The American Mixed Breed Obedience Registry (AMBOR) is a registry for mixed-breed dogs to enable them to compete in obedience and dog agility.
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History
AMBOR was founded in 1983 in New Prague, Minnesota, to provide a competitive venue for dogs not recognized by purebred registries such as the American Kennel Club. At that time, it provided rules under which dogs could compete to earn obedience titles in the same way that most purebred dogs could compete in their purebred clubs.
By 1990, AMBOR had negotiated an agreement with the Illini Obedience Association, host of the prestigious Gaines obedience trials, to allow AMBOR-registered dogs to participate in these top-level competitions.
Eventually, AMBOR worked out mutual agreements with the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA), the United Kennel Club (UKC), and the North American Dog Agility Association (NADAC), so that AMBOR dogs could also compete in the other organizations' obedience and dog agility trials. The agreements expanded the venues for these organizations, all of which already allowed all dogs, purebred or not, to compete.
As of June 1, 2006, NADAC will own AMBOR. According to early information [1], AMBOR's agility and obedience programs will remain in place.
Activities
AMBOR allows not only mixed breeds to compete at its events, but also purebred dogs who cannot be registered for whatever reason with the American Kennel Club, the UKC, or the Canadian Kennel Club.
AMBOR, unlike the Mixed Breed Dog Club of America, does not hold conformation trials, which evaluate a dog's appearance and physical characteristics. However, like virtually all dog clubs that accept mixed breeds, it requires that its member dogs be neutered, discourages the crossbreeding of dogs, and does not accept wolf hybrids as members.