Testing the dog matters. Reviewing the pairing protects future generations.
A healthy dog can still be paired in a way that increases risk for future puppies.
Breeding pair review helps breeders look beyond one dog at a time and evaluate what may happen when two dogs are bred together.
Bronze Crown Pairing™ recognizes the breeder's first major step toward future-generation stewardship: reviewing the pairing before puppies are produced.
Pairing tools such as Embark Pair Predictor™ may help breeders review:
The first thing breeders should review is whether the pairing may produce at-risk puppies for a genetic condition.
For each evaluated condition, a pairing report may show probabilities such as:
If at-risk puppies are predicted, the breeder should stop and investigate the condition before proceeding.
At-risk does not always mean the same thing for every condition, but it always means the breeder needs to understand what the risk is.
Expected litter COI, or eCOI, helps estimate genetic diversity in the planned litter.
In general:
The right interpretation depends on the breed, population, and breeding goals.
The important breeder question is: Does this pairing help protect or improve genetic diversity for future generations?
Pairing tools may also predict traits such as coat color, pattern, and pigment.
These can be helpful, but they should not be the main reason to approve or reject a pairing.
Health, diversity, temperament, structure, and long-term stewardship should come first.
Use this order:
A Bronze Crown Pairing™ may require:
Bronze Crown Pairing™ is not about perfection. It is about documented informed decision-making before puppies are produced.
After Bronze, pairing recognition advances only when both dogs meet the relevant level.
This shows a breeder's commitment to future generations, not just individual dogs.
DNA testing and pairing prediction tools are important educational tools, but they do not replace veterinary exams, orthopedic testing, cardiac testing, eye testing, temperament evaluation, breed-specific health testing, or professional review when applicable.