diff --git a/src/app.js b/src/app.js
index da08b9b..db4f777 100644
--- a/src/app.js
+++ b/src/app.js
@@ -2459,7 +2459,7 @@
   const pedBtn     = document.getElementById("pedigree-btn");
   const pedRefresh = document.getElementById("pedigree-refresh");
 
-  const PED_OPEN_DEPTH = 4; // generations shown expanded by default; deeper collapse
+  const PED_OPEN_DEPTH = 3; // show 3 generations expanded by default; deeper collapses
   let pedPollTimer = null;
   let pedNodes = {};        // latest ancestry map, for the progress count
 
@@ -2646,12 +2646,18 @@
   }
 
   // The tree is ahnentafel-indexed: the dog is position 1, its sire 2n and dam
-  // 2n+1. We build recursively (sire above dam) and collapse below PED_OPEN_DEPTH.
+  // 2n+1. We render it top-down like a family tree — the dog on top, parents
+  // branching below — as a nested <ul>/<li> so CSS can draw the connectors.
+  // Built recursively (sire left, dam right) and collapsed below PED_OPEN_DEPTH.
   function renderTree(nodes) {
     pedNodes = nodes;
     pedTree.textContent = "";
     const root = buildPedNode(nodes, 1, 0);
-    if (root) pedTree.append(root);
+    if (!root) return;
+    const ul = document.createElement("ul");
+    ul.className = "ped-tree-h";
+    ul.append(root);
+    pedTree.append(ul);
   }
 
   function buildPedNode(nodes, pos, depth) {
@@ -2660,8 +2666,7 @@
     const hasDam  = !!nodes[String(pos * 2 + 1)];
     if (!n && !hasSire && !hasDam) return null;
 
-    const wrap = document.createElement("div");
-    wrap.className = "ped-node";
+    const li = document.createElement("li");
 
     const card = document.createElement("div");
     card.className = "ped-card";
@@ -2682,32 +2687,30 @@
       r.textContent = n.reg;
       card.append(r);
     }
+    li.append(card);
 
     if (hasSire || hasDam) {
-      const kids = document.createElement("div");
-      kids.className = "ped-children";
+      const kids = document.createElement("ul");
       const s = buildPedNode(nodes, pos * 2, depth + 1);
       const d = buildPedNode(nodes, pos * 2 + 1, depth + 1);
       if (s) { s.classList.add("ped-sire"); kids.append(s); }
       if (d) { d.classList.add("ped-dam");  kids.append(d); }
 
       const collapsed = depth >= PED_OPEN_DEPTH;
-      if (collapsed) wrap.classList.add("collapsed");
+      if (collapsed) li.classList.add("collapsed");
       const toggle = document.createElement("button");
       toggle.type = "button";
       toggle.className = "ped-toggle";
       toggle.setAttribute("aria-label", "Toggle ancestors");
       toggle.textContent = collapsed ? "+" : "−";
       toggle.addEventListener("click", () => {
-        const nowCollapsed = wrap.classList.toggle("collapsed");
+        const nowCollapsed = li.classList.toggle("collapsed");
         toggle.textContent = nowCollapsed ? "+" : "−";
       });
       card.prepend(toggle);
-      wrap.append(card, kids);
-    } else {
-      wrap.append(card);
+      li.append(kids);
     }
-    return wrap;
+    return li;
   }
 
   // ---------- changelog dialog ----------
diff --git a/src/changelog.json b/src/changelog.json
index f466f8c..1629b7e 100644
--- a/src/changelog.json
+++ b/src/changelog.json
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 [
+  { "date": "2026-07-26", "text": "The pedigree now reads top-down like a family tree — your dog on top with its sire and dam branching below — showing three generations at a glance, with each dog expandable to trace the line further back" },
   { "date": "2026-07-26", "text": "The pedigree ID set in Settings now syncs reliably to your other devices — it's no longer dropped when two devices' clocks disagree" },
   { "date": "2026-07-26", "text": "New 🌳 Pedigree page: add your dog's SKK chip or registration number in Settings to unlock it, then explore its ancestry as a tree — the first generations show at once and the line fills in further back as it's traced from SKK Hunddata. It's cached, so it reopens instantly and works offline" },
   { "date": "2026-07-24", "text": "The age counter reads \"16 weeks (3 months and 3 weeks) old\" so weeks and months line up; past 4 months it drops the weeks and shows just months (e.g. \"5 months and 2 weeks old\")" },
diff --git a/src/style.css b/src/style.css
index 3ebbbae..01933fc 100644
--- a/src/style.css
+++ b/src/style.css
@@ -1123,59 +1123,111 @@ section.collapsed > :not(h2) { display: none; }
 .ped-subject-name { font-size: 1.15rem; font-weight: 700; }
 .ped-subject-meta { font-size: 0.85rem; color: var(--muted); margin-top: 2px; }
 
