What Is a Champion Dog Bloodline?

A dog has a champion bloodline if he or she are directly related to dogs with champion titles given out by the American Kennel Club. A dog whose parents, grandparents, great-grandparents or even great-great-grandparents had an AKC champion title will be considered to be a dog with a champion bloodline.

If a dog is considered a champion, he or she may not have been given the title due to a confirmation showmanship. The dog may have earned the title as a working champion, meaning that the dog competed in agility, tracking, herding or obedience according to PetMD. Confirmation champion titles are given out based on breed characteristics including physical appearance and temperament.

Unfortunately, the term champion bloodlines is used a lot by professional breeders and hobby breeders who want to get unsuspecting pet owners to purchase their puppies. PetMD asks pet owners to look at the two generations before the puppy (the puppy’s parents and grandparents) in order to see whether or not champion traits and qualities will be present in the puppy. Puppies who only have champion bloodlines because of their great-grandparents or great-great grandparents are unlikely to display the champion traits and qualities. The records of all dogs and their relatives with champion titles can be found by looking at the AKC official records.