How do I know a Pedigree is really a Pedigree?

First off I would stay clear away from the newspaper in search of a pure breed dog.  Most of those come from back yard breeders who only breed for $$$ and couldn#%92t care less about the health of the dog.  A good breeder will never go searching for people to buy their dogs, with a good reputation they have people coming to them.  A good breeder will also check for genetic conditions before breeding.
 
I would also stay away from pet shops as well, those pups come from puppy mills, have horrible health conditions and are extremely hard to train.
 
Your best bet if your not getting a show dog is to got through a rescue organization.  Look on [linkhttp://www.petfinder.com/]www.petfinder.com[/link] for local rescues in your area.  Many JRTs end up in shelters.  They are high stung little dogs and often people who buy these dogs don#%92t realize what they are getting themselves into.  Because of that many end of in shelters and several are euthanized every year.  Also, being your first dig I would suggest an older dog, one who has already been trained, with older dogs you also get a better idea of health concerned about that dog.  This would be a lot easier for a first time owner.

A 'pedigree' is simply a listing of names...a family tree showing ancestry...it doesn't mean anything as to quality or even purebred status. A family tree for a dog that is a mix could be made quite easily provided the owner knows the sire, dam...their sire and dam...etc.
 
A "certified pedigree" maintained by a reputable registry like AKC, UKC, OR CKC (Canada's  official kennel club organazation...NOT the Continental KC) these registries have been registering purebred dogs as separate breeds for a long stretch of time....since what 1880something. They hold in high regard the integrity and trustworthiness of their pedigrees. BUT even thru all that people lie and AKC pedigrees have been invalidated for mix breeding or unregistered dogs being used with in it.
 
NOW....having said all that...pedigree is no guarantee of a GOOD dog..in temperament, health, or conformation. It is a pice of paper researched and found to be accurate...nothing more. The BREEDER you choose, is all important...integrity, love of the BREED...not just their own dogs...proper reasons to be breeding dogs in the first place...goals beyond selling and making $$$ offers guarantees....all are very important. Look up 'What is a reputable breeder' on the web...you will find LOTS.
 
IN GENERAL..breed clubs....and not the newspaper is the best place to find a well bred purebred dog. Others I am sure will have more input for you []

The breeder has to register the litter with AKC, then give you forms to send to AKC with the registration fee.  Then they will send you the pedigree.

http://www.akc.org/reg/index.cfm?nav_area=registration

Ok, I will stick to a good breeder (if I can find one!).  But that brings me onto my next question - how do I tell the difference between a back garden breeder and a "real" one?  Do they have to be registered somewhere? (I am in the UK). 
 
I guess you might pay more from a proper breeder, but it is worth it in the end for a better quality dog. 
 
I want to get a JR pup and train it myself as this is something that I would like to learn to do.
 
Thanks for the replies.

ORIGINAL: marty_ga

The breeder has to register the litter with AKC, then give you forms to send to AKC with the registration fee.  Then they will send you the pedigree.

[linkhttp://www.akc.org/reg/index.cfm?nav_area=registration]http://www.akc.org/reg/index.cfm?nav_area=registration[/link]

 
I think we must have been typing replies at the same time - I have only just seen this one!.
 
OK, so a breeder has to register the litter.  I guess the A in AKC is for "America", but I am sure there is an equivalent in the UK.  I will have a look.
 
Thanks.

This could be what you are looking for.
 
[linkhttp://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/]www.thekennelclub.org.uk/[/link]

The best way is to contact a JR kennel Club...you can google it to find a name and phone number.  Or go to a dog show and talk with breeders there.  A BYB would advertise in the newspaper, but a good breeder wouldn't.

I know you said you wanted a puppy...just want to tell you I am in the process of adopting a 3 yr Basset from a quality show breeder and the price for her is less than a BYB...

ORIGINAL: Thalie

This could be what you are looking for.

[linkhttp://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/]www.thekennelclub.org.uk/[/link]

 
That looks like the one! 
 
