Countless
times people who are involved in the "dog
world" hear statements such as:
 "My dog
is registered so that means it should be
bred."
"Pedigreed dogs are always
good."
"If my dog is registered and
pedigreed it is healthy."
"All purebred
dogs should be bred even if there is no pedigree.
"
"See all the titles his ancestor
has? I have to breed him!"
"My Mom just
bought an AKC Cockapoo."
"The pet store
said these pups were AKC so they must be
registered."
"Both my dogs are
registered so the pups will be."
But
how true are these statements? Yes, pedigrees are
important but do they guarantee health? Are all
dogs that are registered quality? Does having
registered parents mean the dog is registered? Are
pedigrees important to even the person just
looking for a pet? The answer to all these
questions is both yes and no.
Pedigrees
Basically,
pedigrees are a breakdown of the parents,
grandparents, great-grands, etc., behind a dog (or
other animal). They list only a small segment of
relatives in the grand scheme of things. (Aunts,
Uncles, Cousins, etc are not listed on the
pedigree). It is very easy to be blinded by
Champions and working titles all over the place.
But does this mean the puppy you are looking at
will be quality? No.
Genetics
can be funny and it is very possible for two great
dogs to produce mediocre puppies. Breeding great
to great increases the chances of producing great
so always look for the best you can, but it is NOT
a guarantee. Just because your dog is from some of
the best lines in the country does not mean he or
she will reproduce it. It just betters the chances
of it. Though a breeder has pedigrees on the dogs,
does not mean the dogs are top quality. Even pet
shop puppies are sold with pedigrees! So you have
to know the source of your puppy and what
questions to ask the breeder about the pups. Even
the best breeders will end up with puppies that
are not the quality they want – it is just the
luck of the draw even when breeding the best dogs
possible. However, these puppies will be sold with
a spay/neuter agreement and even limited
registrations to try and prevent the undesired
traits from being bred down the road and damaging
the integrity of the breed.
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