The Nordic Kennel Union promotes the health and welfare of dogs

The Nordic Kennel Union NKU was founded in 1956 at the Nordic Kennel Conference in Helsinki in April. The Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Finnish Kennel Clubs joined.

The meeting had been several months in the making, and the agenda had accumulated a number of suggestions for items to be discussed. Just before the meeting, a proposal came from Sweden that Sweden, Norway and Finland, as members of the FCI, should send a joint letter to the General Assembly of the International Kennel Union FCI in Dortmund in May, with the idea of the Nordic countries becoming passive members because we were getting too little value for money for our high membership fees. International cooperation was limited, for example, by the strict quarantine regulations in the Nordic countries. The letter demanded that the Nordic countries should be given the right to organise international shows and trials and to register kennel names, among other things, under a separate agreement. Finally, it was announced that if the letter did not lead to such measures on the part of the FCI, Norway, Sweden and Finland would be forced to consider whether it was worthwhile for them to continue their cooperation with the FCI. As a counterbalance, the Nordic Kennel Union, which was also set up at the Kennel Conference, was envisaged as a means of closer cooperation between the Nordic countries.  Iceland is now also a member of the NKU.

The purpose of the NKU, according to its statutes, is to promote and harmonise canine science (the science of dogs and their breeding) and dog breeding in the Nordic countries.

NKU is active in many different ways

The NKU is an advisory body. Each Nordic country takes it in turn to host the Union for three years, taking responsibility for, among other things, meeting arrangements, secretariat tasks and liaison between the various actors.

The NKU has a board, called the Bureau, consisting of two to three representatives from each member country, with the Finnish Kennel Club currently represented by Eeva Anttinen, Kimmo Mustonen and Pirjo Onza. The Committee meets twice a year. One of the meetings is a remote meeting and the other a local meeting, the location of which rotates among the member countries. 

In addition, the NKU has several committees which meet at least once a year. The draft decisions taken by these committees are submitted to the NKU Bureau. Decisions concerning all Nordic countries are submitted to the national kennel clubs. For example, the joint Nordic show rules prepared by the NKU were first discussed by the Kennel Club Board and then approved by the Kennel Club Council.

Nordic cooperation aims to address global dog issues by putting animal welfare and dog health first. At the heart of this forward-looking approach is responsible dog breeding and fostering in the Nordic Region. It also maintains contacts with other FCI member countries and prepares joint Nordic presentations and statements to the FCI Board and General Assembly.

The NKU member countries cooperate on the Nordic breed-specific show rules for judges of external appearance (RKO), which aim to eradicate exaggerated traits in dogs. The guidelines were introduced in all Nordic countries in 2014 and it is noteworthy that the FCI Board of Directors has recommended the use of the RKO guidelines in all FCI member countries. Other areas of cooperation include the DNA guidelines and strategy, the joint Nordic X-ray panel, junior handler activities and committees for various hobby breeds. The NKU also organises the Nordic Winner Dog Show, the Nordic Junior Handler Championships, the Nordic Agility Championships, the Nordic Dog Dance and Obedience Championships and the Nordic Rally Dog Championships in different member countries on a rotating basis.

All NKU committees include a Finnish representative. Up-to-date information on the members of the committees can be found here.

The NKU has an X-ray panel consisting of hip and elbow radiographers from the Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish kennel clubs. The panel meets twice a year to discuss research data on hip and elbow dysplasia, to harmonise opinion practices and to deal with Nordic hip and elbow complaints. The Nordic hip and elbow complaints are very similar.