M y   P e d i g r e e

This is my official four-generation pedigree. If you have never seen one before, check below the chart for tips on how to read my pedigree. Click here to learn about dog breeding in general.
 
 

Saint Lazar's  Rudolf von Liebenthal	CH Saint Lazar's  Raisin Pie	CH Saint Lazar's  Action Jackson	CH Salutaire  All That Jazz	CH Salutaire  Strike up the Band
				Salutaire  Secret Storm
			CH Saint Lazar's  Special K	Saint Lazar's  Kaptain Kirk
				CH Saint Lazar's  Velveeta
		CH Saint Lazar's  Raisin Bran	CH Saint Lazar's Kolby	CH Charmarons  Cheddar of Toy
				CH Saint Lazar's  Kristal
			CH St Lazar's  Lindenau Sun Maid	CH St Lazar  Knockout V Lindenau
				CH Caro-my's  Gentle Amelia
	CH Saint Lazar's  Andrea	CH Saint Lazar's  Ace Ventura	CH Saint Lazar's Klay	CH Saint Lazar's  Raisin Pie
				CH Saint Lazar's  Karmen
			Saint Lazar's  Bell of Georgia	CH Saint Lazar's  Action Jackson
				CH Saint Lazar's  Raisin Bran
		CH Saint Lazar's  Just Amber	CH Salutaire  All That Jazz	CH Salutaire  Strike up the Band
				Salutaire  Secret Storm
			CH Saint Lazar's  Special K	Saint Lazar's  Kaptain Kirk
				CH Saint Lazar's Velveeta

The pedigree shows me, my parents, my grandparents, my great-grandparents, and my great-great-grandparents, from left to right. In any single breeding, the sire is placed above the dam; so my dad, Pie, is above my mom, Ada, in the "parents" column, just to the right of me. Likewise, my mom's dad is Ace and her mom is Amber, and so on!

Most of the time, dogs are given their kennel's name and a name of their own. My kennel is Saint Lazar, and my given name is Rudolf von Liebenthal. Some kennels put their name at the end, so I could very well have been Rudi of Saint Lazar. No matter how the name is ordered, the breeder must give permission to new owners to use the kennel name in a dog's registered name.

See how my mom and dad (and lots of other relatives) have the letters CH before their names? Dogs with that designation are AKC Champions of Record. This is the highest possible honor in the conformation classes. Conformation shows are what most of you call just "dog shows," but they are only one kind of dog competition sponsored by AKC. In a conformation show, dogs are judged by the Standard of Perfection for their breed. When a toy Manchester is judged to be closest-to-perfect in its class that day, the dog wins Best of Variety. This dog also gets points toward his Championship. A dog is a Champion when he wins eighteen points with at least three Major victories at different shows. I haven't done any conformation shows yet, but someday soon I will start trying to win a Champion title!

A pedigree can be especially informative when you are familiar with the parents; I look a lot like my mom, but I am very intelligent and loving like my dad, which shouldn't be too surprising. You may not think that Champion bloodlines are important, but an excellent pedigree is a good indicator of a potentially excellent dog. Also, breeders who take the time to champion many or all of their dogs are generally concerned about the breed in general, so they are more likely to give you a puppy who will be true to type.

Click here to go back to my mom and dad.

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