How to read an ENCI pedigree: what it contains and what we look for

Not all pedigrees are the same. An ENCI pedigree certifies the genealogy of a dog, but the difference between any pedigree and one that represents a true guarantee of quality lies in the depth of knowledge the breeder has of those bloodlines. We have been working with the same lines since 2010, and we have full genealogical traceability back to the great-great-grandparents of every puppy.

What a pedigree is and what it really certifies

The ENCI pedigree is an official document that records the genealogy of a dog. The online version, available in the dedicated section of the ENCI website, shows up to four generations — parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents — while the paper pedigree shows three generations.

The pedigree certifies the ancestors and the declared breed membership of the dog, but what many do not know is that it also says something about the quality of the subjects listed in it. On the right-hand side of the document, next to the boxes containing the ancestors’ names, asterisks and abbreviations arranged in a table can be seen; at the bottom, a legend makes it possible to understand what information they represent — among them, whether the subjects have earned championship titles and which clinical examinations they have undergone, with the relevant results.

A pedigree can therefore contain champions or anonymous subjects that were never evaluated — the document is the same and has the same validity as certification, but to an expert eye the difference is immediately apparent.

What we look for when reading a pedigree

In recent years, ENCI has introduced “red” pedigrees alongside the classic ones. The latter carry the wording “Riproduzione Selezionata” (Selected Breeding) on the front page and belong to the exclusive pedigrees issued for subjects whose parents are both ENCI selected breeders.

In the case of the Shiba Inu, this means that the subject, in order to be designated a “Selected Breeder” (“Riproduttore Selezionato”), must, after reaching 18 months of age, have earned the qualification of Excellent or Very Good at a specialty show or event organized by the Club Italiano Razze Nordiche (CIRN), have passed the TVC (Temperament Evaluation Test, Test di Valutazione Caratteriale), have hip dysplasia of at most grade B, and be free from hereditary eye diseases.

Having a puppy with a “red” pedigree already represents an additional guarantee compared to the classic pedigree. It must be said, however, that the checks required for the red pedigree — showing, TVC, hip dysplasia, eye diseases — are the same ones we carry out on every breeding dog. The difference is that, alongside clinical and morphological evaluations, we add direct knowledge of the bloodlines, of the working methods of the breeders the subjects come from, and of the genealogical history that the document alone does not tell. Only in this way is it possible to have a complete picture.

The difference between knowing a pedigree and reading the names in it

Anyone can read the names on a pedigree. The difference is knowing the dogs behind those names, ideally having seen them in person and assessed their characteristics, or failing that at least their parents, or their offspring. Since 2010 we have been working on the same lines: we know the history, the temperament, the morphology, the strengths and the limitations of the subjects that appear in our pedigrees, because most of them we bred and showed ourselves, and they still live with us — which allows us to verify their health and morphological evolution over the years.

As proof of the quality of our genetic material, Fajiko delle Nuvole, the oldest subject and the first dog born in our kennel, reached the venerable age of 17 in full health. At the time we did not yet have the Shinjukawa affix, because we had not yet met the requirements to request it — but Maya, as we call her, is the beginning of our story and reminds us every day why we are here today.

This wealth of knowledge means that when we plan a mating we already know what to expect and what characteristics the puppies will have in morphological and health terms. This is an enormous advantage and a virtue few can boast of.

Why “pedigrees may all look the same, but they are not”

This sentence is on our site because we deeply believe in it. Two puppies with ENCI pedigrees can have completely different genealogical histories: one comes from lines selected for generations with genetic tests, show titles and temperament evaluations; the other from subjects that were never tested or evaluated, mated without a selection program. The pedigree does not tell this difference — the breeder does.