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Chemdawg No 06 Shop
The Official Cannabis collection · sheet 06No 06 · ChemdawgGenetics

Genetics

Is Chemdawg indica or sativa? Its genetics and family tree

Chemdawg is a hybrid: Leafly and Weedmaps file it as one, AllBud calls it 55% indica, and its cuts are labeled both ways.1,2,3,4 Its parents are unknown. It grew from 13 bag seeds, and the cuts in circulation are siblings from those seeds rather than copies of one plant.5,6,7

Family tree

  • Unknown bag seed (“Dogbud”)13 seeds, 1991; parents never confirmed

Chemdawg

  • Sour DieselChem 91 × disputed
  • OG KushLink claimed, unproven
  • GG4(Sour Dubb × Chem’s Sister) × Chocolate Diesel
  • StardawgChem 4 × Tres Dawg
  • GMO CookiesGirl Scout Cookies × Chemdawg
  • Alien DawgChemdawg × Alien Technology
  • OG ChemOG Kush × Chemdawg
Parents and offspring as reported by High Times, Leafly, Weedmaps News and Leaf Magazines; the OG Kush link is unproven.6,8,9,10,11,12,13

Hybrid, with labels that swing both ways

Every database calls Chemdawg a hybrid, but the lean depends on who is describing which plant. Treat any split as a label, not a measurement: several seed products sold under the name are different genetics (see growing), and Leafly rates the strain’s effects mostly energizing.1,2,3

LabelWho says so
HybridLeafly; Weedmaps1,2
Indica-dominant, 55% indica / 45% sativaAllBud3
Sativa (Chem’s Sister); Chem 91 “usually leans sativa”, with indica-leaning plants possibleLeafly’s cut pages4,14
60% indica / 40% sativaHumboldt Seed Organization’s seed version, bred from the Chem 91 clone15
70% indica / 30% sativaGreen House’s “Chemdog” seed, listed as OG Kush × Sour Diesel16
55% sativa / 45% indicaTop Dawg Seeds’ Chemdawg, per a Lockbox Seeds listing17
Sativa-dominant; balanced hybrid; mainly indicaILGM and Crop King’s “Chemdog”; Crop King’s “Chemdawg”; Inner Earth Seeds18,19,20,21

Unknown parents, and the theories

Chemdawg’s parents are unknown. It grew from bag seed: SeedFinder lists its parents as an unknown hybrid, Weedmaps says its ancestry has never been confirmed, AllBud says little is known about its genetics, and DNA Genetics calls the exact parentage a mystery.2,3,5,22

Theories fill the gap. Leaf Magazines lists an Afghan landrace, a rare Skunk phenotype or a Northern Lights descendant, and says Chemdog himself leans toward Northern Lights.13 Leafly’s Chem 91 page suggests Thai landrace roots and possibly a Skunk cross, and some listings give Thai × Nepalese parents outright: Leafly’s Chemdawg #4 page, Crop King’s “Chemdog” seed and a Lockbox listing for Top Dawg’s Chemdawg. No first-hand account supports that, and it contradicts the account that Chem 4 is a sibling seed from the same 13.6,14,17,19,23

Where the original bud came from is second-hand too. High Times says the sellers got it from contacts in Crested Butte, Colorado, and that it allegedly originated near the California–Oregon border; Leaf Magazines has it coming from a biker in Crested Butte and reportedly grown in Oregon’s Camas Valley; Leafly says Chemdog believed it was Northern California bag seed; DNA Genetics says the Colorado–Oregon border.1,6,13,22

The cuts: Chem 91, Chem’s Sister, Chem D and Chem 4

Four keepers came out of the original 13 seeds. Each grew from its own seed, so they are siblings rather than copies of one plant, and all four survive as clones.5,6,7 Our lab figures keep flower labeled with a cut name in separate buckets, so the last column shows how each label tests.24

