The 176 clubs in the VDH are made up as follows:
- 16 VDH Federal State associations
- 156 pedigree breeding clubs, which care for one or more breeds
- The German Sports Dog Association (dhv), which is solely concerned with training and sporting activities with dogs.
The following are represented as extraordinary members of the VDH:
- The Gun Dog Association (JGHV),responsible for examining gun dogs.
- 2 greyhound racing clubs, exclusively concerned with staging greyhound races.