Goldendoodle pedigree. That statement itself seems a bit like an oxymoron. Since goldendoodles are a hybrid breed, they do not qualify for registration with major kennel clubs such as AKC, which means they don’t technically have official, certified pedigrees. This doesn’t mean that their pedigrees aren’t incredibly important, especially for breeders. A goldendoodle’s pedigree is story of its family history, telling volumes about a dog and it’s heritage. Let’s examine Junie’s pedigree to see what all we can learn about her.
1. Titles – The CH in front of a dog’s name represents a confirmation championship title. A confirmation title indicates that the breeders invested time, money, and deliberation into improving their breeding stock. The titles behind a dog’s name (such as CGC, RL1, RATI, etc.) are working titles. They show that the dog is trainable in obedience, agility, and so forth and that the breeders invested time working with the dog for specific events. In Junie’s pedigree, her dad (Buckwheat) has earned a confirmation championship title as have many of her ancestors and Junie herself has earned a CGC (Canine Good Citizen title). Keep in mind that, being a hybrid breed, goldendoodles themselves do not qualify for participating in confirmation events since they are not a breed recognized by AKC.
2. Coefficient of inbreeding (COI) – Investigating a dog’s pedigree reveals the number of times that an ancestor is repeated in that dog’s line. In the case of Junie’s pedigree, no inbreeding occurs for at least 4 generations. Low inbreeding is a good thing! Research indicates that a low COI is related to a longer life expectancy (for more information, see John Armstrong’s research on poodle inbreeding).
3. Kennels of Origin – The kennel name usually appears in a dog’s registered name, either at the beginning (i.e. Timberidge’s Juniper Blue Star CGC) or at the end (i.e. CH Wavir Vivant of Versace). Knowing the kennel of origin for each dog allows you to delve further into the history. For instance Junie’s mom is named English Meadow’s Wish Upon A Star. A quick internet search of “English Meadow Golden Retrievers” pulls up their website, which allows further research into their breeding practices, values, and so forth.
4. Health Testing – Knowing the names on a pedigree allows you to search the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) database. This is not an exhaustive list as owners must pay extra for their dog to be listed and some health testing may be done elsewhere (i.e. the Penn hip or most DNA testing). OFA is nonetheless a valuable resource, especially for investigating the health testing results of extended relatives. Searching for “English Meadow Wish Upon A Star” in OFA’s database reveals not only her results but also those of her dam, daughter, and various half siblings enabling research of her relatives’ health both horizontally and vertically.
5. Registration – The registration number for at least the sire and dam appear on a pedigree. Only a purebred dog can receive a registration number, so seeing that provides confidence that no other breeds slipped into the heritage. Some ancestors may be listed in more than one registry (i.e. English Meadow Wish Upon A Star has both an AKC registration number as well as a CKC registration number).
6. Goldendoodle Generation – Junie’s dam (mom) is a golden retriever and her sire (dad) making her an F1 goldendoodle.
Poodle x Golden Retriever = F1 Goldendoodle Puppies
F1 Goldendoodle x Poodle = F1b Goldendoodle Puppies
F1 Goldendoodle x F1 Goldendoodle = F2 Goldendoodle Puppies
F1 Goldendoodle x F1b Goldendoodle = F2b Goldendoodle Puppies F1b Goldendoodle x F1b Goldendoodle = F3 Goldendoodle (multi gen)
7. Access to Further Information – Internet searches of the different ancestors often reveals additional information. For instance an internet search of “All My Dreams in Famous Family” reveals his pedigree as well as photographs.
8. A Few Last Tidbits – Pedigrees also supply information about the different ancestors’ coat colors and dates of birth.
A pedigree provides a wealth of knowledge, and it is vitally important that breeders research the ancestors of their parent dogs. Even if goldendoodles aren’t technically a breed, their pedigrees are still incredibly valuable.