CutSelectedWhat sources describeIn our lab data (total THC)
Chem 911991, the first female and Chemdog’s long-time mother plant; originally just “Chem Dog”6,25,26Myrcene, terpinolene and limonene; chemical, skunk and ammonia flavors; happy, talkative, euphoric (Leafly). Chemicals, lemony pine, earth and fresh skunk (Canna Provisions)14,2723.87% median (341 tests)24
Chem’s Sister1991, a sister from the same grow (“Chem Dog A”); Leafly says 19964,6Sativa; skunky diesel with sandalwood and citrus; creative, energetic, focused (Leafly)4No tests use this name24
Chem D2001, from the second set of seeds; Smash Hits says 20006,28Gassy, fuel-forward; diesel, earth and pepper; caryophyllene, myrcene, limonene (Canna Provisions)2924.73% median (54 tests)24
Chem 42006, the fourth seed popped by Joe B., his “Reunion Pheno”5,6Caryophyllene, myrcene, humulene; citrus or Pine-Sol nose; relaxed, tingly, euphoric (Leafly)2322.67% median (51 tests)24

Lab column: median total THC of flower whose label names the cut. 208 tests labeled only Chemdawg or Chem Dog had a median of 19.15%. Labels are not genetics.24

Chem 91

The first female from 1991, which Chemdog kept as his mother plant and still grows for Canna Provisions’ Smash Hits brand in Western Massachusetts, from what the brand calls the original 30-year-old cut.6,25,26,27 Weedmaps treats the Skunk VA (“SkVA”) cut as the authentic preserved clone and calls it clone-only; Weedmaps News says Skunk VA got it in 1995 from a grower nicknamed “Staten Island” and traded it back to Chemdog in the early 2000s.2,30 Leafly says the “91” is believed to refer to the year the plant first existed.14

Chem’s Sister

Also called Chem Sis: a sister female from the first germination, labeled “Chem Dog A” in High Times’ account.5,6 It is best known as a parent of GG4, and Leafly lists Cosmic Cookies among its children.4,8,31

Chem D

The keeper from three seeds (C, D and E) popped in 2001.5,6 Top Dawg Seeds told High Times it got Chem D from Chemdog around 2000–2001 in a trade for Sour Diesel, and it became the Chem side of Top Dawg’s Tres Dawg.32 DNA Genetics traces the Chem side of GMO Cookies to Chem D, and Chem D was Massachusetts’ pick in Leafly’s Budtenders’ Choice awards in 2023 and 2024.22,33,34

Chem 4

In 2006 Chemdog gave Joe B. four more seeds; Joe B. kept the fourth one he germinated and named it the Reunion Pheno.5,6 Weedmaps News says those seeds went to P-Bud instead.30 Chem 4 is the Chem parent of Stardawg, and Leafly also lists Sunshine #4 among its children.9,23

The ones that were dropped, and the seed lines

Chem B, a 1991 female, was discarded as a dud, as were the 2001 seeds C and E and the only 1991 male.6,13 Seed lines bred from the cuts, such as Top Dawg’s Chem 91 BX (the Chem 91 SkVA cut crossed to a Chem 91 SkVA/Tres Dawg backcross male, regular seed only) and Reservoir Seeds’ Chemdog D BX#1 (Chemdog D × Chemdog D Kush), are relatives of the clones, not the clones themselves.35,36 Smash Hits’ Chem S1 is a selfed Chem D.28

Siblings, not clones: what DNA testing found

A University of Northern Colorado study of dispensary samples (Schwabe and McGlaughlin, posted in 2018) tested 122 samples of 30 strain names from three states. Its seven “Chemdawg” samples, all bought in Colorado, were one of only four strains with consistent genotype assignment, and the authors note that the variants on the shelf (Chemdawg 91, Chemdawg D, Chemdawg 4, Chemdog 1) could be seeds of the same plant, which fits the 13-seed story.7 Barney’s Farm summarizes the published version as finding that six of the seven samples were first-order relatives, siblings rather than identical clones.37 Leaf Magazines says Chemdog was the first cannabis plant Medicinal Genomics analyzed, and the company lists a Chemdawg sample sequenced with 131 Gb of data.13,38

Our lab data shows the same family resemblance with a spread: Chem D labels had a median total THC of 24.73% (54 tests), Chem 91 23.87% (341 tests) and Chem 4 22.67% (51 tests), against 19.15% (208 tests) for flower labeled only Chemdawg or Chem Dog.24

Chemdog, Chemdawg, Chem 91: one strain, several records

Chemdog is the breeder’s own spelling. Leafly says the strain is officially named Chemdog, Weedmaps titles its page “Chemdog (aka Chem 91)”, and Wikidata labels the item Chemdog with Chemdawg, Chemdog 91 and 91 Chemdawg as aliases.1,2,39 Chemdawg is the spelling Leafly and AllBud use; Leaf Magazines reports that Top Dawg Seeds switched to “Dawg” to set its own lines apart.1,3,13

The name joins two nicknames for the same bud: the sellers’ product was called Dogbud, and it was also called Chemweed for its chemical taste.1,6

Chemdawg means two things: the whole family of cuts, and Chem 91 in particular. Weedmaps and Wikidata treat Chemdog and Chem 91 as one strain, while Leafly keeps separate pages with different figures (18% THC and a caryophyllene-led profile for Chemdawg, 21% and myrcene-led for Chem 91).1,2,14,39

CHEMDOG (Reg. No. 4,289,475, registered in 2013) and the CHEM DOG bulldog logo (Reg. No. 5,448,511, registered in 2018) are registered apparel trademarks of Greg Krzanowski.40,41 This guide is independent and not affiliated with him or his brands.

Strains bred from Chemdawg

SeedFinder counts 462 direct descendants of Chemdog, and High Times says it has mothered more Cup-winning strains this century than any other strain.5,42 The two most famous links are the least settled: Sour Diesel is widely traced to Chem 91 but its other parent is disputed, and the OG Kush link is unproven (see history).6,13,30,43

StrainCrossSource
Sour DieselChem 91 × an unknown hermaphrodite (High Times); Chemdawg × Super Skunk (Leafly, Weedmaps News)High Times; Leafly; Weedmaps News6,30,43
OG Kush (contested)Leafly: a Northern California strain crossed with Chemdawg, Lemon Thai and a Hindu Kush in early-1990s Florida; High Times: a legend involving a Chem 91 S1 seed; Chemdog denies it is Chemdog’s offspringLeafly; High Times; Leaf Magazines6,13,44
GG4 (Original Glue)(Sour Dubb × Chem’s Sister) × Chocolate Diesel, GG Strains; an accidental pollinationHigh Times; Leafly8,31
StardawgChem 4 × Tres Dawg, Top Dawg SeedsLeafly; High Times interview9,32
Tres DawgAfghan #1 × Chem D, backcrossed twice (Top Dawg Seeds)High Times interview; Weedmaps News30,32
GMO Cookies (Garlic Cookies)Girl Scout Cookies × Chemdawg, Mamiko Seeds; DNA Genetics traces the Chem side to Chem DLeafly; Weedmaps News; DNA Genetics10,22,30
Alien DawgChemdawg × Alien TechnologyLeafly; Weedmaps News11,30
OG Chem (Chem OG, Chemdawg OG)OG Kush × ChemdawgLeafly12
Purple Chemdawg (Purple Chem)Chemdawg × Granddaddy PurpleLeafly45
Giesel, Bubble Chem, Super Snowdog, Dawg DazeChemdog’s own crosses: Chem D × Mass Super Skunk; Chem’s Sister × Bubbleberry; and othersHigh Times; Weedmaps News6,30
Headband (grandchild)OG Kush × Sour DieselLeafly46

Leafly’s genealogy also lists Woo Wookiees and Cold Creek Kush under Chem 91, Sunshine #4 under Chem 4 and Cosmic Cookies under Chem Sis.4,14,23 Sour Diesel has its own guide in the Official Cannabis network at sourdiesel.com.

Is the Chemdawg you buy the real one?

