What is a Pedigree?
By Jill Terry
Very simply, a pedigree is a record of your dog's ancestors  sire (father), dam (mother), grandsire, granddam, great grandsire and so forth. Every creature, animal, plant or human, has a pedigree, but unless someone takes the trouble to write it down and keep track of it, the information is lost in the mists of memory and time.
The Kennel Club's registration system keeps track of pedigrees, recording your dog's name and details such as registered name, age, breed, sex, colour, sire and dam.
What a pedigree doesn't tell you is very important! Any pure-bred dog who meets The Kennel Club's requirements for registration may be registered and receive "papers". The papers can't tell you if the dog is of good quality or if it even looks like the breed it is supposed to be.
All it can tell you is that the dog is registered and his records are kept on file. Most people misunderstand this important point! Many, many poor quality dogs are AKC registered. You can't judge a dog's quality from looking at only his registration papers or pedigree.
With this in mind, you now know that a pedigree can only tell you who your dog's ancestors were - it can't tell you if they were of good quality, what they looked like or whether they may have had inherited health or temperament problems that they passed on to their descendants.
If your dog serves you well as a pet and companion, you may not care about finding out more about his family. However, if you intend to breed or show your dog, then getting accurate information about his background is crucial! You'll need to do much, much more than just memorise the names on his pedigree.
To find out more about the dogs in the pedigree, you should see his sire and dam firsthand. The breeder should be able to tell you where to find your dog's grandparents as well. For information on dogs further back in the pedigree, you may have to resort to books and magazines about your breed. Contact the breed club to find veteran breeders who can give you the history on dogs now deceased. Pictures can only give you part of the story. You need to talk to people who have first hand knowledge of what the dogs were really like.
What does CH mean? CH is the abbreviation for Champion, a title that makes everyone's heart beat a little faster! A pedigree filled with champions, their names written in red ink, is an impressive sight indeed.
A champion is a dog who has defeated other dogs at Championship shows to win the required number of "Challenge Certificates" to achieve the title. It can be easier to achieve the title in some breeds than others. Is a champion a dog of exceptional quality? Sometimes, and sometimes not. A champion is only as good as the competition he beats. Having the title doesn't tell you whether he actually deserved it.
A championship title can't tell you if the dog was good breeding stock or if he/she had inherited defects that were passed on to its puppies. Only first hand knowledge from people that actually knew the dog can tell you that.
In short, a pedigree is a tool to help breeders produce better dogs. It is a starting point for research. A pedigree by itself doesn't mean much. Without knowing what the dogs in the pedigree were really like, a pedigree is just an impressive list of names!
References: Based on an article by Vicki Rodenberg, Chairman of the Chow Chow Club, Inc.'s Welfare Committee.
Information and Stats
© Copyright:
What is a Pedigree? was published by The Dog Scene on 15 Aug, 2006. © All rights reserved. You may download and print this article for personal or non-profit use only. Please feel free to link to this article.
Submitted:
15 Aug, 2006 (Edited 12 Jun, 2007)
Hits: 679 to site, 0 from site. Averaging 1 out and 0 in per day.
In the most recent 30 day period, there've been 77 to the site and 0 from the site.
Hits: 679 to site, 0 from site. Averaging 1 out and 0 in per day.
In the most recent 30 day period, there've been 77 to the site and 0 from the site.
Share this with a friend: