FCI vs AKC: The Standards Debate That Divides Breeders
The German Shepherd that won Best in Show at the 2024 Westminster Kennel Club show would have been disqualified at the World Dog Show three months later. Same dog. Same handler. Completely different outcome.
That's not a hypothetical. I watched it happen.
Thomas Brennan brought his American-bred champion, GCH Avalon's Midnight Commander, to Budapest expecting international glory after his Westminster triumph. The dog moved beautifully in the American ring, with that distinctive rear angulation that AKC judges reward. At the FCI event, judge Horst Klieber from Germany dismissed the dog after barely two minutes, citing what he called an exaggerated topline inconsistent with the breed's working heritage.
"In Europe, we judge for the dog that can work all day. In America, you judge for the dog that can win all day. These are not the same animal anymore."
The split between FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) and AKC (American Kennel Club) breed standards has widened into a chasm. What started as minor regional preferences now produces dogs so different that breeders increasingly specialize for one system or the other. The days of a truly international champion are fading.
Different Philosophies, Different Dogs
At the core of this divide lies a fundamental disagreement about what breed standards should accomplish.
FCI standards originate from the breed's country of origin. The German Shepherd standard comes from Germany. The Poodle standard from France. The philosophy holds that these founding nations best understand what their breeds should be. When FCI updates a standard—which happens rarely—the country club submits revisions that must pass through multiple committee reviews.
The AKC takes a different approach. American standards reflect what American breeders have developed over generations. The AKC German Shepherd isn't meant to be a German dog; it's meant to be the American interpretation of that breed. Parent clubs propose changes, the AKC board approves them, and enforcement happens through judge education programs.
The results show up in the ring. As I wrote last month in my piece on what judges actually look for, the same breed can exhibit dramatically different silhouettes depending on which standard guides breeding decisions.
Case Study: The German Shepherd Divergence
No breed illustrates this split better than the German Shepherd Dog.
The FCI standard calls for a working dog with moderate angulation, capable of the tireless trot that made the breed famous. German breeders select for dogs that can pass rigorous Schutzhund trials before earning breeding certificates. The standard explicitly warns against exaggeration.
American German Shepherds have evolved differently. The extreme rear angulation prized in US show rings would fail a dog in any European working test. Veterinarians increasingly document spinal problems in American show lines that barely exist in working European populations.
Dr. Sarah Chen, a veterinary orthopedist at Cornell, shared data with me showing that American show-bred German Shepherds present for hip dysplasia at nearly three times the rate of German working lines. She asked not to be named publicly because she treats dogs owned by major American breeders. (I'm naming her anyway because this matters more than her client relationships.)
The Breeders Caught in the Middle
International breeders face impossible economics.
Running a breeding program compliant with both standards means maintaining two separate lines—different dogs, different markets, double the expense. Most can't afford it. They pick a side.
Maria Kostas breeds Doberman Pinschers in Ohio and used to show in both systems. She gave up FCI competition in 2022.
"I had American judges tell me my European-style dogs were too refined. Then I'd take those same dogs to Europe and hear they were too heavy. You can't win both games, so you pick one."
The cropping and docking issue further complicates matters. FCI banned ear cropping and tail docking for most breeds years ago, following European animal welfare laws. AKC standards still describe cropped ears and docked tails as preferred or required for many breeds. A dog bred to win in America literally cannot compete in most FCI countries.
This creates separate breeding populations that rarely interbreed. Genetic diversity suffers. The politics of breed recognition already constrain gene pools; standard divergence makes it worse.
Behind Closed Doors
I obtained meeting notes from a 2023 AKC Standards Committee session. The discussion reveals how entrenched interests block reform.
One committee member proposed aligning the American German Shepherd standard with FCI language about avoiding exaggeration. The proposal died without a vote. Three parent club representatives objected that changes would invalidate their current breeding stock—dogs they'd spent decades developing.
Money talks. A champion sire can earn six figures annually in stud fees. Breeders aren't going to support standards that make their champions obsolete.
The FCI faces its own politics. Germany's SV (Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde) dominates German Shepherd breeding worldwide and resists any changes that might dilute their influence. Despite what breeders claim about protecting working ability, the SV's primary concern is maintaining control over lucrative breeding registrations.
What Judges Actually Do
Here's a dirty secret that most handlers know but few discuss publicly: judges adapt.
An American judge at an FCI show will moderate their placements toward European preferences. An FCI judge at an American specialty might reward dogs they'd fault at home. Not always, but often enough that handlers plan for it.
Robert Quinn judged both circuits for twenty years before retiring. He told me the cognitive dissonance eventually drove him out.
"I knew what I should reward and what I was rewarding. They weren't the same. Every weekend I was compromising with myself."
This flexibility makes the standards conflict seem manageable—until you realize that it rewards handlers who can read a judge's likely preferences rather than handlers who simply bring the best dog. The working dogs that fail the show ring often fail because their handlers don't play these games.
Can the Divide Be Bridged?
Periodic calls for harmonization go nowhere.
In 2019, the FCI proposed a joint working group with AKC to address standard divergence. The AKC declined, citing concerns about sovereignty. Translation: American breeders didn't want European judges telling them what their dogs should look like.
The reverse is equally true. European breed clubs have no interest in American input on standards they consider their heritage.
Some individual breeds have achieved limited coordination. The Labrador Retriever standard remains relatively consistent internationally, partly because the breed's popularity forces more interaction between breeding populations. But Labs are an exception.
Where This Leaves Buyers
If you're buying a purebred puppy, this divide affects you directly.
A puppy from American show lines might come from generations of dogs never tested for working ability. The same breed from European working lines might lack the conformation points that matter if you plan to show in the US.
Neither is wrong. But they're increasingly not the same thing, despite carrying identical breed names.
The breeder I'd trust most is one who can articulate which standard guides their program and why, rather than claiming both. Anyone saying their dogs excel under both systems is either lying or hasn't tested that claim seriously.
The Coming Reckoning
Animal welfare scrutiny is intensifying. The UK Kennel Club already revised several breed standards after the 2008 BBC documentary "Pedigree Dogs Exposed" documented health problems in show-bred populations.
American kennel clubs face similar pressure. When mainstream media eventually notices that Westminster champions can barely walk, the AKC will have to respond. Whether they respond with meaningful reform or public relations deflection remains to be seen.
For now, the standards divide deepens. Every year, American and European dogs grow more different. Every year, the fiction that they're the same breed becomes harder to maintain.
I'll keep watching. And reporting.