Often not, by the breeder’s own estimate: Chemdog told Canna Provisions he believes about 85% of product sold under the name is not what it is labeled.47 Seeds sold as Chemdawg or Chemdog are frequently other genetics that reuse the name: Green House’s and Crop King’s versions are listed as OG Kush × Sour Diesel, and Crop King’s “Chemdog” as Thai × Nepalese.16,19,20

Our lab dataset shows the name reuse from another angle. We excluded 1,244 results (all product types, counted before de-duplication) sold under related names, crosses and variants, the largest groups being “02 CHEM '91 x ALIENDAWG” (161), “96 CHEM 4 OG x THE WHITE” (117) and “Buds - El Diablo x Chem #4 #3” (103).24

Sources

  1. Leafly, Chemdawg (aka Chemdog) strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  2. Weedmaps, Chemdog (aka Chem 91) strain page. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  3. AllBud, Chemdawg marijuana strain information and reviews. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  4. Leafly, Chem Sis (Chem’s Sister) strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  5. SeedFinder, Chemdog (Unknown or Legendary). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  6. High Times, 25 years of Chem Dog (2016-09-07). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  7. bioRxiv, Genetic tools weed out misconceptions of strain reliability in Cannabis sativa (Schwabe & McGlaughlin) (2018-05-28). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  8. High Times, Gorilla Glue #4 (GG4). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  9. Leafly, Stardawg strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  10. Leafly, GMO Cookies strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  11. Leafly, Alien Dawg strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  12. Leafly, OG Chem (aka Chem OG, Chemdawg OG) strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  13. Leaf Magazines, Cannthropology: Chemdog (2026-03-04). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  14. Leafly, Chem 91 strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  15. Humboldt Seed Organization, Chemdawg (feminized seeds, from the Chem 91 elite clone). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  16. Green House Seed Co., Chemdog (feminised). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  17. Lockbox Seeds, Chemdawg strain (Top Dawg Seeds). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  18. ILGM, Chemdawg feminized seeds. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  19. Crop King Seeds, Chemdog feminized seeds. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  20. Crop King Seeds, Chemdawg feminized seeds. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  21. Inner Earth Seeds, Chemdawg feminized. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  22. DNA Genetics, Chemdawg cannabis strain (2025-06-23). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  23. Leafly, Chemdawg #4 strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  24. Cannlytics (CC BY 4.0), cannabis_results: public state lab results (filtered and aggregated by Official Cannabis). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  25. Amherst Bulletin, Late bloomer: a decade after police raided his grow operation, Gregory “Chemdog” Krzanowski is finding prosperity in the cannabis industry (2021-08-02). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  26. Smash Hits Cannabis, About us. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  27. Canna Provisions, Chem 91 strain: Smash Hits strain by Chemdog (2021-04-19). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  28. Smash Hits Cannabis, Smash Hits Cannabis: cultivated in Western Massachusetts. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  29. Canna Provisions, Chem D by Smash Hits Cannabis wins Leafly Budtenders’ Choice Award for second consecutive year (2024-11-29). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  30. Weedmaps News, Chemdog and 7 strains that come from it (2021-01-28). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  31. Leafly, GG4 (Original Glue) strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  32. High Times, The High Times interview: Top Dawg Seeds (2016-10-12). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  33. Leafly, American budtenders’ best strains of 2023 (2023-12-05). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  34. Leafly, American budtenders’ best strains of 2024 (2024-11-20). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  35. SeedFinder, Chem 91 BX (Top Dawg Seeds). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  36. SeedFinder, Chemdog D BX#1 (Reservoir Seeds): lineage. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  37. Barney’s Farm, Chemdawg: the clone-only strain nobody can legally own (2026-08-05). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  38. Medicinal Genomics, Cannabis genome original. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  39. Wikidata, Chemdog (Q138713518). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  40. Justia Trademarks, CHEMDOG trademark, Reg. No. 4,289,475. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  41. Justia Trademarks, CHEM DOG trademark, Reg. No. 5,448,511. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  42. High Times, 25 greatest strains of all time (2014-10-09). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  43. Leafly, Sour Diesel strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  44. Leafly, OG Kush strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  45. Leafly, Purple Chemdawg (aka Purple Chem) strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  46. Leafly, Headband strain information. Accessed Oct 3, 2026.
  47. Canna Provisions, The origin of Chemdog: the Father of Kind Bud in America (2025-01-31). Accessed Oct 3, 2026.