How does the IWDR Help Me?

  • Track data about your dogs and breeding program: Pedigrees, estrus and whelps, file attachments, health and behavior data, and owner/carer/client/staff relationships.
  • Genetic selection tools: From inbreeding coefficient calculations to test matings to health test result comparisons to estimated breeding values.
  • Collaboration: Choose to share data about specific dogs with other organizations, breeders or members of your breed club or breeding cooperative group. Your private data remains private!
  • Reports and charts: Compare change over time within your colony or breed around aspects of health, behavior and production.
  • Secure software and support: Cloud-based, secure data storage with a team dedicated to ongoing development of our services. Many of our users are non-profit organizations and we endeavor to keep our services affordable.

We have a wide variety of plan options to suit all users, from private breeders to large organizations.

About IWDR

What is the International Working Dog Registry?

The International Working Dog Registry (IWDR) is an online registry where dog owners can add, edit, and view electronically stored records on their dogs. 

  • Track ancestral records for as many generations as needed – the IWDR produces pedigrees and allows you to manage, track and measure your entire breeding colony.
  • If others in your community use the IWDR, they can share data records with you to assist in your breeding decisions.
  • Store both health and work performance information on individual dogs. These health and work performance measurements are known as phenotypes.

Why are phenotypes important?

  • Phenotypes (observable traits) allow you to make breeder selection decisions based off desired traits – traditional selection over the past few centuries using phenotypes shaped ancestral dogs into today’s modern breeds.
  • Today, we can measure the important aspects of health, behavior, and performance on each young dog and its relatives, including littermates, full- or half-siblings, parents, grandparents, and even more distant ancestors.
  • The IWDR allows breeders to record data on phenotype, and helps put these measurements into context to decide among alternative young dogs exactly which ones will be kept for breeding.

Estimated Breeding Values

  • Selection using EBVs is more advanced. The same phenotype measurements for aspects of health, behavior and performance are combined in a second step that includes pedigree relationships.
  • The numeric value produced by this second step estimates each dog’s relative genetic worth as a breeder for a particular trait or characteristic.
  • These estimates are known as estimated breeding values (EBVs), and they are the most accurate way known to describe genetic potential of each young dog as a possible breeder. The key to producing accurate EBVs is to begin the process with accurately recorded pedigree relationships and accurately measured phenotypes on most dogs in a population.

Find out more about how the IWDR helps you use Estimated Breeding Values to get the most out of your breeding decisions here.

over 90,000
Dogs in the IWDR Database
500 +
User accounts registered with the IWDR

IWDR is open for use by organizations, breed clubs or individuals that breed working dogs. We offer services for military, law enforcement, guide, search and rescue, assistance, scent detection, sporting and performance, breed registries and clubs, private breeders, and anyone else who wishes to better the genetic health and performance outcomes of their working dog breeding program.