Cavy Standards Committee

Filing for a Certificate of Development

“A proposed new cavy breed must possess qualifications of individual merit, unique to itself, identifying it as a separate and distinct breed. These animals may be presented in any recognized variety as all recognized cavy varieties are accepted in all cavy breeds. After the newly proposed breed is accepted into the Standard of Perfection, it will be showable in all recognized varieties, regardless of which variety/varieties were presented.” – ARBA Standard of Perfection, page 244

Presenting a new breed or variety is a serious commitment requiring significant amounts of time, money, and cage space as well as emotional investment.  Too often, miscalculations, misfortunes, quality of animals and circumstances beyond our control impact hard work and efforts.  The following information is provided for those members who are interested in pursuing Certificates of Development and in hopes of establishing realistic expectations and clarifying misconceptions.  An outline of the process is also provided to help you begin the process and plan next steps.  Before you go any further, it is advised that you carefully read pages 244 through 249 of your 2021-25 ARBA Standard of Perfection.

General Notes for all CODs:

• It is recommended by past successful presenters that COD holders plan to dedicate a minimum of 30-60 cages to the new breed or variety. Up to 5 applicants may be listed on a COD, and animals bred and owned by any of these applicants may be part of a presentation to the ARBA Standards Committee.

• At presentation time all animals must have complete 3-generation pedigrees. There are no exceptions to this rule.  Presentations that are not accompanied by complete 3-generation pedigrees will be assessed as one fail.  Presentations may also be rejected for genetic improbabilities listed on pedigrees.  When presenting a new variety, you may have both satin and non-satin of recognized breeds on your pedigrees.

• All breeders/sponsors must have been members of the ARBA for a minimum of five continuous years and maintain membership in good standing throughout the process. Applicants who do not maintain continuous membership will be dropped from the COD and cannot be added back.

• All breeders/sponsors must be adult ARBA members at the time of application.

• All breeders/sponsors must also be members of the ACBA and must maintain membership for the duration of the COD.

• As all cavies fall under the ACBA, a vote of the general membership is required before a new breed or new variety COD can proceed.

• All breeders/sponsors must commit to raising the new breed or variety for the duration of the COD and must be able to prove this should the need arise.

• After the two year wait period is completed, presentations must be initiated at the next ARBA Convention. COD holders who do not make a presentation will be assessed one failed showing.  A second consecutive “no show,” will void the COD and all applicants listed will be removed from any other CODs held and unable to apply for another COD for a period of five years.  Filing a COD indicates a commitment to attend ARBA Conventions that are not yet awarded to host groups and sites.

NEW BREEDS

Certificates of Development should only be pursued if you have been raising this new breed for a number of years.  If your herd consists of F2 and F3 crosses or you are still planning to import animals to establish your herd, this is not the time to file a COD.  A Certificate of Development should only be pursued once you have identified that the breed is unique and will breed true, and if a foreign breed, has adapted to your climate and management practices.  You should have studied, culled, and have a herd that can replicate its characteristics from generation to generation with consistency and quality.  As all recognized varieties will be accepted once a new breed is recognized, there is no requirement to name varieties on your application.  There is no restriction on using Broken Color cavies in your presentations.

NEW GROUPS/VARIETIES

Certificates of Development should only be pursued if you have been raising this new variety for a number of years.  If you have just discovered that your herd can produce the variety or just begun making the necessary crosses to develop the variety, this is not the time to file a COD.  A Certificate of Development should only be pursued once you have identified that the variety will produce consistent color and have worked past any potential problems such as eye color, toenail color, undercolor, etc.  These animals should also meet all breed standards and be good to excellent examples of the breed.

If you have determined that your new breed, group or variety meets these requirements, the steps to file a COD are outlined below:

• Fill out the New Breed or New Variety Application Form. The primary breeder/sponsor should enter their information on this form.

• Fill out the Additional Breeder/Sponsor Form if necessary.

• Attach a copy of the proposed standard:

  1. New Breed: This standard must be in English. It must include a Schedule of Points, showroom classes/weights, and full descriptions for type, coat, color, etc including faults and disqualifications. Condition must be 10 points.

  2. New Group/Variety: This standard must include a complete color description that includes all faults and disqualifications.

• Send by certified mail a copy of the Application Form, Additional Breeder/Sponsor Form (if used), proposed standard and a check or money order for $100 to the ARBA, P.O. Box 400, Knox, PA 16232.

• Send by certified mail a copy of the Application Form, Additional Breeder/Sponsor Form (if used), and proposed standard to Mary Lou Eisel, Cavy Standards Committee Chair, 266 Caverly Road, Aylmer, ON, N5H 2V3, Canada.

• Once payment is processed and membership(s) are verified, the ARBA Office will notify the Standards Committee Chair who will submit it to the committee for approval.

• Approved CODs will be mailed along with detailed instructions and paperwork.

• Working Standards will be published on the ARBA web site.

• Once a COD is approved, the two year wait period for the breeder/sponsor(s) will begin.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me:

Mary Lou Eisel
266 Caverly Road, Aylmer, ON, N5H 2V3, Canada
Email: eiselml@yahoo.ca   Phone/Text – 519-332-7822