TEMPLATE

Dog Pedigree Chart

A clean lineage chart for dogs and other animals. The first row shows the puppy, the second row its sire and dam, and the third row the four grandparents. Labels use sire/dam roles rather than human family terms. This chart is for lineage diagramming only — it does not certify breed status or health.

Inheritance pattern & biological mechanism

Canine and companion animal pedigrees represent three or more generations of structured ancestral lineage. In animal breeding, pedigrees track sire (paternal) and dam (maternal) lineages to evaluate breed standards, prevent high inbreeding coefficients (Wright’s coefficient of relationship), and manage inherited breed-specific hereditary disorders.

Key transmission rules

Lineage is arranged with the subject animal (proband/litter) at the bottom or left, their sire (father) and dam (mother) in the second tier, and grandparents in the third tier.
Square symbols represent male dogs (sires) and circular symbols represent female dogs (dams).
Parental unions denote selective breeding matings; double lines designate inbreeding or linebreeding (mating between close blood relatives like half-siblings or grandsire-to-granddaughter).
Shading identifies animals affected by breed-specific hereditary health conditions such as hip dysplasia or degenerative myelopathy.

Representative real-world conditions

Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD)

Polygenic orthopaedic trait

Developmental hip joint laxity evaluated by OFA/BVA radiographic screening across three generations of breeding stock.

Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)

SOD1 gene mutation

Adult-onset spinal cord disease in German Shepherds, Boxers, and Corgis inherited as an autosomal recessive condition.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)

prcd-PRA and other retinal gene alleles

Bilateral photoreceptor degeneration causing night blindness and eventual complete blindness across multiple breeds.

Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA)

NHEJ1 gene mutation

Choroidal hypoplasia inherited as an autosomal recessive defect in herding dog breeds.

How to analyze this chart

1
Generation I: Paternal grandsire (I-1) and granddam (I-2) alongside maternal grandsire (I-3) and granddam (I-4).
2
Generation II: Sire (II-1) born from paternal grandparents, and Dam (II-2) born from maternal grandparents, chosen as breeding mates.
3
Generation III: Subject puppy or litter (III-1) displaying full three-generation registered ancestry.
4
Lineage review allows breeders to confirm that neither grandsire nor granddam share common ancestors that would elevate homozygosity.

Diagnostic checklist: confirming vs ruling out

Confirming clues

✓ Complete documentation of all four grandparents and both parents.
✓ Proper registration names, kennel prefixes, and health screening certifications (OFA, CERF) recorded in symbol labels.
✓ Detection of consanguinity loops (linebreeding) where a single champion sire appears on both sire and dam sides.

Caveats & ruling out

⚠ Avoid confusing human medical pedigree terms with animal terminology (use sire and dam rather than father and mother).
⚠ Do not assume absent health marks mean clear genetics; confirm whether health testing was actually performed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the purpose of tracking three generations in dog breeding?

A three-generation pedigree tracks 14 direct ancestors (2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents). This gives a complete view of genetic diversity and allows calculation of the Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI).

What does a double line mean in an animal pedigree?

A double line indicates linebreeding or inbreeding—mating between related dogs (e.g. uncle to niece, first cousins, or half-siblings) to fix desirable traits in a bloodline.

Can animal pedigrees be exported to PDF and print formats?

Yes. The editor exports high-resolution printable PDFs and vector SVGs suitable for puppy buyer packets, kennel records, and breed club health registries.

Autosomal Dominant Pedigree

Trait appears in every generation; one affected parent usually has affected children.

Autosomal Recessive Pedigree

Unaffected carrier parents can have an affected child; the trait may skip generations.

Mitochondrial Inheritance Pedigree

Only mothers pass the trait; all children of an affected mother are affected.