Have you heard of the Skye Terrier database?  The database provides a wonderful resource, courtesy of Hanna Granlund (of Buckwheaters Skye Terriers) (http://skyeterrier.no-ip.org/index.php), with a host of pedigree information.

The database is an extensive online resource holding pedigree information for Skye Terriers from across the world. By entering the registered name of the dog on the main screen (above) you can call up their 5 generation pedigree, details of their parents, siblings and mates along with any resulting puppies. But the database go further than just providing information on that one dog – it has hyperlinks between dogs which means you can explore the ancestry or descendants of a particular dog, tracing it back decades or locating a modern day descendant of a dog long gone.

Let’s take the example below, CH Mariquita Flashback JW. You can see that the entry lists the dam and sire and a litter ID. Clicking on ‘group sheet’ will show details of Flashback’s litter siblings. From here, you can click through their any of their records.

Underneath, there are details of litters sired by Flashback with details of the dam and the puppies born. A + sign next to the name of an offspring indicates that dog had a subsequent litter – you can click through on any of these names to explore the pedigree in details. Or, if you’re looking for an overview, clicking the beige ‘pedigree’ tab at the top of the window will open up a visual 5 generation pedigree like the one below.

Again, all of the names can be clicked on to see details of each dog. This is obviously a great resource for owners and breeders wanting to research pedigrees and find good matches. You’ll find that if you click on the dogs in the fifth generation, you’ll be able to access their own 5-generation pedigree and trace the line further back. For breeders, however, it’s also important to be able to measure how related a potential mate would be. The database can help here too. Clicking on the tab marked ‘relationship’ will open up a page that lets you input the names of two dogs – similar the Kennel Club mate select tool – and it will calculate the relationship between them. Look at the example below – 

There is yet another useful feature of the database – the tab marked ‘descendants’ will list all of the descendants of a particular dog from its birth right through to the most recent generation born. The list is separated into families so it can easily be seen where specific pairings or lineages have gone over the years.

The database is live, which means it is updated continuously and it maintained by Hanna Granlund. It is a fabulous resource that charts a large portion of Skye terrier history and it can be extremely useful for breeders and owners when looking at different lines in different countries. Often, the database can reveal shared ancestry but it can also reveal half-siblings, cousins or relatives of dogs that haven’t been incorporated into breeding programmes.

Have a look for yourself and explore the history of the Skye Terrier!

We’d like to extend our thanks to Hanna Granlund for creating and maintaining the database – no mean feat!