Welcome to
The Utility Dog Council of Australia
Why UDCA
The Utility Dog Council of Australia Inc was established in 2020 to address the need for an Australian administrative canine body who put an emphasis on the responsible breeding and ownership of working dog pure breeds. The working dog pure breeds are valued to the point of being iconic but paradoxically the preservation of their working traits are largely unsupported by many mainstream canine bodes. The working dog pure breeds all have some core traits in common: extremely intelligent, eager to please and a high enthusiasm for learning. These traits go hand in hand with sound temperament. Collectively, these traits are also what makes these breeds fabulous family dogs as long as their welfare needs are met - and those are providing them an opportunity to use their inherited traits.
Unfortunately, the popularity of many pure breed working dogs have led to erosion of correct breed characteristic. We must protect the working dog pure breeds to underpin the sustainability of physically and mentally sound working dog breeds, and to ensure the future of the iconic working dog breeds.
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Our Mission
To connect people dedicated to the health and welfare of working dog breeds in Australia regardless of breed and to build public awareness of the working dog breeds and their welfare needs which inherently is linked to enabling them to use their instinctive working traits.
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Responsible breeding of working dog breeds
The iconic traits of working dog pure breeds can only be attained by testing and verifying breed specific traits such as sound health & temperament, workability and trainability. Subject to the breed, such testing may include assessment of genetic disorders, predisposition to hip- and elbow dysplasia, assessment of conformation (show titles) as well as assessment of workability, trainability and temperament (performance titles). Reputable breeders will only use animals who have been verified by testing to possess breed specific traits. The UDCA aims to support breeders who carefully select parents with proven traits to ensure the next generation acquires the iconic working traits of any given working dog breed of choice. To enable breeders to identify breed-worthy animals, we must support schemes that enable working dog breeds to use their working traits and temperament.
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The UDCA advocates the importance of temperament and workability assessments when selecting animals for breeding.
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Responsible ownership of working dog breeds
If you want a pure breed working dog, then you must be prepared to meet its welfare needs. It needs an outlet to use its inherited traits. It needs to use it brain. It is supposed to have high energy. It has a need for mental and physical stimulation. If a dog was born a working dog - then its going to be a working dog.
The UDCA advocates the importance of responsibility dog ownership of working dog breeds which includes participate in a recreational sport that uses and nurtures the inherited skills of your dog for the purpose its physical and mental welfare.
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Quality assurance
There is an increasing demand for quality assurance. A way to provide such assurance is to capture as much information on pedigrees as possible. Such information may be hip- and elbow dysplasia assessments, DNA profiling, genetic testing for inheritable disorders (e.g degenerative myelopathy), show/working performance titles, all subject to what's stipulated/recommended by internationally recognised breed standards. The UDCA upholds a database to capture such information on pedigrees for the benefit of breeders, breed specific canine organisations and the public interested in pure breed working dogs proven to be true to the defined breed characteristics.