Renaming Your Dog
Limit your dog's new name to 36 characters or less. This character limit includes punctuation (such as hyphens) and spaces. For instance, a name like “Harry's Ace in the Hole” would be 23 characters counting the apostrophe and spaces. Your name can be as long as 50 characters if you pay an additional $10 fee.
Use standard English spellings. All letters in your dog's new name must be drawn from the standard English alphabet. Diacritical markings (such as accents, tildes, or umlauts) will not appear on your dog's registration form since its name will be printed in all capital letters. You should also not include Roman numerals as part of your dog's new name, although the AKC may assign them in cases where there's naming overlap. You are free to use written numbers (like “one” or “first”) and standard Arabic numbers (“1,” “2,” or “3”).
Leave out any titles or terms related to showing or breeding. AKC titles or show terms are prohibited from being included in AKC dog names. You may also not include breed names or breeding-related terms like “kennel, male, stud, sire, bitch, dam, and female.” Even if your pooch is a champion show dog or the direct offspring of one, you may not advertise this in its name. For example, “Augustus, Champion Stud” is not admissible.
Leave out profanity. Your dog's new name must be obscenity-free. Do not include any swear words or derogatory terms related to gender, race, creed, nationality, or other social differences. This also applies to transliterations or obvious misspellings of such profane diction.
Get permission from the owner before including a kennel name. If you would like to use an AKC Registered Kennel Name as part of your dog's new handle, such as “Abby Mae of Stony Field,” you must get the approval of its owner first. If this is the case, there is a place at the top of the name-change form where the kennel owner can sign to indicate their formal authorization.
Meeting Name-Change Restrictions
Verify that your dog was born in the U.S. Imported dogs do not qualify for name changes. Your pooch must have been whelped in the United States in order for you to re-register it under a different name with the AKC. Including your dog's existing AKC registration number on the name-change form will verify its birthplace. If it was born outside the U.S., do not apply for one. Foreign-born pets can be registered with the AKC, but they must stick with the same name they were given abroad for consistency's sake.
Ensure that your dog has not been bred or shown. Dogs can have their names changed through the AKC only if they have never been bred and never won awards at any AKC-licensed event or competition. This restriction helps the organization to maintain accurate records and preserve the integrity of their registry. If you're unsure about your dog's breeding or show history, use the AKC's “Dog Search” tool available at their Online Store to see if the dog has any points earned in competition or if it's registered as the sire or dam to a litter. You will need the dog's current AKC registration number along with its breed and current registered name to do the search.
Get permission from any previous owner. If your dog was previously registered individually with the AKC by another owner, you will need to get their signature to authorize a name change. This stipulation does not apply to dogs whose whole litters were registered by their breeders, only to those who were individually registered by owners.
Completing the Application Process
Download the form. The “Dog Name Change Authorization” form is available as a PDF online through the AKC's website. Print the form since you will need to mail it in order to submit the application.
Complete the application. The form will require you to list information about your payment, your dog, and yourself as well as obtain any other necessary signatures from kennel owners or previous AKC-registered owners to authorize the name change. You will need to enter your dog's current AKC name and registration number, as well as its new name. You will also need to provide personal contact information and sign the form. If your dog has two registered owners, include contact information and a signature for both. If you are including an AKC-registered kennel name in your dog's new name, fill out the section that asks for the kennel's name, owner's signature, and the owner's customer number. If your dog was registered by a previous owner, be sure to complete the section “Consent of Litter Owner(s)” with their names and signatures.
Pay the fee. The AKC requires a one-time, nonrefundable $25 processing fee to rename an AKC dog. An additional $10 fee is charged for names that exceed the 36-character limit. You can pay by credit card, check, or money order. If you pay by card, include the account number and expiration date in the “Payment Information” section of your application form. If you pay by check or money order, be sure that it's payable to: The American Kennel Club.
Mail your application. Submit your completed “Name Change Authorization” form with the required payment, and your dog's current AKC Registration Certificate via the mail. Send all materials to the AKC headquarters at: The American Kennel Club / 8051 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 100 / Raleigh, NC 27617–3390. Expect a 3-5 week turnaround time. The AKC will send you back a new certificate of registration after your name change has been approved. Read over the new registration carefully, and verify that your name and the dog's new name are spelled correctly and all information is current and correct.
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