breed’s standard under the oversight of the FCI’s commissions. A breed standard describes the ideal structure, movement and temperament a breed is judged against. Members issue pedigrees to a common FCI nomenclature and keep their own studbooks, and the federation sets shared breeding rules including the permanent identification of registered dogs.
03 How It Is Checked
Membership and registration are voluntary, and the FCI is not a welfare regulator: its remit is the integrity of breeds, pedigrees and competition rather than the licensing of breeders. Its authority rests on mutual recognition between national kennel clubs, so a pedigree issued in one member country is honored in another. The system has been criticised where breed standards are read as encouraging exaggerated features linked to ill health.
04 Why It Matters
For a buyer choosing a pedigree dog outside the United States, the FCI framework is usually what sits behind the paperwork: the standard the dog is bred toward, and the pedigree recording its lineage. It shapes what breeds look like and how they are judged, which is also why the health implications of particular standards are an important and active debate.
Common Questions
Is it a welfare regulator?
No. The FCI is the international canine federation, and its remit is the integrity of breeds, pedigrees and competition rather than the licensing of breeders or the welfare of dogs.
Who runs it?
The Fédération Cynologique Internationale, founded in 1911 and based in Belgium, with member and partner organizations in around a hundred countries, one to each country.
What does it maintain?
The official breed standards for recognized breeds, each describing the ideal structure, movement and temperament a breed is judged against, plus a common pedigree nomenclature and shared breeding rules.
How does it have authority if it is voluntary?
Through mutual recognition between national kennel clubs, so a pedigree issued in one member country is honored in another. Each breed’s standard is written by its country of origin under FCI commissions.
Who does it apply to?
Those who breed and register pedigree dogs through FCI member clubs, mostly outside the United States.
Is it controversial?
It has been criticised where breed standards are read as encouraging exaggerated features linked to ill health, which remains an active debate.