Our Dogs Pedigree's Link

 

Understanding German Pedigrees...it's all Greek to me!

All dogs have a pedigree.  That is, all dogs have ancestors!   The pedigree is the 'family tree' that lists the names and accomplishments of the ancestors of your dog.  Some dogs have a great pedigree, while others have  a poor (or even unknown!) pedigree.  Why should a pedigree matter?

Each puppy is a result of the genetics represented in it's pedigree.   The better quality, smarter, prettier adults generally produce the better/smarter/prettier puppies!  The more that is known about the ancestors and their accomplishments, the less likely your puppy will develop into a disappointing adult.   Of course, by then you will love the dog, but you will have to deal with it's problems it's whole life.  Start right...with a well bred dog from a good pedigree!

Awards for beauty (Championships) are listed before the dog's official name.  Awards for training accomplishments (Working Titles) are listed after the dog's official name.

German Pedigree Terms

Sieger:    The Sieger is the Male winner of the National Championship Conformation (Beauty) show, therefore it is the best Champion for the entire year.  The German Sieger typically beats hundreds of other Champions to attain this coveted title.  The only higher accomplishment possible is to be the World Sieger...the top German Shepherd in the world.  The Sieger show is held every year in Germany at the begining of September.The Siegerin is the Female winner in this Championship.

Universal Sieger: This as an annual competitoin to find the dog that has the best structure (beauty) and the best working (SchH) combined charachteristics. The dog must compete in a National level Conformation (beauty) show and a National level Schtuzhund competition all on the same weekend. The dog that is the best in the combined event is the Universal Sieger. The 2nd place dog is the Vice-Universal Sieger.

VA:  Select Champion:  Awarded to the top few Champion dogs at the Sieger show each year.  VA-2 is the Vice-Sieger, etc. (note:  VA dogs are worth well over $100,000.00, so getting a breeding to a VA dog is a BIG deal!)

V:  Champion Vorzuglich   (Excellent):  This is the standard Championship for excellence of quality.  No dog in Germany can even TRY for it's Championship until it is atleast 2 years old, has passed a hip x-ray for Dysplasia, has passed a Temperament Test, has a working Schutzhund degree (tests the dog in Tracking, Obedience, and for Courage), and passed a 12 mile Endurance test...then you can show the dog to see if it is ALSO pretty!

SG:  Sehr Gut (Very Good):  This is a rating that the dog has Very Good structure.  It is the highest rating a dog can get in the Show until it has met all the requirements listed above for a Championship.

G:  Gut (Good):  This dog is rated as having Good structure.  This is the lowest rating still allowed to be used for breeding in Germany.

VP: Very Promising: The Highest rating available to dogs under 1 year of age when shown.

SchH (1, 2 &3)Schutzhund:   Schutzhund is a test of the dog's trainability and talents in Tracking (following a person's trail similar to Search work), Advanced Obedience (includes working under gunfire.  Dogs that are afraid of gunfire are also afraid of thunder and lightening...a real problem. If you've ever had a dog that is afraid of loud noises, you'll understand why it is important), and the dog is tested for it's Protection abilities.  A Schutzhund dog must  work off leash in a crowd of people with out endangering any one.  They are the 'cream of the crop' when it comes to trained dogs!

KKL 1A and  KKL 2A :   KKL= Koerklasse. Before a dog can be bred in Germany it must pass all the above tests, and then it must also be evaluated by an official of the German Shepherd Club of Germany (Schaeferhund Verin) called a Koermeister to further test and evaluate the dog's temperament and structure.   Every part of the dog is described in a report called a Koerreport.  Dogs that are considered to be prime quality breeding prospects will be graded KKL1, dogs considered acceptable for breeding, but with some warnings of what to watch out for, such as being oversized, etc.will be graded KKL2.  Dogs considered "not suitable for breeding" will not earn a KKL rating, and they can not be bred in Germany. The "A" means the dog has passed it's hip certification for Hip Dysplasia in Germany.

"A" Stamp: The "A" means the dog has passed it's hip certification for Hip Dysplasia in Germany.

OFA:  Orthopedic Foundation for Animals:  A part of Columbia University which receives, evaluates, and certifies Hip x-rays for dogs in the USA.  An OFA hip certified dog is listed as "having no evidence of hip dysplasia".  There are different levels of certification.  The grading takes several factors into consideration which include the structure of the hip joint, the clarity and quality of the hip x-ray itself, and the positioning of the dog's hips on the x-ray.  All levels of certification (fair, good or excellent) are free of hip dysplasia and are suitable for breeding.

Grunenfeld requires all it's puppies to be registered using the same protocol as in Germany, i.e. each litter is assigned a letter of the alphabet such as "A", "B", "C" etc. The registered name of the puppy will begin with this letter, and end with the kennel name "vom Grunenfeld". Thus, for example dogs in a "P" litter will all have a name begining with the letter "P", and followed by "vom Grunenfeld".

Here is a sample of what a pedigree looks like; The father is on the top at the far left, and the mother is on the bottom at the far left. Parents, then grand parents and great grand parents are listed as you move from the left to right. Names in Red are Champions. As you can see, this pedigre is 100% Champions!

Pedigree of: Hera vom Grunenfeld

V-Obelix vom Arkanum SchH2, KKL1A Normal German Sieger VA-Ulk von Arlett SchH3, KKL1A VA-Yago vom Wildsteiger Land SchH3, KKL1A German Sieger VA-Eiko vom Kirschental SchH3, FH, KKL1A
V-Quina von Arminius SchH2, KKL1A (littersister to German Sieger Quando)
V-Dolly von Arlett SchH2, KKL1A VA-Fedor von Arminius SchH3, KKL1A
V-Bambi v Feldschlösschen SchH3, KKL1A
V-Linda vom Neuen Berg SchH1, KKL1A (litter sister to German Sieger Lasso) VA-Folenmarkens Jasso SchH3, IP3, KKL1A VA-Mark vom Haus Beck SchH3, KKL1A
V-Floenmarkens Quelle BHP1, KKL1A
V-Eike vom Neuen Berg SchH2, KKL1A V-Enzo v dBurg Aliso SchH3, FH, KKL1A
V-Anusch v d Beilsteinühle SchH3, FH, KKL1A
V-Daisy vom Haus ZiegelmayerSchH2,KKL1A V-Vatikan von Bad-Boll SchH2,FH,KKL1A German Sieger Ulk von Arlett SchH3,KKL1A VA-Yago vom Wildsteiger Land SchH3,FH,KKL1A
V-Dolly von Arlett SchH2,KKL1A
V-Xinte von Bad-Boll SchH1,KKL1A VA-Pütz von Bad-Boll SchH3,FH,IP3,KKL1A
V-Nena vom Roßleinberg SchH1,KKL1A
V-Rommy vom Haus Ziegelmayer SchH2mKKL1A V-Olymp von Bad-Boll SchH3,FH,KKL1A VA-Cello v d Romerau SchH3,FH,KKL1A
V-Parma von Bad-Boll SchH1,KKL1A
V-Ossi vom Haus Ziegelmayer SchH1,KKL1A V-Enzo v d Berg Aliso SchH3,FH,KKL1A
V-Heddy vom Loher-stien SchH3mIP3,KKL1A