The Mastiff's pedigree is a selection tool that is like having a book, if you don't open it and read it, it is of no use to you. Or, as the old saying goes, "you can't judge a book by it's cover." Reading your Mastiff's pedigree will tell you a lot about your dog.

Actually, the pedigree is like a history book of the Mastiff's genetic past through his ancestors. We use the past to help us plan the future.

We can use the pedigree to help us determine the type of performance a Mastiff is best suited to, how well his ancestors may have performed at the desired tasks, what type of breeding systems were used to produce this Mastiff and how we might want to breed the next generation. Thus the pedigree will provide systems that will enable you to make wise management decisions.

This knowledge of the Mastiffs in a pedigree goes beyond the performance and race record. Thus, the more we know about the weaknesses and strengths of the Mastiffs in the pedigree, the better job we will do in raising the next generation.