Many thanks for ushing me in the right direction. 

I would suggest you learn as much about the breed as you can.  Learn there personalities, there exercise requirement what they were breed for? And what jobs they like to do?  This is all so… important when picking out dogs.  For example JRT need a lot of exercise and if they don#%92t get it they can become a dog who may chew your things, run away at every opportunity, etc.
 
Now that you have decided to become a dog owner think through all the requirements of YOU because this is a commitment for life both psychically and financially.  I would have a plan in place for training and obedience class no matter what breed you choose.
 
Go to the Clubs for you breed of choice, differently join there forums and listen and observe your dog breeds pros and cons.  You will learn the most from those specific forums.  When I got my GSMD I was overwhelmed to say the least in trying to raise him for the first 6 months and I had dogs all my life.  But I never had a dog that was breed to be a “specific” way to carry out a “specific” task and what I learned is that I was not giving him the exercise and jobs he needed to fulfill his needs.  Once I joined a GSMD forum and exchanged with other owners of my breed did I get a wealth of education.
 
Once you decide on your breed use this same forum or club to help you find a breeder who breeds to better the breed to eliminate issues of both health and personality.
 
Good luck and read lots of training books to help you understand how to raise this little baby no matter what the breed.  Good NILIF (nothing in life is free) it#%92s a wonderful and easy method to help raise a dog from pup to adult. 

I admit I still have a lot of learning to do before I purchase a pup - hence I am sat at the computer today trying to do some research and have come across some useful stuff.
 
I think the Jack Russell will be right for me - it is described as a lively little dog that needs lots of excercise.  I live in the country and have some land where we keep horses, so plenty of room to run around and let off steam!  Living in the country, I wanted a dog that would suit the surroundings and I think I have made the right choice of breed.  (Well, I hope!).
 
 

Sticking with a good breeder for Russells is very important.  Many of the backyard breeders dogs end up with temperment issues.  Dog aggression, nipping, etc.  Yes, this could happen with a good breeder, but they take measures to ensure they are breeding dogs with sound temperments.  I work with a breeder of Russells and we make sure all of our dogs have great temperments.  That does not mean we would ever put our intact males together because that is asking for disaster in any breed.  Most of our dogs get along just fine and none would be considered "dog aggressive."  They are fiesty little dogs and I HIGHLY recommend obediece training for them.  They need a job and they seem to really enjoy the training.  In fact, since my mentor is an animal science professor, he puts together a training class at the college each semester and sends dogs with the students that don't have dogs of their own.  They love it.  They get to go play with other dogs and the students really get a lot out of it too.  That is how I ended up with Rose.  I was training her and fell so in love with her.  Her other co-owners did not want to continue conformation with her, so I said "I'll do it!!!"  I was lucky to end up with such a great dog!  Feel free to PM me and I would be more than happy to answer ANY questions that you might have!  ~Colleen

Slow to get here, so ditto all that Gina said.

ORIGINAL: jerezgirl

I admit I still have a lot of learning to do before I purchase a pup - hence I am sat at the computer today trying to do some research and have come across some useful stuff.

I think the Jack Russell will be right for me - it is described as a lively little dog that needs lots of excercise.  I live in the country and have some land where we keep horses, so plenty of room to run around and let off steam!  Living in the country, I wanted a dog that would suit the surroundings and I think I have made the right choice of breed.  (Well, I hope!).

That's great that you're doing so much research ahead of time! [] It does sound like a Jack Russell would be a great breed for you. From my experience, horse people and Jack Russells go together. So much that tack shops usually have Jack Russell paraphernalia. [] And if you want a lively, sturdy little dog in the country, then yup, I think Jack Russells are a perfect match! Just follow the advice given above on finding a good breeder and I think things will turn out great!

Here's a nice chart on what a responsible breeder does vs. what a byb does.
[linkhttp://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Fair/1901/chart.html]http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Fair/1901/chart.html[/link]