Continuing Education Units, or CEUs, are a great way to show that you keep up with the latest and greatest in the dog breeding world.
Some organizations or certifications require a certain amount of CEUs to maintain membership. Some licensing entities may ask you to send them in as well. They are a metric used to see exactly how much time you devote to learning about best practices.
Generally, a CEU equates to one hour of a seminar, lecture, webinar, interactive course, or round-table discussion concerning some aspect of dog breeding. The topics vary widely and are available through a lot of different resources.
American Kennel Club, AKC has a structured set of courses that you can take for free, but to get the CEU credit they will cost you around $50. AKC also has webinars with specific topics as well as a few in-person events that also offer CEU credits. The least expensive one I have seen is $39, but the most useful one I have taken was $60.
Other reputable registration companies offer CEU credit opportunities. America's Pet Registry Incorporated, APRI, has a completely free monthly teleconference you can phone in to listen to, and then ask questions of the speaker at the end. That is a fantastic option to gain some knowledge without spending too much time away from the kennel.
Reach out to your registry and ask about CEU opportunities they have for upcoming events. Except for American Canine Association, ACA, which confirmed when I called them, they do not offer any CEUs for their breeders.
In my area, even the state agriculture department provides CEU opportunities in the form of an in-person seminar. There are also a lot of seminars that breeder groups put together to share knowledge, showcase great products and they might have a dog show included as well.
My favorite, as a biased person who loves the swag bags and speaker choices, is St. Puppy's Day. It is the breeder educational event of the year, and it is always very well done. It has great food, it is only a one-day seminar, and they have amazing discounts with their vendors. I got a ton of food and vet products at a super discount because of their show specials.
My advice to new or struggling breeders, make sure you have a mentor, join a breeder group, know the set time for your sanitizers, and collect any CEUs that you can fit into your schedule.