Dog Breeds and Colours

All territorial authorities are required to supply information for the purpose of compiling and maintaining a National Dog Database. This means that all breeds and colours of dogs need to fall into a basic list.

After dog owners have supplied a description of their dogs, the Taupo District Council updates it's records for use on the National Dog Database.

Colour List

Predominant Colour

This is the main colour of the dog. It must be one of the colours seen here.

Secondary Colour

This is the second most predominant colour of the dog. It must be one of the colours seen here.

Additional Information

Additional information may be obtained from the dog owner, which would not be passed to the National Dog Database, but may be retained locally by territorial authorities. This is:

• The owner's description. Dog owners can enter any description they wish and are not limited to the 10 “Base” colours.

Breed List

When owners register their dogs they must identify both the Standard Breed of the dog and the secondary or cross breed if there is one. This information is a required standard throughout the country for the development and upkeep of the National Dog DataBase.

Pure Breed

Should the owner consider the dog to be a Pure Breed,  it is mandatory that the breed is identified as one of the breeds contained within the  Standard Dog Breed list.

Cross Breed

Should the owner consider the dog to be a Cross Breed,  it is mandatory that the Predominant Breed is identified as one of the breeds contained within the Standard Dog Breed list , i.e. you cannot describe your dog as a cross breed. You must identify at least one breed in the breed list but you can use the word cross as the secondary breed.

Secondary Breed

A secondary breed is the second most prominent breed of a dog. Owners can identify the secondary breed from the Standard Dog Breed list. Otherwise it may be known as a 'cross.'

For more information visit the website for the Department of Internal Affairs Dog Database.