The Mixed Breed Dog Clubs of America (MBDCA) is a registry for spayed or neutered mixed-breed dogs to enable them to compete in obedience trials and conformation shows. It also provides rules for competition in tracking, lure coursing, and retriever instinct. In addition, state affiliates such as the Mixed Breed Dog Club of California provide various local activities.
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MBDCA was founded in 1978 in the state of Washington to provide a competitive venue for dogs not recognized by purebred registries such as the American Kennel Club (AKC). They defined rules under which dogs could compete to earn obedience titles in the same way that most purebred dogs could compete in their purebred clubs. They also defined rules for conformation competitions for mixed-breed dogs.
The MBDCA obedience rules generally follow the rules established by the AKC.
The MBDCA is the only dog organization in America that requires a dog to complete an obedience title before it can complete its conformation championship. This ensures that the dog is not merely attractive but has also learned basic obedience.
MBDCA allows not only mixed breeds to compete at its events, but also purebred dogs who cannot be registered for whatever reason with the American Kennel Club, the UKC, or the Canadian Kennel Club.
The MBDCA, like virtually all dog clubs that accept mixed breeds, requires that its member dogs be spayed or neutered, discourages the crossbreeding of dogs, and does not accept wolf hybrids as members.
In conformation, which evaluates a dog's appearance and physical characteristics, its rules are necessarily different from the AKC's. For purebred dogs in the AKC, each breed has a clearly defined appearance standard, including such points as the length, thickness, and color of the coat; the dog's height and weight; the length of its back in proportion to its height; the shape of its ears and muzzle; and so on. Because all mixed breeds are different, it is impossible to use such rules. Instead, dogs competing in MBDCA conformation trials must demonstrate physical soundness, good health, and a well-balanced and symmetrical appearance. For example, dogs must not be knock-kneed, have spinal problems, or have excessive overbite or underbite; their coats and skin must be healthy; and they must not be overweight or underweight for their build. Dogs compete against other dogs of similar height.
As indicated by "Clubs" in the organization's title, many or most of its sanctioned events take place under its local branches, such as the Mixed Breed Dog Club of California, Mixed Breed Dog Club of Oregon, Washington Mixed Breed Dog Club, Mixed Breed Dog Club of St. Louis, and so on. All adhere to the MBDCA's rules.