What AKC Numbers Mean for Dobermans

The American Kennel Club, or AKC, tracks canine breeding lines by registering purebred dogs and puppies. When you register your purebred doberman, the AKC will give you a registration code that can be used for identification purposes. This registration code contains two to three letters and eight numbers. The characters in the code provide information about the class, litter and bloodline of your doberman.

  1. The First Letter

    • All Doberman registration codes begin with the letter "W." This stands for "Working", which is the breed group that dobermans belong to. Other classifications include hound, sporting and toy.

    Is the Second Letter a "Z"?

    • If there are three letters in your doberman's registration code and the second is a "Z", this means that your doberman is related to the first white doberman born in 1976. Even if your dog is not a white doberman, it may still be part of the "Z" bloodline. As such, if you ever decide to breed your dog, its offspring may be born white.

    The Final Letter

    • The last letter in the registration code is not related to your dog's bloodline at all. Letters are assigned sequentially. Thus, if your doberman's second letter is a "T", it simply means that the AKC has already gone through letters "A" through "S" while registering codes for other dobermans.

    The First Six Numbers

    • The first six numbers are assigned sequentially to each litter of dobermans. The letters combined with the first six numbers are used to identify particular litters. As such, the first six numbers are the same for each doberman born to one particular litter. This allows the AKC to more readily keep track of siblings, parentage and bloodlines.

    The Seventh and Eight Numbers

    • The seventh and eighth numbers in your doberman's registration code are used to identify it from the rest of the puppies in its litter. The last two digits are assigned sequentially, starting from one, until every puppy in a litter has a unique registration code. For example, if there were four doberman puppies in a litter, the following registration codes may be in place: WS117856701, WS117856702, WS117856703 and WS117856704. Note the last two digits of each code, which are 01, 02, 03 and 04.