How many generations are relevant in a dog pedigree?

One would have to accept that a dog pedigree is relevant first. I do not believe it is relevant at all, except as a warning about the congenital illnesses it is likely to have.

I suspect that it may depend on the specifications of the dog club for the breed in question. You’ll probably have to check with your local kennel club.

http://www.akc.org/reg/pedigree_overview.cfm

As long as you keep in mind that kennel clubs are full of politics, and have refused to sanction many a foul and inhumane breeder who ruined a lot of dogs.

likes @pdworkin‘s view on this…

i’m talking about “show dogs” in terms of what to exspect from a dog, e.g. if his/her parents, grand parents or grand-grand parents were champions and so on, which of these generations, most likely, would dog turn out to look like, or “get their genes”.....

My stepdad’s recently deceased dog was a finished showdog, and I know that we had his pedigree back to at (the very least) his grandparents. As a German Shorthair Pointer, he was consider an “excellent” specimen of his breed, but we were aware of one major fault that was present in his line- both his mother and I believe his grandfather were “spinners,” which Jackson definitely inherited- when nervous or excited, he would run around excessively in cricles.

@rockstargrrrlie You make my point. You get an inbred dog with some kind of flaw.

In Australia, for German Shepherds at least, a 5 generation pedigree is required to participate in breed surveys and other Council schemes.

I think it depends too on what genes you are interested in. Hip dysplasia is a recessive gene, it can crop up anywhere and can disappear for generations,. If you are referring to the look of the dog really that isn’t much different. I look like my grandmother did at the same age but my mother did not.

You can have a cross breed dog develop hip dysplasia, genetic problems are not solely found in line bred or even in bred dogs or cattle or horses. The probability of it showing up can be greater but the theory is that it reproduces the best genes as well as the less desirable ones. Breeders who practice it extensively should be prepared to cull.

Bouvier pedigrees are available for many generations back and it is interesting to note when a pup is born that so greatly resembles a great, great, great grandparent, they seem to be cloned. It is an intriguing subject.