Well now you have a good photo and all ears are up, it is time for you to decide whether you want one of these boys! Regarding the AKC details. I am in the UK but if anybody logs the name of one of my dogs, (or my Affix), into the KC Health Status section they will be able to view :- a. The full name and birthdate of the dog they are searching, and its sex and colour. b. The clear, carrier or affected status for any dna testing the dog may have had done, (for conditions that are considered problematic in that breed - will also include being born genetically clear of the condition). c. The breeding co-efficient - the degree of inbreeding by percentage. d. A two generation pedigree - which can usually be further expanded. e. The number of KC registered litters the dog has either birthed or sired, and their dates. This is expandable to show how many puppies of each sex were in each litter, and their KC names. This information is provided as a tool for breeders to investigate the health status and the breeding of any dog they are thinking of buying or using for breeding, but is open for anyone to access. I don't know whether the AKC provides a similar service, but I do know that serious US breeders are very well versed in genetics and pedigree research. I haven't time at present, but I will try to look up some American breeding that I know is tested - unless one of Breedia's US members can have a go at answering this query first hand.
It's been way too long (pre-internet) since I was involved with the AKC. From what I can find, they only verify if the dog is registered - they do not provide detailed information about testing, pedigree, etc. I would ask the breeder to provide official test results for both parents as well as their pedigrees (going back at least five generations) including number of litters each female in the pedigree has had and any titles won. If they can't provide that information, then I would be hesitant to buy from them. A good quality breeder should have that information tracked and easily accessible.
