A purebred dog is a dog of a modern breed that has been established through the breeding of individuals of the same lineage over many generations. Purebred dogs closely resemble others of the same breed in appearance, movement, way of working and other characteristics, and have reliable information regarding their ancestry and are registered with a dog registry.
New breeds of dog are constantly being created and there are various new breed associations and breed clubs online which offer legitimate registrations for new or rare breeds.
Purebreds and Pedigrees
The word purebred is often used synonymously with pedigree. However, purebred refers to a dog that has a known ancestry, and the term pedigree refers to the written record of its lineage. Not all purebred dogs have their ancestry documented, while some dogs may have papers from a registering body that confirm their lineage, but not be considered “purebred.”