-/* the tree */
+/* Top-down family tree: the dog on top, parents branching below, connected by
+   lines drawn with each <li>'s ::before/::after (the classic CSS tree). Wider
+   than the screen once expanded, so the container scrolls horizontally. */
 .pedigree-tree {
   overflow-x: auto;
-  padding-bottom: 24px;
+  padding: 8px 0 28px;
 }
-.ped-node { position: relative; }
+.ped-tree-h, .ped-tree-h ul {
+  display: flex;
+  list-style: none;
+  margin: 0;
+  padding: 0;
+}
+.ped-tree-h {
+  /* "safe" centers when the tree fits and falls back to start-aligned (no
+     clipped/unreachable left edge) once it's wider than the screen. */
+  justify-content: safe center;
+  min-width: max-content;
+  padding: 4px 16px 12px;
+}
+.ped-tree-h ul {
+  justify-content: center;
+  position: relative;
+  padding-top: 22px;    /* room for the connector from the parent above */
+}
+.ped-tree-h li {
+  position: relative;
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  align-items: center;
+  padding: 22px 6px 0;
+}
+/* Elbow from each child up to the horizontal bar shared by its siblings. */
+.ped-tree-h li::before,
+.ped-tree-h li::after {
+  content: "";
+  position: absolute;
+  top: 0;
+  width: 50%;
+  height: 22px;
+  border-top: 2px solid var(--border);
+}
+.ped-tree-h li::before { right: 50%; }
+.ped-tree-h li::after  { left: 50%; border-left: 2px solid var(--border); }
+/* Vertical drop from a parent card down to its children's bar. */
+.ped-tree-h ul::before {
+  content: "";
+  position: absolute;
+  top: 0;
+  left: 50%;
+  height: 22px;
+  border-left: 2px solid var(--border);
+}
+/* A lone parent connects with a straight line, no elbow. */
+.ped-tree-h li:only-child::before,
+.ped-tree-h li:only-child::after { display: none; }
+/* Trim the outer half-lines at the ends of a sibling row. */
+.ped-tree-h li:first-child::before,
+.ped-tree-h li:last-child::after { border: 0 none; }
+.ped-tree-h li:last-child::before { border-right: 2px solid var(--border); }
+/* The dog sits on top with no connector above it. */
+.ped-tree-h > li { padding-top: 0; }
+.ped-tree-h > li::before,
+.ped-tree-h > li::after { display: none; }
+/* Collapsed: hide the ancestry below this dog (and its connectors go with it). */
+.ped-tree-h li.collapsed > ul { display: none; }
+
 .ped-card {
   position: relative;
-  display: inline-block;
-  padding: 6px 24px 6px 28px;
-  margin: 3px 0;
+  width: 140px;
+  box-sizing: border-box;
+  padding: 7px 18px 7px 20px;
   border: 1px solid var(--border);
   border-radius: 10px;
   background: var(--surface);
   box-shadow: var(--shadow);
+  text-align: center;
 }
-.ped-name { font-weight: 600; font-size: 0.95rem; }
+.ped-name { font-weight: 600; font-size: 0.85rem; line-height: 1.2; }
 .ped-name.ped-unknown { color: var(--muted); font-weight: 500; font-style: italic; }
-.ped-titles { font-size: 0.72rem; color: var(--accent); margin-top: 1px; }
+.ped-titles { font-size: 0.66rem; color: var(--accent); margin-top: 2px; line-height: 1.2; }
 .ped-reg {
-  font-size: 0.72rem;
+  font-size: 0.66rem;
   color: var(--muted);
   font-family: ui-monospace, SFMono-Regular, Menlo, Consolas, monospace;
   margin-top: 1px;
 }
-
-/* lineage spine: children indented under the card */
-.ped-children {
-  margin-left: 16px;
-  padding-left: 14px;
-  border-left: 2px solid var(--border);
-}
-.ped-node.collapsed > .ped-children { display: none; }
-
-/* sire ♂ (blue) above dam ♀ (purple) markers on the parent-role cards */
-.ped-sire > .ped-card { border-left: 3px solid var(--sleep); }
-.ped-dam  > .ped-card { border-left: 3px solid var(--training); }
+/* sire ♂ (blue) / dam ♀ (purple) accents on the parent cards */
+.ped-sire > .ped-card { border-top: 3px solid var(--sleep); }
+.ped-dam  > .ped-card { border-top: 3px solid var(--training); }
 .ped-sire > .ped-card::after,
 .ped-dam  > .ped-card::after {
   position: absolute;
-  right: 7px;
-  top: 6px;
-  font-size: 0.75rem;
+  right: 6px;
+  top: 5px;
+  font-size: 0.72rem;
 }
 .ped-sire > .ped-card::after { content: "♂"; color: var(--sleep); }
 .ped-dam  > .ped-card::after { content: "♀"; color: var(--training); }
 
-/* expand/collapse toggle */
+/* expand/collapse toggle (top-left of the card) */
 .ped-toggle {
   position: absolute;
-  left: 6px;
-  top: 50%;
-  transform: translateY(-50%);
+  left: 5px;
+  top: 5px;
   width: 18px; height: 18px;
   padding: 0;
   font-size: 0.9rem;