We are Proud to be an AKC Breeder of Merit
We are proud to be an AKC Breeder of Merit (Silver Level). The Breeder of Merit program is how the AKC recognizes breeders who have a proven track record of being dedicated to breeding quality purebred dogs whose appearance, temperament, and ability are true to their breed. Such preservation breeders are the heart of the AKC.
The Breeder of Merit designation is an honor that celebrates:
- Years of commitment and investment in our dogs through participation and success in a variety of AKC Conformation, Performance, and Companion events.
- A proven track record of dedication to the Great Dane Breed as is evidenced by our ongoing success and AKC titles earned by Paxton Great Danes.
- An enduring commitment to health testing breeding stock, at a level that meets or exceeds, the health screening recommended by the GDCA parent club/CHIC/OFA.
- Our demonstrated commitment to ensuring 100% of Paxton Great Dane puppies are AKC registered.
Canine Health Information Center
The Canine Health Information Center, also known as CHIC, is a centralized canine health database jointly sponsored by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and breed parent clubs (The Great Dane Club of America – GDCA in the case of the Great Dane).
The CHIC program provides a powerful resource to breeders and owners of purebred dogs. This platform provides a way to research and maintain information on the health issues prevalent in a breed and establish recommended protocols for breed specific health screening. Furthermore CHIC recognized those dogs that have been tested in accordance with the breed protocol. CHIC also maintains a DNA bank that collects and stores canine DNA samples along with geneologic and phenotypic information to facilitate future research and testing aimed at reducing the incidence of inherited disease in dogs.
The CHIC program offers benefits to breeders, buyers, parent clubs and researchers. We encourage you to visit the website and learn more. We are proud to have supported the CHIC program from our start in 2002.
We believe health tested parents make for healthier puppies!
We practice and encourage health testing in breeding programs to meet or exceed the CHIC standards for our breed. The OFA, CHIC and the Great Dane Club of America recommend the following screenings for the Great Dane breed:
- Hips (OFA or PennHip)
- OFA Thyroid
- Cardiac Echo with Cardiologist
- OFA Eyes
Although we still don’t have all the science behind the genetic inheritance of many health issues in the dog, we do believe that knowledge is power and that the tools we have available to us are beneficial. It follows that the most sound breeding practices utilize all of the information we have available in our effort to make better and more responsibe breeding decisions. The OFA has built a powerful tool to assist breeders in making more informed decisions AND to help puppy buyers to make a more informed purchase. We hope you take advantage of this powerful tool in your next puppy search.