Most breeders in many breeds need to gather pedigree information through paid pedigree services like the AKC and/or private services, breed books and foreign registries, then convert this information into private multiple database formats. Computation of breeding coefficients can be done by many computer programs installed on home computers and today this is a central reason for establishing a data entry system in their own home. To do this takes time, effort and sometimes money, but it can be done. Before computers became available hand done breeding books where the top half of the page recorded potential or actual sires and the lower half recorded dams were developed. The pages were then split longitudinally and cut in half to allow the user to realign the sires and dams into potential breedings. Sometimes extended pedigrees were just laid upon the floor atop one another. This author can remember many trips to the carpet with pedigrees to study before a special bitch was ready to breed.
Then, along came computers and eventually the Internet. Today the only time this author refers to her private breeder program is to calculate breeding coefficients on her own breedings and to provide signed pedigrees for puppy buyers. The remaining pedigree research tasks she accomplishes through the free services of the Tibbies.net Pedigree Database.